Hwanseon Cave is the largest limestone cave in South Korea and was really not on my list to begin with. I had intended to visit Samcheok for Haesindang Park but thought I’d stay an extra day to check out the city.

In the sweltering daytime heat, this was possibly the best move I made the entire trip. I haven’t been in caves before and so was completely caught off guard by the cold. Metal suspended walkways connected visitors to the caverns and bright neon lights lit the place enough to see where you’re going in some areas but not enough to scare off wildlife that purportedly still call the cave home.

If anything, the lights, coupled with the waterfalls and streams remind me of Chinese folklore where star-crossed lover-ghosts sigh and stare wistfully into the distance.

I’m surprised my camera caught some decent photos because the platforms were all moving and vibrating with each tourist’s step. I wish I had more pictures but most of them turned out blurry with light trails where the neon lights are.

How Does One Get There? Walking at a leisurely pace through the cave will probably take you a couple of hours just to enjoy the sights. From the Samcheok bus terminal, there are quite a few bus timings. Like in the rest of my trip, I found it pretty straightforward to locate the bus stop to alight at. There are 2 caves in the area – the other being Daegeumgul which is right beside it and has a separate entrance fee.