Discover South Korea

Most Inspirational Moment

The DMZ visit was incredibly powerful and gave real perspective on Korea’s history. The Haeinsa Temple stay was a standout — peaceful, authentic, and something I’ll never forget. I also loved the Seoraksan National Park hike, with gorgeous views and a nice balance of challenge and relaxation. Busan was another favourite spot with its fun, coastal vibe and great food.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Michelle was absolutely brilliant. She made everything run smoothly, always had interesting stories to share, and really brought the places to life. You could tell she cared about everyone having the best experience possible. Her energy, humour, and local knowledge made a huge difference - we were so lucky to have her!

Advice for Potential Travellers

A fantastic trip packed with variety, great food, beautiful places and an awesome guide. I’d recommend it to anyone wanting a real taste of South Korea. My advice: bring comfy shoes, try every bit of street food you can, and add an extra day in Seoul or Busan to explore at your own pace.

Most Inspirational Moment

The DMZ tour was eye opening.

Thoughts on Group Leader

She is a great assest to this tour. Loads of knowledge.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack comfortable shoes as there is a fair bit of walking done. The DMZ tour can get a bit claustrophobic going down in the tunnel.

Most Inspirational Moment

Listening to the Buddhist monks drumming at the Temple Stay.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Michelle Kim is one of the best leaders I have ever had the pleasure of touring with over many tours I have joined. She was so good at bringing the group together, sharing her knowledge of Korea whether it was history, locations or food. Michelle went out of her way to ensure we had great experiences throughout the tour including arranging meals for us to attend taking into account everyone's input. Just an outstanding individual to lead a tour.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for some rain, cool nights and managing stairs that may or may not have railings.

Suggestions

I think it would be helpful for us to have the contact information of our tour leader e.g. to contact via Whatsapp when we land if needed. My joining up with the group was clunky as I got different instructions from my local Canadian group then what had actually been arranged.

Most Inspirational Moment

This tour coincided with the cherry blossom festival, and it was nice to walk round the lake at night with the trees lit up (in Gyeongju), and also in the morning after breakfast, with classical music being piped though speakers (I reckon that would be the same at any time of year, not just during cherry blossom season). Hainsa Templestay was also a nice experience. But it was all good!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Michelle Kim was a great guide. She managed the group well, and took those of us who wanted suggestions to a lot of really good local restaurants, that we probably wouldnt have used by ourselves, and we definitely tried a lot of different types of meals available in Korea (and at a better price than more tourist oriented venues). All information provided was interesting and useful.

Advice for Potential Travellers

I found the Naver app very useful for finding my way around Seoul. I spent several extra days in Seoul before and after, there was lots to see, and I wanted to do more hiking. I did a lot of walking around the mountains and city wall trails around Seoul, all well signposted, and well maintained toilets everywhere too. Recommend Ansan, Ingwansan and Naksan trails. In Seoul - National Museum of Korea is definitely worth a visit. Also in Seoul I would recommend the K-medi Center, not so much for the museum, which is mostly in Korean, but for the very cheap footbath and massage experiences. The whole country feels very safe, including Seoul, day and night. My only warning would be that, certainly when I was there (Spring), the air quality in Seoul wasnt great, so if you have any respiratory conditions, you may not want to spend extra time there. Anywhere outside of Seoul was fine for air quality. I heard good things about Jeju Island, so you may want to take a side trip there, as that is not on the itinerary. The temple stay is pretty comfortable and warm (twin rooms not dorms), so dont worry about that, and the getting up early is optional - I did it, and it was a nice experience. Couples are allowed to stay togther. Extra spending money - the trip notes suggestions are a bit on the high side for lunches and dinners, unless you are going to do the tourist set menus rather than the more local options.

Most Inspirational Moment

A night at Haeinsa Temple

Thoughts on Group Leader

Michelle Kim was a fantastic guide. She introduced us to every aspect of her country. She was so generous with her time.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book extra time in Seoul as there is lots to see. It is so safe, public transport is great and the people are so kind.

Suggestions

This is a great trip. The pace is easy and the hotels were all great. OK one was a but below par but it was just one night and a city without many options. As a vegan Korean food was a bit difficult but Michelle was always on hand and made sure staff understood my needs.

Most Inspirational Moment

The early morning ceremony in the Haeinsa Temple was a special experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

A good tour leader makes or breaks a great trip. Although Park was kind, conscientious and shared a lot of information about Korea, we were her first Exodus group and in particular, her arrangements regarding eating options were confusing and, in some places, inadequate. Although some group meals were organised, she didn’t eat with us, had very limited knowledge of local restaurants, and there were several nights where we were left to our own devices. When you are tired and hungry, wandering around an unfamiliar city trying to find food when you can’t read or speak Korean is hard work. This was particularly true for the single travellers in the group. She managed to get us lost on several occasions, particularly on the way to the temple stay so that we arrived over an hour late. There was confusion about single rooms at Haeinsa Temple. Our tour leader thought that those who had booked a single room for the rest of the trip would have one at the temple. This was not the case.

Advice for Potential Travellers

If Exodus book you on the group flight via Frankfurt airport, either ask them for an alternative (e.g., via Munich), or make sure you have a minimum of 2 hours' transfer time. The notes we were given on arrival in Seoul said there were cafes in Eulji Square, near the Kukdo Hotel. This turned out to be a building called Eulji Square, not a street, so it took us a while to locate the restaurants hidden in its basement area. There are also a few cafés along the raised walkway next to the hotel (ask hotel reception for a map). There’s a good restaurant opposite reception in the Commodore Hotel in Gyeongju, which is worth knowing about as other eating options around the hotel are limited. There are often convenience stores in the hotels, selling a wide range of food and goods. (However, take your own tea bags!) A nice thing to do on your last free afternoon in Seoul is to walk north from the hotel to Jongmyo Shrine and Changdeokgung Palace through some pleasant parks (NB, free entry on the last Wednesday of the month). South Korea is blessed with an excellent network of public toilets which are plentiful and clean. The temple notes say there is a tea ceremony in the evening. Our group had an enjoyable bead-stringing session instead. The trip notes suggest that the group participates in a meditation session in the morning. There is no requirement to meditate. We sat quietly and witnessed the monks’ early morning ceremony, which was lovely. Food at the temple is plain, but edible. Our trip, departing on 14th October, was billed as an ‘Autumn Colour Departure’. Although there were some lovely colours in the national park, generally, the trees were still green and we were a little disappointed. Although this changes from year to year, we would suggest late October/early November may be the best dates to see the autumn leaves.

Suggestions

More time needs to be allowed for transfers via Frankfurt. On the outward journey our flight from Heathrow was delayed by an hour meaning that we arrived in Frankfurt to find our connecting flight to Seoul was already boarding. We only just caught the flight– our baggage didn’t. As a result, five of us arrived in Seoul without our luggage. Some of the group had been booked onto flights via Munich and had no problems. Our bags arrived the following afternoon, but it was an unnecessary worry and inconvenience. Our return flight was slightly delayed and we missed the connection from Frankfurt to London completely and had to spend a night in a Frankfurt hotel. This was well organised by Lufthansa, but if Exodus had booked the group flights to allow more transfer time it could have been entirely avoided. Day 2: we didn’t spend long enough in Insadong, merely passing through this interesting area, whereas we found time spent earlier in the day at the Bukchon Hanok Village a little disappointing. Day 3. At the DMZ the JSA part of the border was closed, which was disappointing. However, we had a cable car ride over the river, which was an excellent extra option organised by our tour leader. Day 5. The trip notes are misleading: in the Seoraksan National Park the group did both the cable car trip and the optional, self-guided walks. It’s not either/or as the trip notes suggest. Day 10. Busan. Our tour leader arranged a group boat trip around the harbour, which was an excellent way to see Busan. We hope this could be incorporated into the itinerary of future trips. The trip notes for the temple stay are out of date. They say the accommodation is single sex. However, mixed/same sex couples and sharers were able to share a room as usual.

Most Inspirational Moment

The overnight stay at Haeinsa Temple. What a privilege it was to observe life in the temple and to view Tripitaka Koreana. engraved on 80,000 woodblocks in the 13th century. The food was delicious, even though you had to eat it very quickly and it was good to experience eating a meal in silence. The views from the temple were breathtaking and the peace was sublime. I have read comments that have said that extra time in Busan would be preferable to the Temple stay. I disagree. I felt that the time in Busan was sufficient and would not have wanted to miss the Temple.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader Michelle was wonderful. She was conscientious and in each area took us to interesting places to eat so we could experience Korean cooking in different regions.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The temple advice is outdated. The rooms we stayed in were twin rooms, the beds are comfortable and the rooms are warm which is good because the temperature is cooler in the mountains.

Suggestions

I was disappointed at the amount of single use plastic we were required to use if we wanted to stay hydrated. Of course I took a re-usable plastic bottle for my personal use but our guide advised us that we should not drink the water because although the water was safe, all the pipes were old pipes and the metal made the water unsafe (I presume she meant lead pipes). So people in Korea drink bottled water. We were provided with a 500ml plastic bottle of water in our hotel room each night but that is obviously not enough per day for a hot climate so we were obliged to buy lots of plastic bottles of water. On an Exodus trip last year there was always a large container of water on our coach for us to refill our bottles so we did not need to use the plastic bottles in the hotel.

Most Inspirational Moment

Exploring a high tech yet little visited country .

Thoughts on Group Leader

Group Leader Michelle Kim was full of Korea information an dreadily shared it .

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be aware that koreans view eating out as exactly that , eating only. No starters , no desserts simply not part of the culture. Evening meal tends to be 19.00 with restaurants emptying out by 19.45 whereas we tend to view eating out as a social thing for several hours. Limited english in restaurants and hotels. No early check in at hotels , so if arriving on group flight in morning you have to wait until 15.00 to check in to hotel in Seoul . When using ATMs not all accept foreign cards, you have to ensure it has a visa symbol on it and may show a message confirming foreign cards accepted. This may mean a bit of a hunt for a suitable ATM, especially once out of Seoul .

Thoughts on Group Leader

Michelle was a very good group leader. Very engaging. Gave us plenty of information and lots of interesting stories about Korean life, culture, and history.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Don't miss the fact that you need a K-ETA. All the focus was on covid requirements and this is easily overlooked

Suggestions

Trip notes are hugely inaccurate and need a complete overhaul. Visited places not in trip notes. Optional extras not available / practical. Option of hike or cable car on day 5 is incorrect - cable car is additional to hike, not instead of. Info about monastery accomodation is inaccurate. Amount suggested for lunch / dinner considerably overstated. Etc, etc Should put more focus on K-ETA. It is there in the trip notes - but not obvious. One couple had to apply after arrival at airport. Several others said only applied at last minute. I missed my flight. Should be included with extra info sent about covid requirements (which are actually no longer required). Some of our group charged £150 for airport transfer which is outrageous - airport bus is very efficient and £10 per person, local taxi is c£50

Most Inspirational Moment

The most inspirational moment was learning all the history behind South Korea. Admittedly I did not much about Korean history but I found the topic fascinating. It was uplifting to learn how through adversity the Korean people were able to achieve all they have in such a short space of time. It was not only the infrastructure that was rebuilt but the green belt too. The fact that the government even thought about constructing green spaces demonstrates how forward thinking a government can be. The temple stay was a highlight too, especially the conversation with the monk. It was interesting to hear about how an enlightened person thinks about the modern world.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Mirium was an exceptional group leader and she always recommended good restaurants that were not expensive. She was always providing us with background to all the places we were visiting and her in depth knowledge of the history was very compelling. I don't think I know English history as well as she knows her Korean history. What was also good given that we were visiting during elevated tension levels with the North, she not only gave us a daily briefing on what was on the news, as on a couple of days we had no access to English channels. She also offered an insight of the South Korean mindset regarding the North. She also made sure that everyone was accommodated and was willing to flit between restaurants to ensure everyone was able to order what they wanted. Her instructions on where and when to meet were very clear and I felt she went above and beyond her duties. At all restaurants she would recommend the items on the menu which she knew were the local dishes and good. This sort of knowledge is priceless.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Be prepared for a lot of walking on all types of terrain and eating good food.