Taeanhaean National Park

Taeanhaean was designated in 1978 and is the only national park in Korea protecting a coastline rather than a mountain range: it takes in around 230 kilometres of coastline on the Taean peninsula and Anmyeondo, plus some seventy-two islands, with about twenty-six beaches; the park, the thirteenth in the country, covers roughly 840 square kilometres, most of it sea. The character is West Sea rather than East - brown firm sand, shallow gradients, an enormous tidal range that exposes flats several hundred metres wide, and pine woods planted behind the dunes as windbreaks. Mallipo, Cheollipo, Yeonpo, Mongsanpo and Baengnipo are the better-known beaches; Cheollipo also has an arboretum begun by an American who settled here, holding one of the largest collections of magnolia and holly in Asia. The Taeanhaean Haebyeon-gil is a long-distance coastal walking route in numbered sections. Clam digging on the flats and seafood in the harbour villages are the other reasons people come.

The landscape

• The beach chain - Mallipo, Mongsanpo and some two dozen more.
• The tidal flats - hundreds of metres of seabed at low water.
• The pine windbreaks - planted woods behind the dunes.
• Cheollipo arboretum - the magnolia and holly collections.

When to go

April to June and September to October; July and August bring the domestic beach season and full pensions. Tide tables govern the flats and the swimming.

Things to know

At low tide the sea is very far out and swimming is not possible - this is not an East Sea beach. Public transport between beaches is sparse; a car makes the park usable. Summer weekends are crowded.

Nearby

Kkotji and Anmyeondo are south; Sinduri dunes are on the northern part of the peninsula.

Key facts