Gyeongsangnam-do(Changwon-si)

Junam Reservoir features a large migratory bird sanctuary spread throughout three reservoirs (Sannam, Junam, and Dongpan), and is one of Korea’s top nature-watching areas for visitors. It operates Ramsar Culture Center, ecology educational hall, bird-watching site and Junam Environment School free of charge and a guide tour is available to explore the reservoir with ecological explanations. In addition, a lotus field and flower road can be visited in the reservoir.


Gyeongsangnam-do(Tongyeong-si)

In Mt. Nammangsan, there is a citizens’ park where you can view Tongyeong. At the top of the mountain stands a bronze statue of General Lee Sun-Shin built by the citizens in 1953, and Suhyangjeong Pavilion. Under the Suhyangjeong Pavilion, there is Citizens’ Cultural Center. Right under this center is Nammangsan Outdoor Sculptural Park.Nammangsan Sculpture Park was established to display the persistent works of 15 famous sculptors from 10 countries (Japan, China, France, Israel, Venezuela, etc.) who participated in the Tongyeong International Sculpture Symposium. It is also a popular spot for dates because this 30 square kilometer land has beautiful sculptures from which you can feel the individual taste of the artists.


Gyeongsangnam-do(Geoje-si)

Surrounded by Mt. Noja (565m) and Mt. Gara (580m), Hakdong Mongdol Beach provides a cozy atmosphere. Hakdong was named so because its shape was said to be like a crane (in Korean "Hak") flying up to the sky. Compared to other beaches, it has small pebbles, "Mongdol" in Korean, spans a distance of about 1.2 km, is 50m wide and covers a 30,000 ㎢ area starting from Yongbawi Rock. The feeling one gets when walking on these pebbles is soothing and the sound of the waves are refreshing. You can also soothe your feet when you walk on the rocks and activate acupressure points on the soles of your feet. The wild camellia forest, which blooms along the seashore in February and March, creates a beautiful landscape. You can also see the Parlsaek (8 color) birds that come here. These colorful birds can be seen from June to September.Hakdong Mongdol Beach has a lot of summer visitors and is the perfect place for vacationing families. The water is clear and clean, and setting up tents on the beach is possible.Near the beach, there are not only great restaurants specializing in sliced raw fish, but also restrooms and homestays which are well-equipped. There is also a beach festival every summer. An excursion ship starts at Hakdong and cruises towards Haegeumgang and Oedo Paridise Island. It would be romantic to take this ship through the crimson Haegeumgang at sunset. 


Gyeongsangnam-do(Hapcheon-gun)

Featuring the highest peak, Sanghwangbong, Mt. Gayasan is composed of many summits each over 1,000m in x_height. From the Taebaek Mountains, the Gayasan stretches from east to west. In 1972, it was designated as National Park No.9 due to its breathtaking scenery. Gayasan is know for its many tourist highlights, namely Haeinsa Temple, which is in the southwestern part of Gayasan. It is one of the three most famous temples in Korea. The Tripitaka Koreana (National Treasures No.32), consisting of over eighty thousand blocks, are found here. The place makes for fantastic scenery with the old temple and the beautiful landscape. In addition, there are other cultural properties such as Jangkyunggak (National Treasure No.52), Stone Buddha Figure (Treasures No. 518) Banya Temple Gyeongwangsa Monument (Treasures No.128) which was designated as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. Moreover, Gayasan is noted for its graceful mountain landscape. The water flowing from Gayasan valley meets in front of Haeinsa Temple and flows to the southeast where it forms Gayacheon stream. Among the many valleys, Hongryudong valley (its water seems to turn red because of the leaves' autumnal tints) finishes the grandeur scenery with the several thousand year-old pine tree. Namsanjeil-bong, a peak located in southern part of Hongryudong, is called Mt. Cheonbulsan among Buddhists because it seems like thousands of Buddhist statues cover the mountain ridge. Mt. Cheonbulsan is a favorite one-day mountain climbing course for many. Gayasan shows magnificent landscapes every season with the cherry blossoms, azaleas and royal azaleas lined up on the road to Haeinsa Temple in Spring, the clean water and green trees in Summer, the glorious tints of its autumn foliage along the rock ridges in Autumn and a snowy landscape in Winter.  


Gyeongsangnam-do(Gimhae-si)

On July 29, 1998, the Gimhae National Museum was opened in order to research and preserve the cultural heritage of the ancient kingdom of Gaya. The museum is at the foot of Gujibong Peak in Gimhae-si, the spot where the kingdom is believed to have been founded. The museum exhibits the cultural assets of Gaya, as well as cultural relics from the prehistoric age in the Busan and Gyeongsangnam-do areas, and the cultural heritage of Byeonhan, which was the foundation for the growth of Gaya.Compared to other ancient kingdoms, relatively few historical records on Gaya remain. For this reason, relics and remains that have been unearthed through archaeological excavations need to be studied in order to gain an understanding of the ancient kingdom. In this sense, the Gimhae National Museum is a specialized museum used by professional archaeologists as well as the general public. 


Gyeongsangnam-do(Tongyeong-si)

Hansando Island, located in the middle of Hallyeo Haesang National Park, is an important historical site. This is where General Lee Sun-Shin (1545 ~ 1598) won his great victory using the "Turtle Boat" (an ironclad warship shaped as a tortoise) by commanding the naval forces of Chungcheong, Jeolla and Gyeongsang Provinces at the beginning of Imjinwaeran, the Japanese invasion of Korea (1592-1598).In Hansando Island, a 960 square km large forest is blanketed with camellias and old red pines. In the woods, there is Jeseungdang, which was the strategic headquarters of General Lee Sun-Shin where he commanded the war for five years during the Japanese occupation of Korea in 1592. Jeseungdang has a five-page documentary called Chungmugong that recorded the activities of Lee Sun-Shin which depicts the events of that period. You can also see the barracks, The Suru Watch Tower, and Hansanjeong, where soldiers were trained in archery. The Suru Watch Tower overlooks a fine view of the sea, along with a view of Jeseungdang.The active cultivation of oysters, ascidians, brown seaweed and pearls is attracting more tourists to this area. The coast of Hansando has also become a famous fishing spot. 


Gyeongsangnam-do(Geoje-si)

Halleyo Maritime National Park was designated as a National Park in 1968. It is composed of parts of the southern coast and Namhaedo Island and Geojedo Island of the southern coast. Hallyeo Maritime National Park is famous for Odongdo island, which is covered with camellias and subtropical plants, and boasts beautiful sunrises and sunsets over Haegeumgang of Geojedo, Bijindo Island – famous for its native plant, Palsonyi Tree. Hansan Island is especially important because this is the grounds where General Lee Sun-Shin won the Imjinwaeran (War by Japan’s invasion of Korea in 1592).Hallyeo Maritime National Park is well known for the beautiful sea, islands and pristine seashores. Since there are many sites to visit, many visitors come in summer on vacation, and others return in spring or autumn on excursion trips. Among these sites, Geoje Haegeumgang river and Oedo Island Marine Tourism Farm, also known as the Paradise of Korea, are highly popular tourist courses.


Gyeongsangnam-do(Hadong-gun)

The House of Choi Champan is known as the setting of the famous novel ‘Toji’ (‘The Land’) by noted author Park Gyeong-ri. Located in a small folk literature village in Agyang-myeon, Pyeongsa-ri along the Seomjingang River at the foot of Jirisan Mountain, Choe Champandaek consists of fourteen hanok (Korean traditional house) buildings.Also used as the main set of the drama version of ‘Toji’ (2004), Choi Champandaek gives visitors a look at the life of the Korean people in the late Joseon Era. The house has not only made its appearance in many films, but is also a valuable cultural asset of Hadong-gun Country.The Daecheong Maru (wooden-floored hall) connected to the Sarangchae (men’s quarters in a hanok) offers a wide view of the vast field of Pyeongsa-ri and an opportunity to meditate and reflect while appreciating the beautiful surroundings. Located in the vicinity are numerous tourist attractions including the Pyeongsari Literature Center, Hwagae Market, and Ssanggyesa Temple. In the fall of each year, Choi Champandaek hosts the Toji Literature Festival.


Gyeongsangnam-do(Geoje-si)

As one of the best sights in Geojedo Island, Geoje Haegeumgang River is called the Geumgang River (Sea Diamond) of the South Sea. As a rock island, Haegeumgang River belongs to Hallyeo Marine National Park, which is assigned as an official green area in South Korea. Its original name was Galgotdo, because it is shaped like the spreading roots of arrowroot. These days it is known as Haegeumgang River, meaning Geumgangsan Mountain in the sea.The most stunning scenery of Haegeumgang River is the sunset and sunrise and can be best viewed on Ilwollbong Peak or Lion Rock. There is Shipjagul Cave in the center of Haegeumgang River, which is 100m long from east to west and 180m long from south to north. It has been called Shipjagul (meaning ‘cross’ in Korean) Cave because it looks like a cross when viewed from the sky. If you go on the tour, you will be fascinated by the x_height of the rock walls and the inside of the cave. A long time ago, scholars expressed their yearning for the beauty of nature by writing and reading poems they wrote on sailboats with a bowl of makkoli (rice wine) in their hands.When you take a ship around the island, you’ll be fascinated once more because of the great works such as the Maitreya Rock, which reflects on Eunjin Maitreya, Candlestick Rock and the 1,300 year old guardian pine tree of Haegeumgang River. 


Gyeongsangnam-do(Changnyeong-gun)

There are four large and small swamps around the Yibang-myeon, Daehap-myeon, and Daeji-myeon areas of Changnyeong-gun, which are collectively called ‘Upo Wetland’. They are the largest natural swamps in South Korea, with a total size about 5,550 square km. The bottom of the swamp is shallower than 1m and there are over 1,000 species living in its murky waters. It has a primitive atmosphere with 100 kinds of plants containing 28 kinds of aquatic plants and 72 types of hydrophytes.Upo Wetland is a primitive low bed wetland, which was created about 140 million years ago. When soft ground collapsed, water started to come to a low basin, and this was a lake where dinosaurs lived 100 million years ago. Upo Wetland was formed in with the sediments from the mountains brought in by rivers. From the outer edge, the current Upo Wetland is going through natural alteration and ecological succession from a lake to swamp and from grass-covered plain to a forest. At Upo Wetland there are eight famous sites such as fireflies, constellation gazing, and willow groves, but there are many, many other interesting things to see. Among the eight famous sights, the Upo rain-fog is an especially eye-catching natural phenomenon, becoming visible when there is no wind, when skies are clear, and the temperature difference between day and night is 10 degrees or more. The fireflies come out around 8~9 P.M. in August and September, and they are also worth watching. In winter, migrating birds spend their winter here and you can watch about 33 species of birds such as swans, whopper swans, bean geese, teals and wild ducks. It is better to take a walk in the evening or early in the morning rather than in the daytime, it would be great also to visit in the night under the starlight.