Juknokwon Bamboo Garden

Damyang has been Korea's bamboo district for centuries - the climate suits it, and the town's craft was bamboo goods, baskets, blinds, fans and the brush handles sold across the country. Juknokwon is a managed grove of about sixteen hectares on a hillside at the edge of town, opened in 2003, with eight named walking courses looping through it on stone and earth paths. The stems are mostly bamboo of the kind that grows twenty metres and more, close enough together that the light on the paths goes green and the temperature drops noticeably on a hot day; wind through them makes a constant dry rattle that is much of the appeal. There are pavilions, a small pond and a bamboo-themed café at the top selling ice cream and the local bamboo-tube rice. It is a straightforward, pleasant two hours, and it appears in enough Korean dramas that many domestic visitors come for that reason.

What you actually see

• The tall groves - stems closing over the walking paths.
• The eight courses - the looped routes through the hillside.
• The green light - the shade and drop in temperature.
• The bamboo café - tube rice and bamboo products at the top.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Summer is when the shade is most welcome but also busiest. Mornings avoid the tour groups.

Honest expectations

It is a managed park with a ticket, not a wild forest, and the loops are short - two hours covers it. Paths are stepped and can be slippery when damp. Weekends and holidays are crowded.

Nearby

The metasequoia road is a few minutes away; Soswaewon garden and Gwangju are close.