Natural Cave Route

Visit order

1. 1

   Heritage site

   Daegeumgul Cave, Samcheok

   800 Hwanseon-ro, Singi-myeon, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do

   Stamp: Samcheok Daeri Cave Complex Ticket Office

   In Samcheok, Gangwon-do Province, the Daei-ri Cave System (designated a Natural Monument) encompasses a series of limestone caves whose names evoke a sense of mystery , including Daegeumgul, Hwanseongul, Gwaneumgul, Yangtomoksegul, Keunjesegul, Deokbatsegul, and Sadaribawibaramsagul. Among them, Daegeumgul Cave is remarkable, even in the story of its discovery. The valley where the cave is located was long known as “Mulgol,” (meaning “water valley”), because water constantly poured from cracks in the rocks below the cliffs. Wondering where such an abundant flow of water could be coming from, people traced the source through the rock crevices. In February 2003, the first waterfall chamber inside the cave was finally discovered. A monorail station is now located there. At first, the cave was called “Mulgolgul Cave” after the local place name. However, noting that large flowstones, stalactites, and stalagmites inside the cave seemed to shimmer with a golden hue, it was renamed Daegeumgul, meaning “a cave of great gold,” in 2006. From the ticket office to the tunnel entrance connected to the cave, located at an elevation of about 395 meters, the route follows steep cliffs and a valley. For this reason, visitors travel by monorail and may enter the cave only with advance reservations and a guide. In June 2007, approximately 800 meters of the cave’s total length of 1,610 meters were opened to the public for the first time. Clear water flows continuously through the cave, and tours may be suspended during periods of heavy summer rainfall. Inside the cave are well-developed formations, including Korea’s longest rod-shaped stalagmite at about three meters, cave pearls measuring up to four centimeters in diameter, and terraced rimstone pools. Beyond the approximately ten-meter-deep lake at the end of the visitor route, a passage continues for another 230 meters before reaching a second lake. However, only about 60 meters of this section have been examined through underwater exploration. Beyond that point, it has only been confirmed that a large underwater passage continues further inside. This has led to speculation that Daegeumgul Cave may be connected by water to Hwanseongul Cave.

   Official information ↗
2. 2

   Heritage site

   Hwanseongul Cave, Samcheok

   800 Hwanseon-ro, Singi-myeon, Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do

   Stamp: Samcheok Daeri Cave Complex Ticket Office

   In Samcheok, Gangwon-do Province, lies the Daei-ri Cave System, which was designated as a Natural Monument in 1966. The area contains a number of limestone caves with names that evoke a sense of mystery, including Hwanseongul, Daegeumgul, Gwaneumgul, Yangteomoksegul, Keunjaesegul, Deokbatsegul, and Sadaribawibaramgul. The best known among them, Hwanseongul Cave, was first recorded in Cheokjuji, a gazetteer of the Samcheok district compiled in 1662 by Heo Mok, who was magistrate of the district at the time. Its name is said to mean “the cave where a fairy was reborn after disappearing inside.” It was previously known as Daeseokgul, or “the great stone cave.” Located at an elevation of about 485 meters, Hwanseongul Cave possesses a semicircular entrance approximately 16 meters wide and 12 meters high. With a main passage measuring about three kilometers and a total length of approximately 8.5 kilometers, it is considered the largest limestone cave in South Korea. The floor at the far end of the cave, near Gwinemi Village in Taebaek, is about 245 meters higher than the entrance. Roughly one kilometer of the cave is accessible by the public. The open section includes a magnificent passage reaching approximately 82 meters in width and 34 meters in height. Large flowstones, including one known as the “Beauty Figure,” and a stalactite called the “Goblin’s Club” can be seen on the walls and ceiling, while the floor features a variety of speleothems, such as the lotus-shaped “Jade Throne,” dome-shaped stalagmites, cave coral, and cave flowers. The cave is also of high ecological value. One closed section near the visitor route provides a hibernation site to thousands of long-winged bats. The Korean clawed salamander, an endemic species, has also been confirmed to inhabit the cave. Since April 2010, a monorail has made it much easier for visitors to reach the cave entrance without climbing the steep mountain path. (*Monorail operations are currently temporarily suspended.)

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3. 3

   Heritage site

   Gossigul Cave, Yeongwol

   1117 Yeongwoldong-ro, Gimsatgat-myeon, Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do

   Stamp: Gossigul Cave Ticket Office

   Gossigul Cave is a limestone cave located in the upper reaches of the Namhangang River. Its name comes from a story that a family in the Go clan who lived in this area took refuge in the cave with their family members to escape the Japanese Invasions of Korea. Because cave water drains out near the entrance along the banks of the Namhangang River, access may be restricted during the summer rainy season when rising water levels and heavy rainfall can flood the lowermost passage of the cave. Gossigul Cave was designated as a Natural Monument in 1969. It was developed as a show cave in 1974 and opened to the public. Until the late 1990s, visitors had to cross the Namhangang River by ferry to reach the entrance, but today the cave can be accessed on foot via a bridge. The cave extends for approximately 3.4 kilometers, including the main passage of about 950 meters. Of this, around 620 meters are open to the public. Within the public section are several small waterfalls about two meters high, while the closed section contains a multi-level maze of passages. Inside the cave are a wide variety of formations, including soda straws, stalactites, stalagmites, columns, flowstone, rimstone pools, and cave coral, giving the cave both great scientific and scenic value. Gossigul Cave is also a good spot to observe bats. In summer, bats gather on the ceiling near the cave entrance before going out at sunset in search of food. From late autumn to early spring, hibernating bats can sometimes be seen along the viewing path in the public section. However, visitors are prohibited from touching bat habitats, shining lights on the bats, or making loud noises.

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4. 4

   Heritage site

   Baengnyongdonggul Cave, Pyeongchang

   63, Munhui-gil, Mitan-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do

   Stamp: Baengnyongdonggul Cave Visitor Center

   Baengnyongdonggul Cave is a limestone cave located in a cliff at the foot of Baegunsan Mountain in Pyeongchang. Extending into both Pyeongchang-gun and Jeongseon-gun, it lies along the Donggang River. River water flowing in from the upper reaches of the Donggang enters the cave’s internal waterways, and parts of the cave may flood during heavy summer rains. Baengnyongdonggul Cave was designated as a Natural Monument in 1979. Its name is said to combine the syllable baek from Baegunsan Mountain with ryong, taken from the names of the brothers who once managed the cave. Another story says that the name refers to a white dragon that ascended from the cave after it was opened to the public. Of the cave’s total length of about 1.7 kilometers, a 400-meter section was opened in 2010 as Korea’s first and only adventure cave. Unlike ordinary tourist cave experiences, visitors may enter only with a professional guide after putting on exploration gear, including protective suits, safety helmets, headlamps, boots, and gloves. The tour allows visitors to experience the cave’s pristine natural terrain in a hands-on fashion. Crossing the Donggang River on a boat named the Baegnyongho to reach the cave is a distinctive part of the experience. Inside the cave are a wide variety of exceptionally well-developed cave formations, and the cave is regarded as one of the best-preserved among those open to the public. In the large chamber at the end of the visitor route stands a massive column reminiscent of a pillar from European architecture, creating a striking scene. A stalagmite known as the “fried egg” formation for its distinctive shape is one of the cave’s signature sights. Baengnyongdonggul Cave also has high ecological value. Otter footprints have been found near the waterways, and visitors can observe Korean cave amphipods within the public section.

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5. 5

   Heritage site

   Hwaamdonggul Cave, Jeongseon

   50 Hwaamdonggul-gil, Hwaam-myeon, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon-do

   Stamp: Hwaamdonggul Cave Ticket Office

   What is now known as Hwaamdonggul Cave originates from the former tunnels of Cheonpo Mine, which was ranked as the fifth-largest gold mine in Korea during the Japanese colonial era. Gold was mined there until 1934. After the mine closed, a natural limestone cave was discovered extending from within the mineshaft. Hwaamdonggul Cave is distinctive in that it has no natural connection to the outside; instead, the exterior and the inner cave are connected through the former mine tunnels. Hwaamdonggul Cave was designated as a Monument of Gangwon-do Province in 1980. In recognition of its scientific and scenic value, it was elevated to the status of National Natural Monument in 2019. It has also been included as part of a National Geopark. The cave has a total length of about 535 meters, of which approximately 100 meters, known as the Large Chamber, is open to the public. Its sections are not all connected to one another, and they are distributed separately at different elevations. A lake has formed in a closed section connected to the Large Chamber, and the cave’s water emerges near the outdoor parking lot. The current visitor route extends for about 1,990 meters and consists of approximately 1,455 meters of former mine tunnels and around 100 meters of cave, including the Large Chamber. The difference in elevation between the entrance and exit of the mine tunnel is about 80 meters. Along the mineshaft section of the route, visitors pass traces of the actual tunnels where miners once worked. This is followed by exhibition spaces in which figures inspired by dokkaebi (traditional Korean goblins) explain the process of gold production in an engaging way. There are also sections of vivid media art. In the cave section, the viewing path through the Large Chamber reveals large flowstone formations, stalagmites, columns, and other cave formations. Hwaamdonggul Cave is especially valued for the well-developed cave flowers and helictites found inside. To date, fifty-two species of cave-dwelling animals have been identified, and bats inhabit the Large Chamber and the closed section connected to it. Hwaamdonggul Cave offers visitors the chance to experience the history of gold mining together with the mystery of a limestone cave.

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6. 6

   Heritage site

   Gosudonggul Cave, Danyang

   8 Gosudonggul-gil, Danyang-eup, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do

   Stamp: Entrance of the Gosudonggul Exhibition Hall

   Gosudonggul Cave is a well-known limestone cave in Danyang, Chungcheongbuk-do Province. Out of its total length of 1.4 kilometers, approximately 940 meters are open to the public. The cave entrance was formed naturally, but an exit (no longer in use) was artificially excavated. With an elevation change of about 30 meters between the lowest and highest levels, visitors can feel shifts in temperature as they move through different reaches of the cave. Designated as a Natural Monument in 1976, Gosudonggul Cave was opened to the public in the same year. It has since become an essential destination for visitors to Danyang. Among the caves open to the public in Korea, it is regarded as one of the finest in terms of the distribution and density of speleothems. A wide variety of cave formations can be seen along most of the visitor route, creating a spectacular underground landscape. Water flowing from the far end of the cave is discharged through the entrance at the lowest level. To date, forty-six species of cave-dwelling animals have been recorded in the cave, and visitors can observe amphipods within the open section. Past archaeological surveys have uncovered polished and chipped stone tools near the entrance, suggesting that the cave may have been used as a dwelling place in prehistoric times.

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7. 7

   Heritage site

   Ondaldonggul Cave, Danyang

   23 Ondal-ro, Yeongchun-myeon, Danyang-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do

   Stamp: Ondal Tourist Complex Ticket Office

   Ondaldonggul Cave is a limestone cave located along the Namhangang River. A waterway flows through the cave year-round, and the area around its entrance is sometimes flooded in summer. The Joseon Dynasty tome Dongguk yeoji seungnam (Geographical Encyclopedia of Korea), mentions a stone cave south of Seongsan Mountain in Yeongchun-hyeon. Other texts, including Daedong jiji (Geography of the Great East) and Songnam japji (Encyclopedic Knowledge of Songnam), refer to the cave by names such as Namgul, Seongsangul, and Yeongchunnamgul. Today, it is known as Ondaldonggul Cave, after the poignant legend of the renowned Goguryeo general Ondal and Princess Pyeonggang, which is associated with a fortress located just above the cave. The cave was open to the public from 1975 to 1979, but was closed for some time after being designated as a Natural Monument in 1979. It reopened in 1997. The cave has a total length of approximately 1.5 kilometers, of which about 450 meters are open to visitors. During a scientific exploration in 2008, about 300 meters of new passageways were discovered inside a waterway section that is closed to the public. Various undamaged speleothems remain preserved there in their original state. Visitors can enjoy the entirety of the Ondal Tourist Area by exploring the cave together with Ondalsnaseong Fortress and a local filming set that recreates the Goguryeo period.

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8. 8

   Heritage site

   Seongnyugul Cave, Uljin

   221 Seongnyugul-ro, Geunnam-myeon, Uljin-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do

   Stamp: Seongnyugul Cave Ticket Office

   Seongnyugul Cave is a limestone cave located at the base of a vertical cliff beside Wangpicheon Stream. The cave has two entrances. Entrance 1 currently serves as the entrance and exit point for visitors, while Entrance 2 connects to a closed section near Chamber 8 inside the cave. Designated as a Natural Monument in 1963, Seongnyugul Cave was opened to the public in 1967, becoming Korea's first cave opened to the public for tourism. The name of the cave is said to be associated with Crown Prince Bocheon, the eldest son of King Sinmun, the thirty-first ruler of the Silla Kingdom. It means “the cave where a sage stayed.” Another story holds that the name derives from the fact that Buddhist statues from a temple were hidden here for safekeeping during the Japanese Invasions of Korea, leading the cave to be known as “the cave where sacred Buddhist images were kept.” Of the cave’s total length of about 870 meters, approximately 270 meters are open to the public. Several lakes of varying sizes are distributed throughout the cave. Because water from Wangpicheon Stream enters through the lower part of the cave entrance and connects to the lakes inside, the lakes most strongly affected by the stream tend to have relatively higher internal temperatures in summer. Fish that entered via Wangpicheon Stream still inhabit Lake No. 2 in Chamber 5. During a scientific study in 2007, an underwater passage measuring about 85 meters long was confirmed, the longest in Korea. Cave formations that cannot form underwater, such as stalactites, stalagmites, and columns, were also discovered there, indicating that they formed during an ice age when sea levels were lower. As such, the cave has significant academic value for estimating changes in sea levels around the Korean Peninsula and reconstructing past climatic conditions. More recently, inscriptions were found carved into cave formations and limestone walls inside the cave that reveal that Seongnyugul Cave was used as a training place for the hwarangdo (groups of elite youths from the Silla Kingdom who followed a unique military and philosophical code), and that King Jinheung also visited the site.

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9. 9

   Heritage site

   Manjanggul Lava Tube, Jeju

   182 Manjanggul-gil, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province

   Stamp: Manjanggul Lava Tube Information Center

   Manjanggul Lava Tube is part of the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System, which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 2007. This system consists of Geomunoreum Lava Tube, Bengdwigul Cave, Utsanjeongul Cave, Bukoreumgul Cave, Daerimgul Cave, Manjanggul Lava Tube, Gimnyeonggul Cave, Yongcheondonggul Cave, and Dangcheomuldonggul Cave. It was formed when lava erupting from Geomunoreum flowed along the slope of the land toward the north-northeastern coastline, reaching a distance of about 14.6 kilometers. Geomunoreum, where the Jeju World Natural Heritage Center is located, is the source of the lava that formed Manjanggul and the other lava tubes in the system. Manjanggul Lava Tube is a single winding passage running in the direction of the lava flow. It has a three-level structure and measures about 7.4 kilometers in total length. The passage ranges from approximately three to 21 meters in width and from two to 23 meters in height, while the span between the tunnel ceiling and the surface of the ground above ranges from about three to 32 meters. These dimensions make it one of the world’s largest lava tubes. The cave’s name derives from Manjaengi Geomeol or Manjaengi Geomeori, the name of the place where Entrance 3 is located. Exploration of the cave was initiated in 1946 by Bu Jong-hyu, a teacher at Gimnyeong Elementary School, and part of the cave was opened to the public in 1967. Gimnyeonggul Cave was first designated as a Natural Monument in 1962, and Manjanggul was incorporated into that designation in 1970. Since then, the two caves have been designated and managed together. The entrance to a lava tube is often a “skylight” formed when part of the ceiling collapses. Manjanggul has three such skylights. Among them, the middle one, Entrance 2, is used as the visitor entrance, and a section running about one kilometer upstream toward Entrance 3 is open to the public. Along the visitor route are impressive lava formations, including lava flowline structures that show the direction and level of the lava flow, as well as lava stalactites, lava stalagmites, lava rafts, lava rolls, lava bridges, and ropy lava on the cave floor. Particularly remarkable is the lava column, which rises to a height of about 7.6 meters and is considered one of the largest of its kind in the world. It was formed during the final stage of the eruption when lava from the second-level passage flowed into the first-level passage, connecting the two. The end of this downward-flowing lava can be seen in the open section in the form of lava toes. Manjanggul Lava Tube is also Korea’s largest bat habitat. Around 12,000 to 13,000 bats live here, including the common Jeju horseshoe bat and the long-fingered bat. However, they mainly inhabit sections that are closed to the public, so ordinary visitors are unlikely to encounter them. As the most famous lava tube in Jeju, Manjanggul is one of the island’s most renowned lava cave attractions. It was closed at the end of 2023 for safety inspections following a rockfall, but reopened in May 2026 after improvements to the visitor path were completed.

   Official information ↗