Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ] is a coastal wetland, comprised a long stream of about 3.5km, a tideland of about 2221 hectare and a field of reed of about 230 hectare. Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ] is a habitat of migratory birds, plants and animals due to its natural coast and it is also Korea first coastal wetland.
Entrance for Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ]
Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ] is well-known for its field of reed that is taller than a full-grown man. The field of reed in Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ] is the biggest colony of reeds in Korea. The view of the entire field of reed swaying in the wind is as incredible as waves of the sea.
Reeds as tall as full-grown man
Animals can be seen at the stream with the reeds
Trying to take the whole of reed field from the bridge
The reed field is also an important contribution from the perspective of environmental factor as reeds are effective in water purifying. For the last three decades, the water of Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ] has stayed clean and problems such as red tides has never surfaced before.
Walking paths have been created through the reeds field, so that visitors can take a stroll and enjoyed the natural beauty and observing the plentiful wildlife. Visitors can also choose to take the boat rides out into the bay when the tide comes in.
A bird found among the reeds
Birds flying in the sky
The reed field is also home to many plants such as the common reed and startwort. Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ] is known to attract the largest number of rare birds. Different kinds of migratory birds can be seen throughout the four different season in Korea, and if you are lucky, you might be able to spot some endangered birds too.
It is said that quiet winter month is the best season to see these feathered friends. However, it can be quiet chilly when the wind blows so do dress warmly.
It is a must to visit the Yongsan observatory [ 용산 전망대 ] while you are at Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ].
Start of the journey up Yongsan observatory [ 용산 전망대 ]
Although it takes about 40min to 1hour to climb up from Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ] to Yongsan observatory [ 용산 전망대 ], but you will not regret it. The observatory is the perfect place to view the S-shaped waterway of Suncheonman Bay [ 순천만 ] and the reed field that surround the bay.
The wind is so strong that my hair is all mess up. ;(
Make sure that you have your camera battery is fully charge or at least at a spare battery as Suncheonman Bay [ 순천만 ] is a wonderful place for taking photos.
Extra Information on Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ] :
Opening Hours :
Nov - Feb : 8am - 5pm
Mar - April and Sept - Oct : 8am - 6pm
May - Aug : 8am - 7pm
Admission : 7000won.
How to get to Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ] :
From Suncheon Train Station, walk to the right along Palmaro street for about 100m and cross the street.
Take bus 67 and get off at Suncheonman (순천만).
or
From Suncheon Bus Terminal, cross Suncheon3-gil street and walk along Palmaro street to the bus stop.
Take bus 67 and get off at Suncheonman (순천만).
For more information on opening hours and tickets pricing of Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ], you can visit their website : http://www.suncheonbay.go.kr/?c=1/197/411
However, do note that the web is in Korean language.
After visiting Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ], it was already late evening, and as we did not had any lunch, Alica and I decided to go for early dinner.
There are a few restaurants nearby the park, and we couldn't decide where shall we have our dinner, so we resorted to random pick a restaurant.
The restaurant that we visited served Hanjeongsik [ 한정식 ], which is famous in the region of Jeolla-do. Hanjeongsik [ 한정식 ] is a full-course Korean meal with an array of side dishes cooked in the traditional Jeolla-do style.
Hanjeongsik [ 한정식 ]
Look at the different style of cooking methods for the crabs and all these are served as side dishes. The table was so full that I almost couldn't take a photo with all the dishes fitting in.
With all these dishes, the price of the meal is unbelievable.......cheap!!!! I only paid for 10 000won per person for all these. And the 아줌마s in the restaurant were so nice, they kept on asking us if we had enough and that if we need any refill for any of the dishes....yes...and the refills are for free....but Alice and I were too full to ask for any refill.
There are many Hanjeongsik [ 한정식 ] restaurants located near Suncheonman Bay Ecological Park [ 순천만 자연생태공원 ], and different restaurants are famous for the different side dishes, so you can just have a stroll around before deciding which restaurant to have your meal. But I feel that the restaurants are kinda of like under the same boss, as when we were eating, the 아줌마s from the nearby restaurants all gathered and heard that they were waiting for the boss to arrive for a meeting.
After having our lunch cum dinner, we made our way to the guesthouse. Due to some unforeseen circumstance, our plan for the night and the next day had to be forsake. However, the unforeseen circumstance allows me to understand the drinking culture of Korean ( Shall blog about it the next time ) and also allowing me to get to know some new friends.
New friends made during Suncheon [ 순천 ] trip
The trip to Suncheon [ 순천 ] is an unforgettable memory of part of my Korea vacation 2015. Although there are still lots of places in Suncheon [ 순천 ] that I do not have the chance to visit, but in every loss there is a gain. I get to gain new enjoyable memories and I get to gain some new friends and all these replaced the loss. Hope that I will get to visit Suncheon [ 순천 ] again in the near future and to all my new friends, hope that we will meet again soon. In the meanwhile, take care.
