Byeonsanbando National Park

Byeonsanbando, designated in 1988 and about 155 square kilometres including some 9 of sea, covers a peninsula jutting into the West Sea, and it is divided into two halves that feel like different parks. Oebyeonsan, the outer coastal side, has the cliffs and the sea: Chaeseokgang is the headline, a shelf of layered sedimentary rock at the shoreline eroded into flat terraces and sea caves that can be walked at low tide and is under water at high, with the strata stacked like the pages of a book, and Jeokbyeokgang nearby has red cliffs above a pebble shore. Naebyeonsan, the inner mountain side, holds Naesosa - a temple approached through an avenue of tall fir with a hall whose wooden lattice doors, carved with flowers and left unpainted, are among the finest in the country - along with Jikso Falls and ridge walks. Gyeokpo has the beaches and the fish market. The tide governs the coastal half entirely.

Highlights

• Chaeseokgang - the layered rock shelf and sea caves at low tide.
• Naesosa - the fir avenue and the carved lattice doors.
• Jikso Falls - the fall in the inner mountain valley.
• The red cliffs - Jeokbyeokgang above the shore.

When to go

April to June and October. Chaeseokgang must be timed to low tide - check the table, since at high water there is nothing to walk on.

Before you go

The rock shelf is slippery and the returning tide cuts people off - watch the timings. The two halves of the park are far apart and buses between them are slow; a car helps.

Nearby

Seonunsan is south; Gunsan and the Gogunsan islands are north up the coast.

Key facts