Bear Tree Park is an arboretum in Sejong, South Korea. It’s home to thousands of incredible and unique plants, as well as – you guessed it – bears. We went just for the bears, but stayed for the gardens. Today I’m sharing all about our experience (and sharing the TONS of pictures I took), as well as information that would be good to know before you visit.
Bear Tree Park
Truth be told, I was hesitant to post at all about our visit to Bear Tree Park. Not because we didn’t have an enjoyable time, but because there is some controversy surrounding the park. I won’t get into all the details here (mostly because I don’t KNOW all the details), but suffice it to say, if you’re a huge animal rights activist or you struggle with seeing animals in cages, then this would absolutely NOT be the place for you – no matter HOW beautiful the plant-life is.
That being said, the bears were adorable. They were fat and SEEMED happy (albeit extremely lazy), and they seemed pretty well-taken-care-of – excluding the fact that their enclosures left something to be desired. Still, we loved watching them catch food in their mouths, climb the platforms in their enclosures, and occasionally play with each other. There were a variety of different species of bears and the kids loved seeing them all.
The bears were definitely the highlight for the kids, but I was all about the gardens. They had everything from rose gardens to bonsai green houses and I was here for ALL of it. Probably my favorite part were the weird, Dr. Seuss-esque trees that covered the hill in front of the observatory. It was just the kind of “extra” that I’ve come to expect from all things Korean and it made for a beautiful sight.
Even in the fall, I’m amazed at the amount of blooms in Korea. I don’t claim to have the best memory, but I don’t think anywhere we’ve ever lived had so much to see plant-wise, even at the beginning of November. It makes for easy adventures when everywhere is so beautiful – and so well-kept. In addition to the bears and the gardens, there were also koi fish that you could feed, as well as another small zoo area with a variety of different animals including deer, guinea pigs, corgis, and peacocks. As I said, I took way too many pictures and it was too hard for me to pick my favorites – so you get a picture-palooza, which I generally try to avoid so as not to overwhelm. But here we are. Enjoy.
Our trip to Bear Tree Park was not without incident. At one point we lost M (age 4) for a solid 20 minutes. We were just about to find a worker to get some help when we saw her running through a crowd, ducking so that we wouldn’t see her. That child – while adorable beyond all reason – is giving us a run for our money. The only consolation while she was missing was that she was CLEARLY part of our family (as we were possibly the only non-Koreans in the entire park that day) – so it likely wouldn’t be THAT hard to track her down. Still, my mom-nerves were definitely tested and it’s always a relief when we make it out of anywhere with all five kids. I’m joking… kind of.
We are certain that we won’t be making it back to Bear Tree Park – although, despite the controversies, we did really love it. It’s been on my list since we moved to South Korea and it was the perfect way to spend a gorgeous fall day.
’til next time…
Ash
How to visit Bear Tree Park
Directions & Parking: Bear Tree Park is about a 40-50 minute drive from Camp Humphreys (specifically Yoon Gate) if traffic is good. There was no toll when we went, but check your specific route on Naver as some alternative routes do have toll roads. There is a large parking lot right by the entrance to the park. On weekends and busier days, they have workers redirecting to alternate parking areas. Despite the parking lot being completely full when we arrived, a spot elsewhere was easy to secure with the help of the workers.
Naver Pin: Bear Tree Park (or paste 세종 전동면 신송로 217 into Naver)
Cost:
Admission
Adults – ₩12,000
Youth – ₩10,000
Child – ₩8,000
Child under 3 years old – FREE
Annual Membership – ₩150,000
Parking
FREE
Hours of Operation:
Open daily from 9:00am – 6:00pm
Last admission at 4:30pm each day
Accessibility: Most of the park is easily accessible by stroller or wheelchair. We brought our large wagon stroller and had no issues getting around. Some areas like the observatory may not be accessible.
Amenities: There are bathrooms scattered throughout the park, as well as multiple cafes and small restaurants. There is also the Welcome House restaurant that offers a variety of more familiar dishes like ribeye steak, ribs, French fries, and pizza. It’s a little on the pricier side, but the food was pretty good – and just what we needed after spending hours walking around.
