Top Outdoor Activities in South Korea

If you are thinking of a place to travel for an adventurous experience of outdoor activities, do not leave South Korea off the list! Perfect for adrenaline freaks, South Korea lets you participate in outdoor activities, especially if you visit in the spring/summer seasons.

South Korea is the seventh country on top for climbers, mountaineers, and scuba divers because of its scenic beauty and landscape diversity. However, foreigners with no knowledge of Korean tend to find the options much limited on their searching spree. It is because much information about numerous places is usually only available in Korean.

But worry no more. Let our guide aid you in planning your next adrenaline-pumping holiday with these top outdoor activities in South Korea.

1. Bungee Jumping

In South Korea, bungee jumping is one of the most popular outdoor activities. It is an action-packed leisure sport.

It is jumping head-first from a towering structure while wearing an elastic cord around its feet.

The bungee jumping structure is spectacular. A crane or a bridge is involved. In 1979, the first bungee jump got reported, and ever since, the sport has grown in popularity. 

Places To Experience Bungee Jumping in South Korea

  • In Inje: This leisure resort, also called XGAME, is 2.5 hours away from Seoul. River rafting, quad biking, and more exciting South Korean outdoor activities are available here. 
  • In Gapyeong: River Land in Gapyeong, about 2 hours from Seoul, is another site for bungee jumping in Korea. This park, like XGAME Resort, offers a variety of enjoyable outdoor activities such as water skiing, wakeboarding, jet skis, banana boats, and more.

2. Skydiving

Skydiving, also known as parachuting, is the employment of a parachute to slow a diver’s descent. The Parachute descends the diver to the ground after jumping from an airplane.

The sport dates back to the descents accomplished by French aeronaut André-Jacques Garnerin from a hot-air balloon in 1797. Modern skydiving, on the other hand, is frequently done from a propeller-driven plane.

Places To Experience Skydiving in South Korea

  • Ansan: It is the South of Seoul, home to Jong Taek Lee’s Skydiving.

3. Zip Lining

The third most extreme and popular outdoor activity in Korea is Ziplining. 

Ziplining is an action-packed leisure activity that entails riding a steel cable between two points while wearing a protective seat or belt, usually through a valley with stunning scenery. 

Ziplining originated in the Himalayas and is still widely used today. Zipline is a relatively new recreational sport available since the late twentieth century. Today, the zipline is an activity that attracts millions of people from all over the world.

Places to Experience Zip Lining in South Korea

  • Jana-line (Gapyeong Gun): Gapyeong is a county in Gyeonggi province of South Korea. It was the field for the Battle of Kapyong, a significant battle in the history of Korean Wars.
  • Zipline Jeju: This thrilling zipline takes you from a green tea farm to Hallasan Mountain and the ocean. It is on the insides of the Daheeyeon Garden at the foot of Geomun Oreum Volcanic Cone. Here, you can see the diverse nature around you with your loved ones.

4. Paragliding

People interested in aerial sports discovered paragliding in the early 1980s, and it allows them to run off the slopes with free parachutes. However, it does not require a separate set-off or landing track. Paragliding is often more accessible than other extreme sports. Paragliding is also the world’s fastest-growing air sport. People in South Korea welcomed it as it gained popularity. Paragliding brings tourism to South korea.

Places to do Paragliding

  • Danyang: It is 2 hours away via bus from the middle of Seoul – Korea’s most famous and gorgeous place. We recommend day trips here. Other neighboring activities are easily accessible too.
  • YangPyeong: This one is one of South Korea’s highest takeoff places for paragliding.

5. Scuba Diving

The ocean is an area of nature that humans find hard to dominate from the beginning of time.

Scuba diving, on the other hand, allows us to immerse ourselves in that environment for a short period.

People in Korea are body figure-conscious, especially when it comes to fat. Diving is an excellent method to strengthen and tone your body, burn calories, and increase serotonin levels, making it a gratifying and pleasurable way to stay fit and happy. Scuba diving workouts are beneficial not just for physical fitness but also for mental and emotional well-being.

Places to go for Scuba Diving

  • Namhae: A distant place on the southern coast of Gyeongsangnam-do. Dadohaehaesang National Park, Korea’s largest national park, is located in the area. Divers will find a healthy environment with plenty of marine life here. The name is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from either Busan or Gwangju.

6. Karting

Karting is a sort of motorsport in which racers compete in small, open, four-wheeled vehicles known as karts (or go-karts). 

Karting is a popular recreational sport that is also competitively contested.

Many people in Korea are in love with this activity as it provides them a new experience of speed-racing. However, it is not allowed within the streets of Korea. 

Places to Visit for Karting

  • Paju SpeedPark: Paju SpeedPark has the most exhilarating race kart course. Visiting it will help you enjoy the race with friends on the 1.2km long and 11m wide race circuit.

7. Archery

Archery has a long history in Korea, dating back to the 5th century BC when riders on horseback launched arrows. Even now, horseback archery tournaments get organized. There are numerous archery ranges here as Koreans see archery as a leisure activity. South Korea has archery groups where children beyond the age of 12 are permitted to participate.

Places to Visit for Archery In South Korea

  • Hwanghakjeong Korean Archery Gallery; This place is a great one for archers in Seoul, South Korea. It consists of 5 different sections, including exhibition halls, experience centers, and a permanent exhibition showcasing donated artifacts, 
  • YoungHakJeong Archery Club: Yonghakgeong was once a military training ground. Today, it is a modern archery club with a membership system. Visitors can take lessons here for both western and Korean style archery.  

8. Paintball 

This sport widely enjoyed by South Koreans emerged in the early 1980s in the United States.

It is a game in which teams or individuals compete against one another to eliminate other players by hitting them. Complete game objectives by hitting them with paint-filled pellets fired from a compressed gas-powered gun, also known as a marker.

This game holds a particular place in Korea’s heart. Idols often play this game for personal recorded diaries! If you want a safer alternative to paintball guns then check this article to know what gel blasters are.

Places to Visit for Paintball

  • Buggy World: This one is in Chuncheon, Gangwon. 

9. Surfing

 

Many people do not consider South Korea to be a surfing hotspot. Passionate South Koreans and surfers have recently begun to explore the coast. They had discovered some excellent surf places, causing surfing to become increasingly popular in the country.

In South Korea, many individuals are loving surfing these days. The country offers many surf conditions due to its three diverse coastal directions (east, south, and west). Surf stores are springing up all across the country, offering top-notch surf gear to the country’s burgeoning surf population. South Korea is known for its lively street food scene, old Buddhist temples, and more than 5000 years of history and culture, in addition to surfing.

Places to Visit for Surfing

  • Songjeong surfing school: If you want to learn surfing, this school in Busan is an affordable and fun place to start. 
  • Jeju Island: The island has the perfect waters to experience surfing in South Korea. You can hire a guide for a trip there.

10. Parasailing

Parasailing is a leisure activity in which a person is towed by a boat while attached to a specially built canopy wing. A parasail wing is a type of canopy wind. The pilot is firmly connected to the parasail, which is attached to the boat, by the harness. It then takes off, carrying the individual and the wing or parascending into the air. With a powerful watercraft, up to three persons can sail at once.

Places to Visit for Parasailing

  • Jeju Island: People in Korea visit Jeju Island for Parasailing too other than for surfing.

The Bottomline

South Korea has multiple outdoor activities for you. There are even sports that you can be a part of; here are the most famous South Korean Sports

We recommend hiring a travel guide if you do not know the Korean language. Do check out our guide on the top travel destinations in South Korea too.