Friday, September 11, 2009

삼양목장 찾아가는길

How to get to Samyang Ranch from Seoul?

First take the Metro Line 2 (Green Line) to Gangbyeon Station (강변역) and exit Exit 4. Then cross the road to get to the Dong Seoul Terminal which is directly opposite.

You will need to buy a bus ticket to Hoenggye (횡계, pronounced "H-way-eng Gay") which costs 13,200won at the ticket counter. Don't bother checking for 횡계 at the board above the ticket counters because 횡계 is not written anywhere. Just tell the ticketing staff that you want to go to Hoenggye (Gangwon-do).

My bus's departure time was 7:10am and my bus ticket indicated bus boarding Bay 3, which is all the way to the right end side of the terminal. When I got there, my bus wasn't the one in the bus bay; it was somewhere behind. However, I have no problem finding it because there was an ajeosshi who confirmed my destination and another who guided me to the right bus.

Bus journey to Hoenggye takes about 2.5 hours with one stop at Jinbu (진부). There is no toilet break in between though.

After arriving at Hoenggye Inter-city Bus Terminal (횡계시외버스터미널), I walked along the route as indicated in the map above. Samyang Ranch is about 7km from the bus terminal. Walking there will take more than an hour but I thought it was quite enjoyable. There are direction signs along the road like the one below, so getting lost is quite impossible.

A faster way to get to the ranch is of course to take a taxi. I saw a few taxis waiting beside GS25 convenience store (see map above). It may not be easy to flag down a taxi by the road as I didn't see many taxis plying the road.

Getting to the ranch may not be that difficult because there are taxis around in the town but getting back to Hoenggye from the ranch can be slightly difficult if you don't like walking. There is no taxi waiting outside the ranch. In case, you really have to walk, don't fret because you may just get a free ride from some kind-hearted Koreans who can't bear to see you taking a long walk out. I got a free ride out though I wasn't expecting it at all.

As you can see, getting to Samyang Ranch isn't as difficult as you may think. The most difficult part is only the walking if you can't get a taxi. But then, it is not like it will take tens of hour of walking to get to the ranch and back. Try it because the scenery is worth all the trouble.

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for the virtual trip and such a great guide! I don't think I would mind walking either, the scenery along the way looks beautiful. ^^ Equinox ssi, 정말 감사합니다! ^^

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  2. what did you eat? 10km is not a short distance... that's a whole day and more of walking...

    i love your travel section... i love your picture and travel direction. traveling in korea can be difficult but your tips and direction are awesome...

    keep up the good job.

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  3. @ 1st anonymous, 아닙니다.

    @ 2nd anonymous, i eat kimchi so i am healthy and fit. 10km of walking is really nothing. Walking up mountain trail is more ardous even if it is only 2km. by the way my travelling in korea is coming to an end soon so i am afraid i can't "keep up the good job".

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  4. ur pictures of the ranch can be made into postcards can.. so nice!

    original time stamp: 17 September 2009 10:06

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  5. ^^

    original time stamp: 18 September 2009 01:23

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  6. Hi. Enjoyed reading ur blog. Gal, u are really brave and adventurous to walk there! May I ask if u bought the return bus ticket at Hoenggye Inter-city Bus Terminal or Dong Seoul bus terminal? Did u bought it when u want to take the bus back or when u reach Hoenggye Inter-city Bus Terminal before starting out ur journey to the ranch? Thanks for ur time :)

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  7. Hi, I bought my ticket just before boarding the bus, be it at Dong Seoul or Hoenggye. No need to reserve ticket beforehand or buy a return ticket

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  8. Many thanks for your prompt reply! That really helps a lot to ease my fear ^^
    Wish u a pleasant week ahead!

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  9. You're welcome. Have a fun trip :)

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  10. Thanks a lot! I learnt a lot from ur blog :)

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