Upo Wetland

About this place

Upo Wetland is a complex of natural wetlands near the Nakdong River in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, about 7 km in a straight line west of the county town. Covering a little over 2 square kilometres, it is the largest inland wetland in the country. It takes its name from Upo, the largest of its marshes; the others are Mokpo, Sajipo and Jjokjibeol. Reeds, tall grasses and floating plants fill its shallow water, and hundreds of plant species grow here, the best known being the rare prickly water lily, along with 62 bird species and 28 kinds of fish. It is an important stop for migrating and wintering birds such as whooper swans, bean geese and white-naped cranes, and a project is working to bring back the crested ibis. Upo has been protected since 1997, was listed in 1998 as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, and in 2011 was designated a Natural Monument as the Changnyeong Upo Wetland Natural Protection Area. Fishing and farming still go on around its edges, and a visitor ecology centre explains the importance of its biodiversity. A walking route circles the marshes, whose shoreline runs for about 7.5 km, with viewpoints over the water along the way. Autumn, with its silver grass, and winter, with its migrating birds, are among the finest times to come, and mornings are quieter. Walking the trails is free.