It has always been my ultimate dream as a K-drama fan to explore South Korea and meet my “Oppas”. Just kidding! Last May, we went to South Korea for a 5-day tour. This trip was supposed to celebrate Ezra’s 4th year anniversary. Travelling across Seoul wasn’t enough for us plus the entire trip will never be complete if we don’t get to visit the ever-famous K-drama tourist destination — Nami Island. For a hassle-free experience, we decided to book a shared tour via Klook. The whole day tour was Php 3944 per person. It was fun and very convenient, thanks to Klook!
May is already in the beginning of summer thus the weather is becoming warmer, day by day. It’s sad that we missed out on the cherry blossom season this year. But generally, the weather was perfect for an outdoor activity.
The package tour included the following places to visit: 1) Alpaca World, 2) Gangchon Rail Bike and 3) Nami Island. It is an all-in day tour which includes the transportation via bus, entrance fees and tour guide.
1) ALPACA WORLD
Alpaca World is around 1 hour and 45 minutes away from Seoul. We waited at Myeongdong station at 7:50am for the bus pick-up. Gangwon-do is quite far, but we just slept throughout the bus ride.
The first alpaca event started at 10:10am – it is called the Alpaca Racing Challenge. We saw around 20 alpacas running and circling around the area. They’re so cute and cuddly.
After the race, they provided us with a complimentary feed for the alpacas. I think these cutesy creatures are really used to mingle with people, they tamely approach us to get food.
The Alpaca World also had other animals like deers, rabbits, ponies, squirrels, and even foxes. Unfortunately, because of the limited time we have, we weren’t able to visit all the available attractions. If you really want to fully explore the area, I would probably recommend to allot at least half a day or maybe an entire exclusive day for the whole Alpaca World experience.
Likewise, the area has a small food stall and a café if you want to grab some snacks. They sell Korean corn dogs, dumplings, coffee and a variety of juices. It is located somewhere in the middle of the place. I was literally craving to eat corn dogs during that time. So I ordered for the two of us and we really enjoyed it!
As for souvenirs, they have a small store near the entrance. We took the chance to buy an alpaca refrigerator magnet and a cute Alpaca stuffed toy!
As for my verdict, I think this is my favorite part of the tour. The Alpacas are cute, gentle and sociable. It was an awesome experience, we played with them and fed them with treats personally.
2. LUNCH AT A DAKGALBI RESTAURANT
Dakgalbi is a popular dish made up of stir-fried chicken mixed with a generous amount of melted cheese. They have this big pan set on the table, the store attendant will then cook the dish in front of you. The chicken was so flavorful and tender. The added melted cheese was such a flavor bomb!
While on our way to our next destination, the tour guide shared to us that Chuncheon area is actually famous for its poultry business.
3) GANGCHON RAIL BIKE
Gangchon Rail Bike is a 5-kilometer ride around Gangcheon area in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do. We rode a 4-person rail bike and pedaled all our way on the train track by ourselves. The bike trail will get you to see the beautiful plains and fields of Gangchon. At the same time, you’ll also pass through several artistically-designed and lighted tunnels along with different colorful themes in it. The bubble-themed tunnel was my favorite.
After the 5-kilometer bike ride, we also had a complimentary 10-minute ride in the love train on our way back to our tour bus.
4) NAMI ISLAND
The entrance for Nami Island is around KRW 16,000 for regular price (for the students and elderly, it is discounted), but if you have Discover Seoul Pass, it’ll be free. Since we booked a shared tour thru Klook, the entrance fee is already included in the tour package.
To get to the Republic of Nami Island, you need to ride on a ferry. It was a short 10-minute travel across the lake. The roundtrip ferry fares are already included in the Visa / Entrance fee.
We visited Nami Island around summer, so it was almost entirely filled with greeneries. In case you want to have a more picturesque view like autumn or winter, I think October to December are the best months to visit this island. It’s quite underwhelming for us because we’re already used to seeing green plants and trees back from our home country. That’s why, we decided to visit Nami Island again next time.
If you have watched Winter Sonata, a very popular Korean drama around 2000s, this is where the series’ filming site was located. We get to see Jun Sang and Yoo Jin’s monument and took photos for souvenir.
Nami Island is a wide area to explore. For a more convenient way of going around, you can opt to rent a bike or another option is to ride a shared caddy for a fair price.
Additionally, there are other places to visit in Gangwon-do — Petite France, Garden of the Morning Calm, Legoland and Seoraksan Nation Park. We will definitely include these destinations for our next trip.
Thank you and Happy travelling 😊