Let’s take a leisurely stroll at just one meter per second! Green Daegu’s Best Five Healing Spots

Do you fancy going on a picnic amid Daegu’s charming natural environment, where an ancient village with beautiful trumpet creeper blossoms and a splendid arboretum are waiting for us? If you take a leisurely stroll along the waterside trail amid the gentle river breeze, you’re sure to stumble into an exciting adventure in the forest and forget all about your busy daily life. So let’s relax and discover some of Daegu’s hidden attractions!

Written and photographed by Travel Writer Yoo Eun-yeong.

The Village of the Nampyeong Mun Clan in Bon-ri, where beautiful trumpet creepers bloom in late June!

The village of the Nampyeong Mun clan in Bon-ri, Dalseong-gun is a traditional village located in the middle of Daegu that looks just like it did in the past. As you walk along the narrow alleys and pass by the ancient houses and stone-earth walls, you’ll feel as if you’ve travelled hundreds of years back in time. The village is known for the beautiful trumpet creeper blossoms that cover the walls at the end of June, captivating the hearts of tourists. According to a local legend, court women who spent their whole life in tears at a royal palace eventually became trumpet creepers, whose large orange flowers fall to the ground even before they wither, creating a beautiful spectacle.

The village of the Nampyeong Mun clan in Bon-ri is a clan village inhabited by the descendants of Mun Ik-jeom (1329–1398), a politician of the Goryeo Dynasty. The village is notable for its ancient buildings, such as Subongjeongsa Pavilion and Gwanggeodang Hall, as well as the surrounding stone wall paths. In particular, the Insumungo Book Repository, which holds some 20,000 books, is the village’s pride and joy. Its rich collection of books and literary materials attracted a constant stream of seonbi, or classical scholars, from all over the country.

Continuing from the village of the Nampyeong Mun clan, you will come to the Mabijeong Mural Village. Nostalgic paintings adorn the walls of this traditional village of thatched roof houses, stone walls, straw mats, plows, and other implements from a bygone era. You can also sample tasty dishes prepared by the locals, such as noodle soup (kalguksu) and green onion pancakes (pajeon). The village also offers visitors a variety of interesting hands-on experiences including the injeolmi (bean-powder-coated rice cake) making, tofu making, and scent pouch making programs.

16, Inheung 3-gil, Hwawon-eup, Dalseong-gun, Daegu / +82-53-631-8686

  

Daegu Arboretum, the Green Heart of Daegu!

Located in the city center, the Daegu Arboretum (a green space of 240,000 ㎡) is the ideal place to forget you are actually in a big city. The arboretum was created by transforming a sanitary landfill into a lush forest of 150,000 trees and 300,000 flowering plants. It consists of the Wild Plant Garden, which is planted with native wild flowers, the Bog Garden, which is filled with lotus flowers and trees, and the Foreign Botanical Garden, which contains 130 species of plants from the world and about 200 varieties of exotic plants. It usually takes about 2 hours to tour the arboretum, but if you want to observe the trees and plants at a leisurely pace and take a break in the shade of a tree, half a day won’t be nearly enough. The Forest Guide Office offers a free guide service for the arboretum.

342, Hwaam-ro, Dalseo-gu, Daegu / +82-53-640-4100

Eco Theme Park Daegu Forest, a garden of delightful experiences!

Daegu Forest was originally opened as the Naengcheon Nature Garden in 1976, and was later renamed Herb Hills, then Hill Crest, and, finally, Eco Theme Park Daegu Forest. Daegu Forest offers enjoyable festivals all year round, packed with fun attractions and exotic programs amid its lush vegetation. The Romantic Garden is a popular spot among visitors who enjoy the heady scents of around eighty kinds of herbs, while Daegu Zoo is much loved by children as it offers them opportunities to feed rabbits and see donkeys, and the Red Maple Road is a popular dating course.

Daegu Forest runs diverse hands-on programs, including the Woodpecker Studio and a Cookery Class. However, the highlight of Daegu Forest is the Eco Forest Adventure, where visitors can enjoy the thrilling experience of walking high up in the trees on a rope, and crossing various wooden structures.

1003, Gachang-ro, Gachang-myeon, Daleseong-gun, Daegu / +82-53-761-7400

 

Samunjin Quay, set amid the beautiful scenery of the Nakdonggang River

Recently restored to its former appearance, Samunjin Quay on the Nakdonggang River used to be an important quay visited by a constant stream of ships during the Joseon Dynasty. The nearby village of Jumakchon, a cluster of old thatched houses around a 500-year-old hackberry tree, serves a variety of tasty dishes such as beef and rice soup, noodles in broth, garlic chive pancakes, and makgeolli (rice wine). The first piano arrived in Korea at this quay in 1900. When people saw what looked like an empty wooden case making strange sounds, they called the piano the “‘ghost case” as if they believed a ghost inhabited it. The waterside trail continues all the way to the Dalseong Marsh. If you take the ferry, which sails to The Arc, a riverside cultural center, you can enjoy the serene landscape of the Nakdonggang River.

At Hwawon Park, situated next to Samunjin Quay, visitors can enjoy a “green shower” as they walk through the dense forest, and also ride the Electric Duck Car. The park’s Observatory offers an open view of the Dumulmeori, where the Geumhogang and Nakdonggang Rivers meet.

42-1, Samunjin-ro 1-gil, Hwawon-eup, Dalseong-gun, Daegu (Samunjin History Park) / +82-53-659-4465

 

Dalseong Marsh Eco Forest Trail, a Healing Walkway

Dalseong Marsh is an inundation type of marsh located at the confluence of the Nakdonggang and Geumhogang Rivers. It is a repository of ecological resources where visitors can see fields of leaf mustard flowers in spring, hear the croaking of narrow-mouthed toads in summer, admire an abundance of reeds in autumn, and observe hooded cranes in winter. Visitors are sure to enjoy the vivid energy of nature, beautiful wild flowers, and tall green trees as they stroll along the forest trail next to the marsh.

What’s more, visitors can enjoy walking along the waterside trail connecting Dalseong Marsh to Samunjin Quay and learning all about the marsh at the Eco Learning Center.

(Dalseong Wetland Eco Learning Center), 88, Gura 1-gil, Hwawon-eup, Dalseong-gun, Daegu / +82-53-631-0105