Hwanseongul Cave

About this place

Hwanseongul is a limestone cave in the mountains near the city of Samcheok in Gangwon Province, on the east coast of South Korea, about 20 km in a straight line south-west of the city. It is the longest known limestone cave in Korea, with about 6.2 km of mapped passages, of which about 1.6 km are open to visitors. The cave was designated a National Monument in 1966 together with neighbouring Gwaneumgul, which is not open to the public, and opened to visitors in 1997. Inside, the temperature stays between 10 and 14 °C. Water pours from countless cracks, forming streams, waterfalls and ten large pools, and some chambers are vast, up to about 100 m high, with bridges built across their chasms. Because the water flows so strongly, few stalactites and stalagmites have formed, while flowstone, rimstone pools and curtain formations are common. Forty-seven species have been recorded in the cave, among them a lungless Korean salamander, and four are found nowhere else. Coloured lights illuminate some of the chambers. Visitors reach the entrance by a steep 30 to 45 minute climb from the ticket office, or by a monorail ride of about six minutes. The walk through the cave on steel walkways takes about an hour. It is damp and cool inside, so bring a jacket and wear non-slip shoes.