Hallyeohaesang National Park

Hallyeohaesang was designated in 1968 as Korea's first marine national park, and it covers a long stretch of the south coast - Hallyeosudo, the sheltered waterway threading between hundreds of islands from Geoje west to Yeosu, plus the headlands and the islands themselves. It is not a single place but a region, and the way people see it is in pieces: the cable car and Dongpirang mural village at Tongyeong, boat trips out to Somaemuldo and Bijindo, the Oedo botanical island and Haegeumgang off Geoje, the German village and Gacheon Daraengi terraced fields on Namhae, the cable car and Odongdo at Yeosu. The water is calm because the islands break the swell, which is why this was historically the sheltered inland sea route along the coast. Ferries connect most of it. The park covers about 546 square kilometres, nearly three-quarters of it sea, with some 1,142 plant species, finless porpoises in the channels and the fairy pitta in the forests. Camellia and evergreen forest cover many of the islands, and the seafood - oysters at Tongyeong above all - is the other reason people come.

What's there

• The island channels - the sheltered Hallyeosudo waterway.
• The cable cars - Tongyeong and Yeosu over the water.
• The outer islands - Somaemuldo, Bijindo and Oedo by boat.
• Namhae's terraces - the Gacheon Daraengi fields on the slope.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Boats to the outer islands are weather-dependent and cancel in swell. Summer brings domestic holiday crowds to the coastal towns.

Practical notes

This is a scattered region, not one site - seeing it properly needs several days and a lot of ferries. Island boats cancel often. Bases are towns rather than park facilities.

Nearby

Tongyeong, Geoje, Namhae and Yeosu are the gateway towns; Busan is east.

Key facts