Taehwagang Bamboo Grove

Simnidaebat - the ten-ri bamboo field - runs for about four kilometres along the north bank of the Taehwa through the middle of Ulsan, and the bamboo has been there for generations, originally planted to hold the bank against flooding. The wider story is what makes it worth noting: by the 1990s the Taehwa was one of the most polluted rivers in Korea, the outflow of an industrial city of shipyards, refineries and chemical plants, effectively dead. A long municipal clean-up through the 2000s brought the water back to the point where salmon return to spawn and migratory birds roost in the grove in winter, and Ulsan now uses the river as its civic symbol. Paths run through the bamboo and along the water, with a rose garden, a wildflower meadow that is sown for colour in autumn, and a rookery where thousands of rooks and egrets gather. It is free and open at all hours.

What you actually see

• The bamboo strip - four kilometres of grove along the bank.
• The river path - walking and cycling routes beside the water.
• The flower meadows - sown colour in spring and autumn.
• The bird roost - rooks and egrets in the grove.

When to go

April to June and September to November; the autumn flower meadow and the winter bird roost are both local events. Evenings are lit through parts of the grove.

Honest expectations

It is an urban park in an industrial city - the plants and refineries are part of the surroundings. The bamboo strip is narrow rather than a deep forest. Bird roosts are noisy and messy underneath.

Nearby

Ulsan's centre is alongside; Daewangam and the coast are east.