Home to South Korea's largest canola garden and an annual cherry blossom show, this nature reserve is the most colourful corner of the region northwest of Busan.
Busan's Daejeo Ecological Park, on the banks of the Nakdong River, looks attractive year round, but is spectacular in spring. Come here on a daytrip from Busan to walk into its long cherry blossom “tunnel” and pose in front of a sea of canola fields.
Although Daejeo Ecological Park is a precious habitat for migratory birds, thousands of human visitors flock here each year too. Between late March and late April, when the trees bud and the flowers blossom to mark the start of spring, the park’s green spaces transform in a spectacular way.
On a sunny day, the bright yellow canola fields and pink cherry blossoms contrast nicely against the blue skies. When it is misty, the experience becomes magical. The riverside park stretches for 4.7 miles (7.6 kilometers), so you can walk as long as you like and then loop back along the meandering walkways. Bring a picnic, because there are no stores or cafés in the reserve.
Don’t miss the week-long Rape Flower (Canola) Festival held here in April. There’s also the vibrant Cherry Blossom Festival held at the nearby naval port city of Jinhae. Walk along its cobblestoned Yeojwacheon Stream, lined with flowering branches that form a white-and-pink arch. During the festival, watch the carnival float drift past in the shallow stream and enjoy the music.
Get your photo taken on the Yeojwacheon Bridge, which is decorated with a huge red arch in the shape of a heart. The bridge featured in a popular South Korean film and is now nicknamed the “Romance Bridge.”
Daejeo Ecological Park is near Jinhaea in the Gangseo District, northwest of the coastal city of Busan. To get here, take metro line 3 to the Gangseo-gu Office Station and take exit 1. From there, it’s a short walk to the waterfront. Tour buses leave each morning from the Busan Seomyeon Metro Station. Most flower tours also take in the out-of-service Gyeonghwa Station to the south, where you can walk along the train tracks under a tunnel of cherry blossom trees.
