Hwawangsan Mountain with Hike Korea I logged in to write a review about our most recent experience and realized our review from 2015 was not linked to Roger so please enjoy the following write up while I work on the recent one. DownVegasTown Alamo Heights, Texas 149115 Hiking in Korea Review of Hwawangsan Mountain Reviewed June 7, 2015 A bit of background, My wife is Korean and her family history ties back to a story in ancient times at the facilities on top of the mountain. She researched both english and korean sites to find the place and how to get there. Fortunately she found an excellent guide service. We were in route from Seoul to Gyeongju and stopped in Daegu to make this day trip. We arrived early in Daegu, made the hike up the mountain and took the last train onto Gyeongju. Roger with HikeKorea.com met us at the train station and drove us to Changnyeong and then onto Hwawangsan Mountain for the hike to the top. Roger leads hikes all over South Korea but this was his first time to Hwawangsan Mt so he arrived the day before and scouted it out. So, we started the hike with a stop at a temple on the way up. Cherry blossoms were ending their bloom so we saw many on the trees and many on the ground. We chose to hike up the shortest route which to the novice sounded like the best but in reality ended up being the steepest, strenous, most difficult....ok the adjectives get a bet racy from here, so just say this old man was in over his head. The good thing is Roger was excellent watching my wife and i for signs of fatigue, stress and fear. Yes I said it. Old guy got a little nervous but Roger was always there and never let us feel uncomfortable. We made it to the top, piece of cake for my wife but I struggled due to age, injured toe and tight pants. Roger had a set of hiking poles which I refused the first 30 minutes but finally relented. My god they were awesome. Cut the huff and puff in half, pulse dropped a few notches and I thought I might get off the mountain without a helicopter. Made it to the top and walked along the ridge line about a km to the ancient spot we had to see. i must admit it was interesting to me seeing this location at 757 meters with nothing around. Had to be the get away spot several centuries ago. We chose the other route on the way down which turned out to be less steep and relaxing. After the mountain we saw historic sights in Changnyeoung and then went to the Upo Wetlands which was an unexpected surprise from Roger. I would definitely repeat this excursion, stopping at Daegu, having Roger with Hikekorea.com take us on the hike and bring us back to Daegu train station. It is an excellent day trip excursion in route to gyeongju although I fear the people on the train were probably thought we could use a shower. Date of experience: May 2015 Ask DownVegasTown about Hwawangsan Mountain

Excellent guide, excellent trip We enjoyed every aspect of our trip with Roger, spending a week hiking the Lands End trail from Wolchul-san National Park down to the sea, then meeting again for 3 days in Seoul and points north. I was interested in visiting places in Paju near the DMZ where I'd been as a soldier, and Roger put together an excellent itinerary. A great guide and much fun to be with.

Great time had by all Roger did a great job providing myself and 5 friends with a 3D/2N hike in Jirsan National park. Roger was great at communicating and made it to easy to get to and from the National park. The only negative was that the cabins were very warm at night( nothing Roger could do). I would recommend if you want a decent hike in South Korea.

South-Korea hiking journey Mr. Shepherd delivered a memorable and unmatched experience. His name speaks for itself, he is a true guide. A combination of solid knowledge, artistic sense, cheerful spirit and commitment to excellence make him the ideal guide for a mountainous adventure.

Jirisan South Korea Excellent trip and tour with Roger! Tailored everything to our interests. One of the highlights of my many trips to South Korea

Best adventure of my trip to South Korea! I spent three weeks in South Korea visiting Seoul, Busan and Jeju but my 4 days with Roger were my favorite and will be what I remember most! Roger saw to every detail and planed well but knew how to change lans due to bad weather and his timing was impeccable! We did and saw so much in just a short amount of time! He showed me beautiful authentic places and all the food we ate was amazing and delicious! I would highly recommend spending part of you vacation in his expert hands if you want to see the Real Korea!

Fantastic hiking experience I had a fantastic time hiking with Roger during three days in Deogyusan National Park and on Daedunsan. He is a very experienced, knowledgeable, responsible guide, and fun!

Fantastic private hiking tour Our family went on a 2 day private hiking trip with Roger. We had an absolutely fantastic time and couldnt rate Roger highly enough. He is a mine of information on Korea and the hiking, the food and the hotels were excellent. It was great to get a couple of days out of the mega-city that is Seoul and to experience a very different side of Korea.

Hiking/Touring Korea My daughter and I did a trip with Roger and he tailored everything to our interests! One of the best things I have ever done in Korea and I have been many times!!

Hike Korea if you want to Hike Korea! There are few people that know the mountains of South Korea like Roger Shepherd, so if you are looking for something different, something authentic and something memorable, then he is one of the few people in the country providing an alternative more intimate experience of the real South Korea. He's your ticket to get to know both the wonderful mountains and the amazing people of South Korea.