Hwanseongul Cave

Hwanseongul is the largest limestone cave open to visitors in Korea - a system running several kilometres, of which about a kilometre and a half is walkable on steel walkways and stairs. What distinguishes it from most show caves is water and scale: there are streams running through it and several waterfalls inside, one of them substantial, along with chambers big enough that the lighting does not reach the roof, plus the usual stalactites, columns and rimstone pools. It was declared a natural monument in 1966 together with the neighbouring Gwaneumgul and opened to visitors in 1997; some chambers are a hundred metres high. It stays around ten to fourteen degrees year-round, so it is cool in August and mild in January. The approach is the other half of the effort: from the car park it is a 1.3-kilometre climb up the valley, steep in places, taking thirty to forty minutes, or a monorail that runs up the slope and sells out early in peak season. Inside there are many steps, both up and down, and the walkways are wet.

What's there

• The internal waterfalls - streams falling inside the chambers.
• The great halls - chambers the lighting cannot fill.
• The walkway circuit - steel stairs through the system.
• The monorail - the ride up the valley to the entrance.

When to go

Year-round; the cave is a constant temperature. Summer is when the monorail queues worst. Bring a layer - it is genuinely cool inside.

Before you go

The approach walk is a real climb and the monorail sells out. Inside there are hundreds of steps and the walkways are wet and slippery - not suitable for limited mobility or the claustrophobic.

Nearby

Daegeumgul cave is in the same district; Jangho Beach and Samcheok town are on the coast.

Key facts