Hwadam Forest: Monorail Adventure in Gyeonggi
Hwadam Forest (화담숲) is a stunning Korean botanic garden with a scenic monorail trail located just one hour from
How to get to Hwadam Forest
Address: 278-1, Docheogwit-ro, Gwangju-si, Gyeonggi-do
경기도 광주시 도척면 도척윗로 278-1
Hwadam Botanic Garden is located about 52 kilometers southeast of
By bus: Coming from
- 1113-1 from Gangbyeon Station to Konjiam Bus Terminal (1:30 min)
- 500-1 from Jamsil Station to Konjiam Bus Terminal (1:30 min)
- 500-2 from Samseong Station to Konjiam Bus Terminal (1:40 min)
If you’re coming from a different city in Korea, you can take a bus to Gonjiam Terminal (closest), Icheon Bus Terminal, Yongin Bus Terminal or Seongnam Bus Terminal and take another bus from there to Hwadam Forest.
By train/subway: Take the Sinbundang Line from
By car: There are several parking lots at the entrance of Hwadam Botanic Garden. No parking fee.
Book your ticket for Fall 2023
Online tickets for peak fall foliage 2023 go on sale on September 20, 2023, at 1 PM KST. On that day, head to the official Hwadam Sup Website and secure your ticket for the peak season!
Basic Information
Korean name: 화담숲
Hours: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM on weekdays, 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM on weekends
CLOSED ON MONDAYS
Special hours in November: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM on weekdays, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM on weekends
Reservation: If you have a Korean phone number, I recommend booking your tickets for October and November admission in advance here. For those who do not have a Korean phone number (required for booking), the Hwadam official website states “Foreigners may purchase tickets at the ticket office without online reservations.”
Special hours from December to February: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM on weekdays and weekends (last admission at 3:10 PM)
Admission: Individuals – Adults 10,000 won, Children 8,000 won (Monorail boarding pass NOT included in the ticket price)
Hwadam forest is easily accessible for people with physical and mobility impairments. There are ramps all throughout the park.
What is Hwadam Forest?
Hwadam Botanic Garden is an eco-friendly arboretum located within Konjiam Resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do, a 40-minute drive away from
LG Evergreen Foundation created the forest in 2010 to celebrate Korea’s forest ecosystem planting over 4,300 different types of domestic trees and plants. Hwadam Forest is also a habitat for many different local species who call this place home.
The Best Time to visit Hwadam Botanic Garden
Hwadam Forest is a great place to visit all year round, but it’s a must-visit destination for fall foliage in Korea. During this time, the whole park glows in all different shades of yellow, orange, and red. It’s truly a beautiful scenery.
Visit in the winter, and you’ll find tall pine trees decked in snow. In fact, Hwadam has one of the largest pine gardens in all of Korea, with over 1,300 trees. Gonjiam Resort at the foot of Hwadam Forest is also a ski resort. This means you can enjoy Hwadam Forest and also engage in winter sports in one trip!
In the spring, the park is also stunning as you can see over 200 species of Rhododendron and more than 150 cherry blossom trees. Other spring blossoms you can spot here include plum, apple, and pear trees, as well as azaleas, daffodils, primroses, and iris.
If colorful hydrangeas and water lilies are your thing, a visit in the summer will not disappoint. During this season, you should also go and check out the firefly observatory.
Taking the Monorail at Hwadam Forest
The Korean monorail is probably the biggest draw to Hwadam Botanic Garden. The twin cars not only make it very easy to explore the park (especially is you only have limited time available) but they are also very photogenic and make for interesting photo subjects.
When I visited the park in late October 2021, the monorail pass was not included in the admission ticket. I have read different articles mentioning the monorail was included in their tickets, though. However, it wasn’t when I visited.
There are three monorail stations throughout the park numbers 1, 2, and 3. Station number 1 is located right next to the park entrance. This is also the most “competitive” station in terms of snatching tickets. There was a 1.5-hour wait for the monorail leaving from station 1 when I visited. We decided to walk up towards station 2 first to avoid the annoying waiting time. Taking the monorail from station 2 worked out great and there was no waiting time at all.
Taking the monorail is very flexible. You can hop on and ride the full circle for 8,000 KRW (6,000 KRW for children), which takes 20 minutes.
The second option is taking the Korean monorail from one station to the next (station 1 to station 2, station 2 to station 3 or station 3 to station 1) for only 4,000 KRW (3,000 KRW for children). This takes about 7 minutes.
The third option is to take the monorail for 2 stations, which costs 6,000 KRW (5,000 KRW for children) and takes about 12 minutes.
Do you want to buy a monorail ticket? You can purchase the monorail tickets at a machine at each station.
What You’ll See At Hwadam Forest
This botanic garden is very large and divided into 17 different areas. Near the entrance at the bottom, you’ll find a restaurant, café and souvenir shop. There are no other cafés/restaurants throughout the park, so be sure to bring along some water and snacks. Picnic and rest areas are available all throughout the garden.
Moss Garden
The moss garden is located near the entrance on the left side on the way up to monorail station 2. It’s a fairy-like forest that’s truly a one-of-a-kind in Korea.
Birch Forest
The birch forest and silver grass areas are beautiful during the fall season. You can find this area after the moss garden when continuing your walk up towards station 2.
Bonsai Exhibit
Near station 2, you’ll see a large greenhouse-like building. This is where you’ll find the bonsai exhibit. Bonsai are ornamental trees or shrubs that are grown in a pot and artificially kept very small.
Pine Forest
This section of the park is the largest collection of pine trees in South Korea. In total, you’ll find over 1,300 pine trees here. These evergreen trees are especially beautiful in winter when they are snowcovered.
Best Photo Spots at Hwadam Forest
Before I visited Hwadam, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to get great shots as I had seen on Instagram. However, there was nothing to worry about. There are picturesque views of the Korean monorail trail and trees/plants all around. Some of my favorite viewpoints include:
- The love bridge overseeing monorail station 1
- The small path on the top of the bonsai garden
- The monorail at station 2
- The wall in front of the large pond near station 3
K-Dramas Filmed at Hwadam Forest
As you might imagine, several Korean dramas and movies were shot in beautiful Hwadam Forest. These include, for example:
- Little Forest | 리틀 포레스트 (2018)
- Be with You | 지금, 만나러 갑니다 (2018)
- Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring |봄 여름 가을 겨울 그리고 봄 (2003)
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Hi Linda! Thanks for all the details. Great and useful article! I’m planning to visit Korea in November this year and the Hwadam Botanical Garden is on my list. Quick question: would it be a good idea to take monorail all the way to the top and then walk down through the rest of the park?
Hello May! Thank you for your comment! November will be the busiest time at Hwadam Forest for the fall foliage – and also the most beautiful! That being said, there was a 1.5-hour wait for the monorail leaving from station 1 when I visited (also in November). So I decided to walk up towards station 2 first to avoid the annoying waiting time. Taking the monorail from station 2 worked out great and there was no waiting time at all. You can certainly play it by ear and see how it goes on your visit! But taking the train up and walking down worked great for me as well and I’d recommend that!
Hi Linda! I really like the tips you provided and the beautiful photos you took. It makes me so look forward to my korea trip happening november this year! I really wish to visit hwadam forest as well and would like to ask about the reservation of tickets. Understood that we need to book in advance (for autumn) but I’m afraid I can’t do so as I don’t have a korean number! About how early do you recommend we should book and do you know how fast the tickets sell out? I am thinking of booking the tickets the moment i reach korea. So probably only could make it 3-5 days in advance. Thanks and much appreciated if you could advise!
Hello Shireen! I really recommend Hwadam Forest – I think a week or so before would totally be enough for the booking. If you go on a weekday, even a few days before is fine. I also think the booking system was stricter when I went due to COVID measures – which should all be normalized by the time you go. Do not worry 🙂
Hey Linda! I intend to go to Hwadam on the 17 Oct and I wanna book the tickets online now as it is selling out. Do you happen to know if there is any alternative on how I can book the tickets if I do not have a korean phone number? (need korea phone number to get a verification code to be able to book a ticket)
Hello Deborah! I just saw this on the Hwadam website: Foreigners may purchase tickets at the ticket office without online reservations. You should be okay just showing up and buying a ticket there!
Hi Linda, is there a lot of walk up and down at Hwadam Forest? Can a person with weak left knee survive all the up/down walking? Planning to visit this October 2023. Thanks!
Hello Leeza!! I would say yes – for example, you can take the monorail all the way around the park without even getting off. You can also get off on one section and walk to the next station and take the monorail for the remaining distance. Have fun!