Chollipo Arboretum sits directly beside the sea off Chollipo. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho
A faint sea mist blankets the forest floor, thick with broad ferns. Patches of earth show through the dense undergrowth, while fragmented rays of sunlight filter through the thick maple branches overhead.
The clock has just turned 6 a.m. The hour is too early even for the most popular destinations to be crowded with travelers. The same is true where I stand, at one of Korea’s best-known arboretums overlooking the sea. Across its vast 589,429-square-meter grounds, not a single soul is in sight. Only the distant horns of ships entering port and the calls of birds overhead echo through the trees.
Dense foliage surrounds a traditional tiled-roof house at Chollipo Arboretum in Taean, South Chungcheong Province. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho
It is a rare, tranquil privilege that only those who begin their day at Chollipo Arboretum in Taean, South Chungcheong Province, can enjoy. It is well known as “a garden overlooking the sea” and “an arboretum where visitors can spend the night.”
