Korea may be known for it's beautiful mountains, but there's one thing I didn't expect to see on Korean mountains, a herd of sheep. Yes, you read it right. Korea has a famous sheep ranch located in 483-32 Daegwallyeongmaru-gil, Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang County, Gangwon Province (강원도 평창군 대관령면 대관령마루길 483-32). It is called the Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm (대관령 양떼 목장). It is a privately owned 195 sq. km sheep farm.
This past weekend, while other foreigners were busy visiting Buddhist temples around the country because it was Buddha's birthday, my husband and I were on a trip with a Korean tour group in Gangwon Provice. As a part of the tour, we visited the Daegwallyeong Sheep Ranch.
When I got off the bus, I was very excited. I've seen some wild goats when we visited Uido Island last year, but I've never seen a herd of sheep grazing on the mountain.
From the parking lot, we walked a little bit until we reached the ticket booth. Our tour guide paid for our tickets. Then we started walking up the hill again. After a few minutes, I started seeing some white little things on the top of the verdant hill.
Upon seeing the sheep, I ran with so much excitement, ignoring the dust coming from the dirt road. Though I was expecting to see sheep that are as white as snow, I was pretty amazed by the beauty of those brownish little lambs. I'm not sure if it was the heat that made the sheep so friendly that they allowed people to pet them or they're just used to seeing people around them. I didn't touch any of them, but I enjoyed watching Koreans petting and taking selfies with the sheep.
The farm showcased not only sheep but also the beautiful view of the nearby Taebaek mountain ranges. I felt like I was looking at a huge painting. The blend of the grass and tress, the blue sky, and the light gray silhouette of the mountains from afar was really beautiful. The spirit of a nature lover inside me was awakened once again.
The wind that touched me and blew my hair was so fresh. I stood under a pine tree, closed my eyes, and just enjoyed the feeling of freshness.
We followed the walkway that goes around the farm. Then we saw a little wooden shack on the other side of the farm. We learned from our tour guide that the shack was used as a backdrop for the movie " The man from Mars". Since it adds beauty to the farm, the owner decided to keep the shack even after the filming of the movie was finished.
Though our trip to the sheep farm was short, I know that I will always remember the beauty that I have found there. It will be hard to forget the scenery that looked like a "painting".
How to Get There
Take an intercity bus to Hoeng-gye Bus Terminal.
You can opt to take a local bus from the Hoeng-gye Bus Terminal to Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm.
*Bus Time Table*
From the Bus Terminal From the Sheep Farm
10:30 10:40
11:40 11:50
14:00 14:10
Or take a taxi in front of Hoeng-gye Bus Terminal to Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm. It will cost around 8,000 won.
How it Started
It was summer of 1988 when a 37 year old man named Young-dae Jeon decided to build South Korea's first ever "Tourist Sheep Farm". He bravely left his high paying job and everything he had in Seoul and moved to Daegwallyeong. Of course many people were against his decision. But he already made up his mind.
When he first moved to the countryside there wasn't electricity yet. He had to used candles at night. Starting his "Tourist Sheep Farm" was a great challenge. He needed to build a shed for the sheep. There was a lot of things that needed to be done. But the problem was, he didn't have any knowledge on how to do them. So what he did was, during his spare time, he worked at a construction company. There he started learning how to strike a hammer. Then, he learned how to pile blocks. He learned things one after another until he had all the skills he needed to start building his dream "Tourist Sheep Farm". He was able to build the sheds for the sheep and even a house for his family using the skills that he acquired.
He spent all his time cultivating the sheep farm. Fifteen years had passed quickly and he didn't even realize it. After all that hard work, he started seeing the "Tourist Sheep Farm" that he painted in his mind a long time ago. Two to three more years had passed. By word of mouth that the farm was so beautiful spread like wildfire and many people started coming to see it. When that happened, he felt really happy. He felt like all his hard work and the time spent creating his dream had finally paid off. (This story was based on the message of the founder himself that can be found here.)
The original name of the sheep farm was Pungjeon Ranch (풍전 목장), but after a movie was filmed here, it was changed to Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm (대관령 양떼 목장) in 2000.
Click here too learn more about Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm, or visit yangtte.co.kr (Korean only).
This past weekend, while other foreigners were busy visiting Buddhist temples around the country because it was Buddha's birthday, my husband and I were on a trip with a Korean tour group in Gangwon Provice. As a part of the tour, we visited the Daegwallyeong Sheep Ranch.
When I got off the bus, I was very excited. I've seen some wild goats when we visited Uido Island last year, but I've never seen a herd of sheep grazing on the mountain.
From the parking lot, we walked a little bit until we reached the ticket booth. Our tour guide paid for our tickets. Then we started walking up the hill again. After a few minutes, I started seeing some white little things on the top of the verdant hill.
Upon seeing the sheep, I ran with so much excitement, ignoring the dust coming from the dirt road. Though I was expecting to see sheep that are as white as snow, I was pretty amazed by the beauty of those brownish little lambs. I'm not sure if it was the heat that made the sheep so friendly that they allowed people to pet them or they're just used to seeing people around them. I didn't touch any of them, but I enjoyed watching Koreans petting and taking selfies with the sheep.
The farm showcased not only sheep but also the beautiful view of the nearby Taebaek mountain ranges. I felt like I was looking at a huge painting. The blend of the grass and tress, the blue sky, and the light gray silhouette of the mountains from afar was really beautiful. The spirit of a nature lover inside me was awakened once again.
We followed the walkway that goes around the farm. Then we saw a little wooden shack on the other side of the farm. We learned from our tour guide that the shack was used as a backdrop for the movie " The man from Mars". Since it adds beauty to the farm, the owner decided to keep the shack even after the filming of the movie was finished.
Though our trip to the sheep farm was short, I know that I will always remember the beauty that I have found there. It will be hard to forget the scenery that looked like a "painting".
How to Get There
Take an intercity bus to Hoeng-gye Bus Terminal.
You can opt to take a local bus from the Hoeng-gye Bus Terminal to Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm.
*Bus Time Table*
From the Bus Terminal From the Sheep Farm
10:30 10:40
11:40 11:50
14:00 14:10
Or take a taxi in front of Hoeng-gye Bus Terminal to Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm. It will cost around 8,000 won.
How it Started
It was summer of 1988 when a 37 year old man named Young-dae Jeon decided to build South Korea's first ever "Tourist Sheep Farm". He bravely left his high paying job and everything he had in Seoul and moved to Daegwallyeong. Of course many people were against his decision. But he already made up his mind.
When he first moved to the countryside there wasn't electricity yet. He had to used candles at night. Starting his "Tourist Sheep Farm" was a great challenge. He needed to build a shed for the sheep. There was a lot of things that needed to be done. But the problem was, he didn't have any knowledge on how to do them. So what he did was, during his spare time, he worked at a construction company. There he started learning how to strike a hammer. Then, he learned how to pile blocks. He learned things one after another until he had all the skills he needed to start building his dream "Tourist Sheep Farm". He was able to build the sheds for the sheep and even a house for his family using the skills that he acquired.
He spent all his time cultivating the sheep farm. Fifteen years had passed quickly and he didn't even realize it. After all that hard work, he started seeing the "Tourist Sheep Farm" that he painted in his mind a long time ago. Two to three more years had passed. By word of mouth that the farm was so beautiful spread like wildfire and many people started coming to see it. When that happened, he felt really happy. He felt like all his hard work and the time spent creating his dream had finally paid off. (This story was based on the message of the founder himself that can be found here.)
The original name of the sheep farm was Pungjeon Ranch (풍전 목장), but after a movie was filmed here, it was changed to Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm (대관령 양떼 목장) in 2000.
Click here too learn more about Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm, or visit yangtte.co.kr (Korean only).
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