Introduction
Seoul Forest Park is an enormous park present in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is the third largest park of Seoul and is a gigantic area of 1,200,000 m2 approximately. Seoul Forest Park was inaugurated in 2005 for the public use. The government of South Korea has invested around 235.2 billion Korean Won for the development of this amazing place. It is a huge location which has more than 400,000 trees and around 100 different animal species.
History of the Seoul Forest Park
This area was once a royal hunting forest for the Kings. It was later on transformed into Seoulโs first Water Purification plant in 1908 whereas further down the years it was transformed into a racecourse and golf facilities at the same time.
Presently, it has been rejuvenated into a very dense canopy of trees and a lake. This public place is full of the invigorating fresh air offered by our mother nature.
So, if you need to catch a break off from your hectic city life, seek no further options than Seoul Forest Park.
5 Theme Areas
The Seoul Forest Park has 5 theme areas spread out over the entire land. These are:
- Cultural Art Park
- Ecological Forest
- Nature experiencing Study Field
- Wetlands Ecological Field
- Han River Waterside Park
Seoul Forest Park is open year round and has no admission fee. The people can visit here at any time of the day. The various areas include an outdoor stage, Seoul Forest Square, ecological playground, butterfly green house, bicycle roads, and walking paths.
Location
Seoul Forest Park is located on the Bundang line. Get off at Seoul Forest Park station and walk out at exit 3. It is just a 5 minute walk from there to the location of the park with a very big sign board.
What to do at Seoul Forest Park
People often come here with their families to have organized parties and have fun. I witnessed a family celebrating their childโs birthday there with all their family members and friends. They hired a clown to entertain children and indulge in other fun activities as well.
There is immense availability of open space and uncountable number of benches at many different locations which can be used for sitting and talking with your companions and enjoy the weather.
Different areas have different facilities. The butterfly or insect garden has a convenient store around it. This is a good option for some snacks although people often bring home cooked food along them.
Different kind of gardens, parks and sitting arrangements is available throughout the Seoul Forest Park. Going on from the entrance towards the lake side, there is a fancy park, which has square and egg shaped seats. I found that really amusing. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, a complete section of the park was restricted for access. But seeing it from outside was good enough too.
There is a designated route available for people to rent bicycles and fancy cycles for riding around in the park. As it was raining at that time, there were not many people doing that but still, once in a while I noticed people strolling around in those cycles. It seemed a lot of fun to do amidst the presence of nature.
Seoul Forest Park Lake
The lake divides 2 different sections of the Seoul Forest Park. I was on the Cultural art park side and the other side was connected by a bridge. It is a really cool photogenic location and kind of romantic too. Many couples sit along the benches present on the banks of the lake and have a great time with each other.
The innumerable trees have a different vibe altogether. The dense canopy they form over our heads is just totally mesmerizing. It is a very cool location for having a great photoshoot. You can get creative and start playing catch or peek-a-boo there too. The cafeteria near the lake has really cool options with a variety of dishes available.
But I went to Wangsimni which is the next station to have Samgyeopsal and Makgeolli (Korean rice wine). I do not have much experience about alcohol and it was the first time that I drank Makgeolli. It is not so different than Soju but is kind of sweet in taste too. It’s aroma reminds me of an alcoholic beverage we have in India as well although I never drank it but the aroma is same.
Remarks
Seoul forest park is a really fun place o be when you have a good company along with you. I have a lot of things that I will explore there over the time but due to rain getting heavier, I will have visit some areas in the next time. If you find this article useful, so check out my other posts here. Please leave a feedback comment. Have a good day and keep enjoying your life.
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