Here to give the Getbol its first review on this site since inscription, I've included it on my June 2023 trip to Korea. I originally did not think much of these mudflats... there are already so many Eurasian migratory bird sites, I'd already seen the little mudflats in Mont Saint Michel and Itsukushima, and if the tidal variation were the star of the show, I would've much rather wanted to see the Bay of Fundy. Well, the pictures of Suncheon Bay did really look quite pretty, and as every reviewer here so far has given nothing but praise to this field of reeds, I figured it was worth fitting into my trip. Spoiler alert: it absolutely was! As a result of choosing Suncheon, however, I do not have much to add to previous reviews other than tips on how to go and a few of my personal observations.

Suncheon is a small city with huge potential for tourism, and they sure know it! At the bus stop outside the intercity bus station, you can catch a direct bus to a good selection of featured destinations that could fill up more than an entire day, including Seonamsa, Songgwangsa, Naganeupseong, and of course, Suncheonman Nature Reserve ("man" means bay). The southwestern hospitality really shines through here, especially with the tourist information officer at the station who got out and closed her booth to lead us to the bus stop a block away. Just take bus #66 (also passes the train station after about 10 minutes), and about 40 minutes away, the nature reserve sprawls over the flat opening of the bay, bisected by the same river that flows through the city. I wasted no time at the facilities by the entrance and headed straight to the bridge where you can get your first look at the vast reed fields. This is a place to just appreciate the nature around you, often looking down towards the muddy surface for a certain glimpse at the (probably) millions of crabs that call this mudflat home. My rating may look fairly low, but I will admit that the visitor experience is at least 4 stars - it's one of the best sites I've ever been to for observing its wild ecosystem up close and undisturbed, fauna going about their day as they always do. I observed crabs digging and coming out of their holes, bumping into each other, climbing reeds, and even splitting reeds to chew them... crabs are quite an icon of Suncheonman, but I'd never thought I'd be so content to watch crabs for hours. Apparently their species diversity here is also remarkable, though I'm no expert in differentiating them. The mudskippers were also so interesting to watch, especially when they jumped into the puddles when crabs approached them. And while I wouldn't count myself so lucky with the birds, I did see quite a few flocks of clearly different species fly by once in a while, as well as some white heron/egret-type birds lazing by the water. Some small brown swallow-like birds were especially noisy as they perched on the reeds by the boardwalk. Unfortunately, it was a very foggy day, so my view from Yongsan was as hazy as could be, just enough to make out the characteristic curves of the terrain depicted in others' pictures.

Suncheonman turned out to be one of my favorite spots in Korea, and I think the combination of its unique scenic beauty and up-close view of a healthy and abundant ecosystem makes it out to be the perfect place to experience the nature of the Korean coast. This is a place I'd recommend to all visitors to Korea. It may not have Everglades-level biodiversity or Serengeti-level impressiveness in its inhabitants, but I can definitely say it deserves the same level of protection, preservation, and recognition as a unique and valuable site in the world. Looking out from Yongsan, though, I had to note the vast swathes of farmland and other non-untouched lands that surrounded the reed fields and bounded the mudflats - while you're in the reeds, they seem so endless, but a bird's eye view reveals otherwise. This is but a little pocket of wilderness in a rapidly developing land, and the fractured nature of this site shows that. In fact, the IUCN raised this point against all component sites other than the Sinan Getbol, so perhaps that would be an even better site to appreciate the true OUV of the World Heritage Site. That being said, I don't regret my choice for Suncheonman in the least, as it was not only the most convenient to reach by public transport but was also a slice of wild heaven that lives up to all the praise it has gotten thus far. The Getbol is not one of the most remarkable natural World Heritage Sites, but it is one that I think everyone can enjoy and learn from, and that's all I need to know to recommend a visit here.