Boriam Hermitage

Boriam clings to the granite of Geumsan at around six hundred metres, looking south over Namhae's ragged coastline and the islands scattered off it, and it is counted with Naksansa and Hyangiram among the principal sea-facing Avalokitesvara sites in Korea. Tradition connects the mountain to Yi Seong-gye, who is said to have prayed here before founding the Joseon dynasty and to have renamed the peak in return. The buildings are few and small - a main hall, a shrine, a three-storey stone pagoda on a ledge, and a white Avalokitesvara statue on the rock edge that is the standard photograph - and they are pressed between boulders on terraces with drops below. Sunrise is what most people come for, and the hermitage is one of the better places in the south for it. The last stretch from the car park is steep and stepped, twenty minutes or so, and a shuttle covers the road below.

What you actually see

• The rock terraces - buildings wedged among the granite.
• The white Avalokitesvara - the statue on the cliff edge.
• The stone pagoda - three storeys on its ledge.
• The island view - Namhae's coast and the sea below.

When to go

April to June and September to November; sunrise is the classic time and requires an early start or a night before nearby. New Year is very crowded and access is controlled.

Honest expectations

Ticketed, and the final climb is steep even from the upper car park. The site is small - the view and the setting are the visit, not the buildings. Cloud and sea fog can erase both.

Nearby

Namhae's Darangyi terraced fields and the German village are elsewhere on the island.