Jangho Port & Yonghwa Beach
In the southern part of Samcheok, a collection of attractions is closely nestled, offering a variety of experiences:
- Jangho Port: Dubbed “Korea’s Naples,” famous for its crystal-clear emerald waters, perfect for kayaking and snorkeling.
- Samcheok Marine Cable Car: Offers expansive views of the coastline, linking Jangho Port with Yonghwa Beach.
- Yonghwa Beach: Boasts a sandy, crescent-shaped beach and gentle, shallow waters.
- Samcheok Marine Rail Bike: Features pedal-powered bikes on rails, traversing the scenic coast and illuminated tunnels.
Let’s explore each attraction.
Jangho Port
Jangho Port (장호항; map), often referred to as “Korea’s Naples,” is known for its emerald waters and unique crescent-shaped coastline. It’s a favorite spot for kayaking and snorkeling, offering a glimpse into the East Sea’s diverse marine life.
Jangho Port offers a diverse array of experiences for visitors:
- Transparent Canoeing: Visitors can glide through buoy-marked safe zones on Jangho Ports waters in a transparent canoe. They can see spot lighthouses atop the port’s breakwater, and by the surrounding rock formations.
- Snorkeling: The port offers snorkeling for tourists to glimpse underwater rocks, seaweed, and schools of fish.
- Fishing Village Experience and Seafood Market: Jangho Port’s Fishing Village Experience is a program that lets visitors learn and practice local fishing techniques. The seafood market nearby offers fresh catches of the day, letting patrons taste the local maritime cuisine.
Jangho Port also offers activities for those not interested in water sports. These visitors can stroll along the shoreline or rest at the Dundaeram Pavilion or cross the bay using the Samcheok Marine Cable Car.
Nestled just south of Jangho Port, find Galnam Port and Wolmido Island. Each offers a unique blend of natural beauty and traditional Korean culture.
- Galnam Port: A harbor celebrated for its quaint fishing village ambiance. Galnam is rich in mackerel fishing and seaweed harvesting. Once one of the most prosperous ports in the region, today it offers a glimpse into Korea’s sealife heritage.
- Wolmido Island: Situated 500 meters off the coast near Galnam Port, Wolmido Island is a tiny granite islet renowned for its cypress trees and the birds that flock to it.
Samcheok Marine Cable Car
The Samcheok Marine Cable Car (삼척해상케이블카; map) crosses the bay over Jongho Port and beside Jongho Beach in southern Samcheok. This engineering marvel showcases Gangwon State’s coastline and its transparent waters.
The cable car does not have a support tower between its 874-meter span. Instead, its cable descends 21 meters between stations, providing unobstructed views of the sea and rock formations around.
Stations and Cable Cars
The Samcheok Marine Cable Car features two distinct stations.
Engineers designed the stations to resemble dragons facing each other. The strategic locations of these stations allow for easy access to the surrounding attractions, including Jangho Port and Yonghwa Beach.
The cable car system comprises two types of cabins — Sunshine and Sunrise. Holding up to 25 passengers and taking seven minutes to travel between stations, each cable car cabin comes equipped with transparent floors, offering passengers a glimpse of the clear waters below.
Operating Hours and Cost
- Operating Hours:
- Daily: 09:00 AM – 06:00 PM
- Ticket sales end at 05:10 PM
- May closed with severe weather
- Closed on the first and third Tuesday of every month.
- Costs:
- Adult (13 years and above): Round Trip ₩10,000 / One Way ₩6,000
- Child (36 months and above): Round Trip ₩6,000 / One Way ₩4,000
- Elderly (65 years and above): Round Trip ₩7,000 / One Way ₩4,000
- Disabled Persons: Round Trip ₩5,000 / One Way ₩3,000
- Children under 36 months ride free.
Yonghwa Beach
Yonghwa Beach (용화해수욕장; map) sits in Yonghwa Village just north of Jangho Port. Its sandy shores, framed by pine forests, are shaped like a 1-kilometer long half-moon.
The bay that surrounds Yonghwa Beach protects it from large waves, calming the shallow waters for folks of all ages to swim and play.
Yonghwa Stream (용화천; map; Yonghwacheon) flows near the beach and provides freshwater bathing.
Besides natural beauty, Yonghwa Beach is equipped with guesthouses, seafood restaurants, and White Bridge (하얀다리; map), a white-truss bridge that leaps between rocky outcrops just off the beach’s shores.
Like Jangho Port, Yonghwa Beach offers transparent canoeing and snorkeling.
Samcheok Marine Rail Bike
The Samcheok Marine Rail Bike (삼척해양레일바이크; map) is a pedal-powered rail bicycle that rides train tracks along the coast of Samcheok City.
The rail bike’s route travels 5.4 kilometers from Yonghwa Beach, through a seaside mountain, to Wonpyeong Beach (원평해수욕장; map). Along the way, it passes a coastline dotted with unique rock formations, pine forests, and a light-filled tunnel, drawing thousands of visitors each year.
History
The tracks on which Samcheok Marine Rail Bike travels were originally built during the Japanese Occupation (1910 ~ 1945). The Japanese used the rails to transport coal and other minerals mined from Samcheok’s seaside mountains to ports and shipped them back to Japan.
Following Korea’s liberation in 1945, the railway continued to serve industrial purposes, supporting the region’s economic boom. However, with the decline of coal mining, the railway fell into disuse.
In the early 2000s, with the rise of domestic tourism, officials retrofitted the old train trails and turned them into a rail bike. Along the route, they also cleaned up the coastline and added lights and other decorations to the abandoned train tunnels through which the rail bike travels.
Opened in 2010, the Samcheok Marine Rail Bike has since become a symbol of innovative reuse of historical infrastructure, attracting visitors with its picturesque route.
The Rail Bike
Designed to showcase Samcheok’s coastal beauty, the rail bike route runs in two directions, traveling between:
- Gungchon Station (궁촌정거장; map) on Wonpyeong Beach in the north, and
- Yonghwa Station (용화정거장; map) on Yonghwa Beach in the south.
Journey Details
- Duration: The ride lasts approximately one hour, with an overall experience of about 1 hour and 20 to 30 minutes, including the return via shuttle bus.
- Shuttle Bus: A complimentary shuttle service is available to transport passengers back to their starting point.
Points of Interest
- Pine Tree Path: Stretching between 310 to 500 meters near Gungchon Station.
- Chogok Rest Stop: Equipped with amenities for a comfortable pause during the ride.
- Tunnels with Thematic Lighting: The journey features several tunnels, each enhanced with lasers and light effects themed around an “undersea voyage.”
Operating Hours and Fees
- Rail Bike Ride Duration: Approximately 1 hour
- Operating Hours: Rail bikes are released in batches at designated times throughout the day.
- 1st Round: 09:00
- 2nd Round: 10:30
- 3rd Round: 13:00
- 4th Round: 14:30
- 5th Round: 16:00
- Shuttle Bus Travel Time: 20 to 30 minutes
- Fees:
- 2-Seater: ₩25,000 | Discounts for groups and local residents.
- 4-Seater: ₩35,000 | Similar discounts apply.
- Reservations: Online booking is recommended. Some tickets are reserved for on-site purchase, subject to availability.
