Dadohaehaesang National Park

Dadohae means many-island sea, and the park designated in 1981 covers most of it - some seventeen hundred islands and islets and a huge area of water off the south-western corner of the country, making it by far the largest national park in Korea, about 2,320 square kilometres of which nearly 2,000 are sea, and one of the largest archipelagos anywhere. Almost none of it is reachable without a boat. The inhabited islands each have their own character: Heuksando and Hongdo far out, the latter a red-rock island ringed by cliffs where landing is restricted and the visit is a boat circuit; Bogildo with its poet's garden; Cheongsando's stone terraces; Jeungdo with its salt fields; Manjaedo and Gageodo for fishing and steep walking. Migratory birds use the islands heavily. Ferries run from Mokpo, Wando, Jindo and smaller ports, and they are cancelled in wind often enough that any island trip needs spare days built in.

Highlights

• The island scatter - hundreds of islands across open water.
• Hongdo - the red cliff island seen on a boat circuit.
• The inhabited islands - Heuksando, Cheongsando, Bogildo and others.
• The bird passage - migratory flocks through the archipelago.

When to go

April to June and September to October for the calmest crossings. Ferries cancel readily in wind - never plan a tight return.

Practical notes

Nothing here is reachable without ferries, and cancellations strand people regularly. Hongdo restricts landing and is viewed from a boat. Island facilities are guesthouses, not hotels.

Nearby

Mokpo, Wando and Jindo are the mainland gateways; Hallyeohaesang park continues east.

Key facts