We were also informed that the last cube that would be leaving the reserve to return to the garden was at 5:30PM. That seriously affected our initial plan to observe the sunset from the reserve: on account that the best place to observe the sunset is pretty far in, and it’d take around 30 minutes to get back to the station to catch the last cube back. I reckon this poses no problems for locals as they can simply drive out from the reserve. For international tourists who aren’t driving, there was of course the option of just trying to call a cab to drive us out from the reserve entrance in the early evening. But we didn’t feel up to chancing it, and we figured we’d be too tired to be adventurous in the cold winter anyway.<\/p>\n
As it turned out, this was just as well – because the Yongsan Observatory, a spot on a hill that offers the best panoramic view of the reserve, has been closed for renovation for a year now. So, we timed our visit to leave the reserve no later than 4:30PM.<\/p>\n
The Sky Cube station at the wetland reserve is actually some distance away from the start point of the reed forest trail, but visitors who have purchased Sky Cube tickets get ferried over to the start point. The tram looks like it can seat about 20 visitors, so if you’re visiting on a crowded day, you’d need to queue up for it. I didn’t see how long the wait time was, but I think it might be flexible based on demand. The ferry seems to run on a single track i.e. only one vehicle can be on it in either direction at a time, so I judge the waiting time during busy hours to be perhaps 10 minutes at least.<\/p>\n
Pro-tips<\/strong>! You walk the Reed Forest trail using a walkway, and it runs for a few kilometers. The walkway is in very good condition, and seems to be made of composite wood planks. There are also plenty of sheltered rest stops along the way. Also, while the Yongsan Observatory is closed, it’s still possible for visitors to make their way up the hill for vantage viewpoints: the trail is still open up until about 450 meters from the observatory. The path after that is walled up. The climb up the hill does require a certain level of fitness, and there are a few segments where you can either go up steps – the signboard calls it ‘The Hard Road’ (no kidding) – or take the ‘Road of Meditation’, which is on a gentler incline but longer.<\/p>\n Pictures:<\/p>\n The visit to the reserve today was one of the two highlights in the Suncheon segment of our vacation in South Korea, and the area itself did not disappoint: it’s huge, the view from the hill is great, and there weren’t that many visitors on a Friday afternoon. Do note however that the Yongsan Observatory is closed, and we do not know when it will reopen. Also, if you’re determined to stay for sunset, do plan how you’d like to exit the reserve as the place is a little remote.<\/p>\n That’s a wrap for our Day 07 activities. Our Day 08 itinerary tomorrow is relatively easygoing. More to come soon!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The wife quipped that the Suncheon Bay National Garden was built because there were so many visitors to the wetland reserve that the city had to figure out a way to divert some of them away from the reserve! In<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.chekyang.com\/musings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/blog-2024-korea-day-07-20241213_142022.jpg\")
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