The Boseong Green Tea Fields are one of the most popular tourist spots in rural South Korea. Everyone loves visiting the cities in South Korea but places like this in the Korean countryside are definitely worth checking out as well. Almost everywhere you look in Boseong, you’ll see tea fields of all sizes. These particular fields, however, have become very popular with tourists and locals alike. This is everything you need to know for your trip to the Boseong Green Tea Fields in South Korea!
About the Boseong Green Tea Fields
The Boseong Green Tea Fields, also known as the Daehan Daewon Green Tea Plantation (or Daehan Tea Gardens), are located in Boseong which is pretty close to the southern coast. According to the brochure, this is “the only tea tourist farm” in the country! The plantation has grown tremendously in size since opening and there are now almost 6 million tea trees planted here. In its 70+ years of operating, the Daehan Plantation has become the largest (and most impressive!) tea plantation in all of South Korea.
Travel Nominations and Movies Filmed
Some noteworthy travel nominations for the tea fields: named one of the “Top 50 Tourist Attractions Where You Must Go in Korea” by CNN in 2012, and one of the “Top 31 World’s Wonderful Landscapes” in 2013. They have also been listed as one of Korea’s top attractions by countless Korean tourism sites. The tea plantation now welcomes visitors from all over the world, daily. It’s worthy of a spot on everyone’s South Korea bucket list!
The beautiful landscapes of the tea fields make for a great backdrop and filming location! Some popular movies and tv dramas that have been filmed here include: ‘Mokpo is the Harbor’, ‘No Need Like Love’, ‘Bride From Hanoi’, ‘Summer Scent’, and many more. This makes the tea fields a popular spot for huge k-drama fans. You will see signs throughout the fields pointing out where the different movie and tv show scenes were filmed.
Different Types of Tea at the Boseong Green Tea Fields
The tea leaves are actually collected multiple times a year (from the same plants!) and the taste and the quality of the tea all depend on when the leaves are picked. These are the different types of tea that come from the trees grown in the Daehan Plantation based on the time of year the leaves are picked:
Woojeon Tea | Woojeon Tea is made from the first young leaves picked after winter. This is considered a premium tea and is only produced in a limited quantity.
Sejak | Sejak is considered the most popular of all the different types of green tea. The leaves for Sejak tea are picked in the beginning of May before the leaf is fully flattened.
Jungjak | Leaves are collected for Jungjak in the middle of May and have a bit of a stronger flavor than the previous types.
Daejak | Daejak is made from leaves slightly more ripened that Jungjak and collected closer to the end of May.
Yep Cha | Leaves are collected for Yep Cha between June and July when they are fully ripened.
All types of green tea as well as other green tea products are available for purchase in the different shops located in the main square.
Recommended Walking Routes
When you enter the tea fields you will be given a map and brochure. On this brochure, you will see a few different recommended walking routes to best explore the tea fields and all that they have to offer. I, personally, didn’t follow any particular route and was still easily able to see everything in the gardens. I just checked the map every now and then to make sure I wasn’t missing anything! However, if you would rather explore with a plan, these are the four recommended routes from shortest to longest:
First Route: Ticket Office – Cedar Forest Road – Fountain Square – Main Square – Main Stairway – Central Observatory – Filming Location – Cherry Blossoms Path – DaWon Rest Center – Cedar Forest Path – Ticket Office / Parking Lot
Second Route: Ticket Office – Cedar Forest Road – Fountain Square – Main Square – Cherry Blossoms Path – Filming Location – Central Observatory – Waterfall – Palgakjeong Pavilion – DaWon Rest Center – Cedar Forest Path – Ticket Office / Parking Lot
Third Route: Ticket Office – Cedar Forest Road – Fountain Square – Main Square – Main Stairway – Central Observatory – Juniper Forest – Green Tea Farm Observatory – Ocean Observatory – Sun Tree Trails – Waterfalls – Palgakjeong Pavilion – DaWon Rest Center – Cedar Forest Road – Ticket Office / Parking Lot
Fourth Route: Ticket Office – Cedar Forest Road – Fountain Square – Main Square – Main Stairway – Central Observatory – Juniper Forest – Green Tea Farm Observatory – Ocean Observatory – Sun Tree Trails – Waterfalls – Palgakjeong Pavilion – DaWon Rest Center – Yew Tree Forest – Maple Tree Forest – Bamboo Forest Path – Ticket Office / Parking Lot
Give yourself at least an hour to explore the gardens. I was there for about two hours but I was easily able to see everything on the map, get tons of great photos, have a snack at the cafe, and spend some time in all of the shops.
Must-See Spots
After you spend some time in the tea fields and make your way up to the ocean observatory, you can take a small hike through the sun tree trails to the falls. To be completely honest, the waterfalls here were very small and a bit underwhelming. However, if you enjoy nature, it’s still worth the hike. I actually had the trails all to myself when I was here. If you arrive early in the morning, it’s likely to be the same for you!
No matter where you are in the gardens you’ll have amazing views. Even in the winter before the leaves are fully grown, the fields are beautiful. If you visit in the spring during cherry blossom season you’ll be able to enjoy not only the tea fields but an incredible walk through the cherry blossom pathways as well. The Boseong Green Tea Festival also takes place here every May. The festival definitely makes for a more crowded experience but if you enjoy festivals, it could be worth it!
Food, Drinks, & Shopping at the Boseong Green Tea Fields
There are a few different restaurants and cafes located at the tea fields. A couple of them are by the entrance and ticket office and the others are inside by the main square. One thing you have to try while you’re here (whether you like green tea or not) is the green tea ice cream! My husband hates green tea (or any kind of tea, really) and he loved the ice cream; it was delicious! You can also find many different green tea infused Korean foods and drinks. The green tea lemonade was super refreshing but they’re all worth trying at least once!
There are multiple shops located at the Tea Plantation and they actually had a lot of really cool things for sale! Obviously, there were tons of green tea products; basically anything you could imagine! There was a huge variety of green tea snacks and drinks but you’ll also be able to find most of the typical souvenirs like postcards and stuffed animals.
How to Get There
Address | 763 Nokcha-ro, Boseong-eup, Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do
From Seoul | From Seoul, Boseong is about a 4-hour drive. You can take a train (and then a few different buses or a taxi) from Seoul but it makes for a very long trip. I’d definitely recommend driving if possible. I can’t really recommend doing the Boseong Green Tea Fields as a day trip as it’s so far to drive. I would suggest combining the tea fields with a trip to Gwangju/Damyang as it’s not too far away.
Parking | There are multiple large free parking lots at the entrance of the tea fields by the ticket office.
Hours & Amenities | In the summer months (March to October), the tea fields are open from 9am to 6pm. In the winter months (November to February), 9am to 5pm. Multiple public restrooms are available throughout the gardens.
Admission | Admission to the tea fields costs 4,000 KRW (about 3.50 USD). There are discounts available for groups, children, and locals.
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What a wonderful post! I always find visiting tea plantations to be really relaxing and much funner than you anticipate! I love that this plantation had green tea ice cream for you 🙂 thanks for sharing!
This reminds me of the tea fields I went to in Sri Lanka (one of my favourite countries!!). Beautiful photos!