As a Wadden Sea fan and a native of Schleswig-Holstein, I do have a soft spot for tidal mud flats. It was on my first visit to Korea more than 20 years ago, sitting on the airport train from Incheon to Seoul, that I spotted what looked like Korea’s own “Wadden” Sea along the way: the tidal flats.

On that trip, we never made it to the coast, so I didn’t get to explore the mudflats. On my second trip to Korea, we made it to Yeosu — so we were nearby — but again, we didn’t explore the mudflats, at that point of time not a world heritage site yet. On my third visit to Korea in 2024, we included a stop at Suncheon Bay Nature Reserve. We briefly tried to get from the Gochang Dolmen site to the Gochang Tidal Flats (and it seems you can arrange this at a reasonable price by haggling with a cabbie). But we didn’t make a real effort as our day was packed getting to Pilam and then onwards to very pleasant Gwangju.

Suncheon Bay Nature Reserve is very scenic and offers plenty of activities. Behind the site at the back exit (you can reenter), there’s a bike rental place — you can cycle along the dike and take in the views of the wetlands and mudflats. On site, there’s a museum and plenty of trails, including a walk through the wetland that eventually takes you up a hill to a viewpoint. The watchtower was still closed (as of October 2024), but the view from the hill was excellent, and I didn’t feel like we missed out. The best part was taking the boat out into the bay — right into the core zone.

We spent a full day in Suncheon Bay Nature Reserve and had a great time. I would’ve loved to experience more components, but relying on public transport made that too complicated. Still, seeing Korea as a peninsula with a long coastline, I think this is a great addition to represent the country.

Where to Visit

In preparing for Korea 2024, I tried to find visitor experiences that go beyond just walking along the coast or stepping into the mud. Here’s what I found:

• Gochang: Mandol Mud Flat Experience Center, Julpo Bay Tidal Flat Ecological Park
• Suncheon: Geo Cha, Suncheon Bay Nature Reserve.

Getting There

We (like many others) visited Suncheon Bay Nature Reserve. Suncheon is connected by bus to Gwangju and by train to Seoul and Yeosu. Just note: the bus terminal is west of the Dongcheon River, and the train station is a bit further out to the east.

From Suncheon, you can take a direct local bus to the site. Or, you can hop on the maglev train from Suncheon Botanical Garden. To really get into the core zone, you can book a boat ride. There are short rides that stay within the river bay and longer ones that go out to the open sea. The schedule depends on the tides and is posted at the gate, so plan your visit accordingly.

While You Are There

Suncheon itself is a pretty nondescript town — not much to write home about in terms of hotels or food options. But there is a gem: Ecke’s Café, near the Baguni Hostel. Korea is a country of coffee lovers, and so are we. Ecke’s was hands down the best coffee we had in Korea.

From Suncheon, you can take a bus to Naganeupseong, a fortified historic rural town that’s on Korea’s tentative list for World Heritage. I’d strongly recommend it — I feel confident it’ll be inscribed if submitted. From there, you can also connect to Seonamsa, one of the Sansa (Buddhist Mountain Monasteries). There are occasional buses. We got tired of waiting and took a cab.

Nearby Yeosu is a full-on tourist hotspot. We only stayed overnight to catch a morning flight to Jeju, but there’s plenty to do. If you happen to stay, have dinner at Crab 1st Avenue Kkotdol. The old ladies there will set you up with crabs in every form imaginable.