Boseong: Green Tea Fields Forever

보성녹차밭 대한다원

On Korea’s southwest coast, you will hopefully find yourself in Boseong, the green tea capital of the peninsula.  Make your way to the Daehan Green Tea Plantation, the largest one in Boseong.

On a particularly sticky morning, I came to that very plantation to see the beautiful tea terraces and taste some of the green tea items for sale.  Entering from the parking lot, before ascending to the tops of the green tea filled hills, the cool shade of the cedar trees below deceived me into thinking that the ascent would be easy.

At the bottom, in the shade.

There was a pond beside various paths snaking through the trees.  There were also gift shops and cafes as well to satisfy the thirty, hungry, or empty-handed.  I arrived early, about 9 am, but despite this, the paths were becoming more lively with the slow arrival of visitors.  Resolving to shop and eat later, and before the sun got too high in the sky, I made my way up.

The heat of the sun burned on my shoulders.  My hair and back were wet with sweat.  I was thirsty.  And I was only about half-way up.  But it was quite beautiful already.  Stacks of green, my favorite color.  Fresh air.  And a sense of being in solitude–or as much solitude as possible in South Korea.  The solitude wouldn’t last for long; I couldn’t help but notice the droves on people at the bottom making their way up quite quickly.

The view at the top is wonderful.  No photo I took really did it justice.  The earlier you show up and walk to the top, the better.  The longer you wait, the more crowded the paths and fields will become.  Also, the hotter it will become.  Although summer is fine to visit, it is extremely hot and humid.  If possible, come in the late spring.

After circling back around to the entrance, there are plenty of foods to be had and shopping to be done, as I already mentioned. I partook in each and then made my way out of Boseong.

Green tea ice cream

Green tea pork belly.  Can’t say I tasted much green tea flavor, but at least it’s pork belly.

My purchase of loose leaf green tea to take home.

For another cool blog and a great travel video about Boseong, check out Nomadic Samuel‘s site!

Also, transportation information.  There you have it.  Happy traveling!