MUCH MORE than a mountain hike! - We easily found our guide, Shawn Morrissey, at a subway station on the outskirts of Seoul. We had booked a day hike into the mountains northeast of the city and hopped on a short bus ride with him to where the hike would begin. He was very personable and enquired about our hiking experience and level of fitness as we walked from the bus stop to the trailhead in a national park. Our experience and fitness was moderate and the mountain pass that he indicated would be the highest point of our trek seemed both high and far off. He assured us we would be fine (spoiler: we were fine!). As the day was pretty hot in the sun, we appreciated that he anticipated that and had selected a path that was primarily shaded all day. We were thankful for his thoughtful planning! He has been studying Korean culture and folklore for many years and entertained us all day with his many fascinating stories. They tied culture, religion, and history into the local mountain geography. He was also a font of knowledge about temples and their architectural and decorative details, which are direct reflections of Korean culture, history and folklore! We had visited temples across the country, but we had not known what we were seeing. We visited several temples along our path. The views ran from lovely to spectacular, as well. His stories not only entertained us, but helped us better understand what we had seen elsewhere. He was so funny and entertaining that we did not notice (much!) the distance we were traveling. Sensitive to our energy levels, he made sure that we took all the rest breaks that we needed and passed the time with more folk tales. We never felt rushed or pressured; it was like hiking with a supremely interesting friend! He took plenty of time with us and the fact that the day ended up longer than planned (due to our own leisurely pace) did not bother him in the least. At the end of the day, we ended up not far from another bus stop, where he took us back to the subway stop so we could head back to our hotel. However, before getting us back to the subway, he took us to a local restaurant in the small village at the foot of the mountain and fed us a variety of delicious dishes, downed with some local beer (all in the daily fee that we had arranged). We have take guided hikes all over the wold and Shawn was, without a doubt, the best guide on a hike that we ever had! Do not miss this if you have the chance to do it!

Worth booking - Having done the hike, the trails are well marked and you can certainly hike in Seoul on your own. The trails were not a walk in the park but they were not especially difficult either. But I would book this again in a heartbeat for all of the things you cannot get on your own. For starters, the history and folklore of the area make for a much more interesting hike than just walking through interesting scenery. In addition, we saw several things that were off the beaten path that you would never see if you did this on your own, including a modern day performance of an ancient traditional ritual. The dinner at the end was quite good as well, as was the company.

Exciting cultural exploration - My wife and I loved this hike with Shaun. In the end was a 6km hike over 5 hours that had us winded a bunch - even as experienced hikers. Don’t underestimate good shoes and water. We learned so much about the history of Korea through its religious origins that I felt I took a college course on history. Finishing the hike with a tasty meal, Maekgoli and talk about horror movies and as an added bonus.

Beautiful hike - We would strongly recommend the hike. Shawn is very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and keen on health and safety. Beautiful views and yummy food at the end!

Great stories and amazing scenery! - Our mountain hike with Shawn was great! Had we done the hike on our own, we would have walked right by remnants of important Korean history. The pace, the scenery, and the stories up the mountain were already amazing, but once we were coming back down and got to see the temples, it got even better. I am a big fan of folklore and storytelling, while my partner's more into the outdoors and sights, so we both got an awesome experience. I got stories, and she got her photos. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip. I'm not a hiker and I got through it okay, just bring comfortable shoes that won't slide on rock (that is sometimes wet!), and layers so you can add or take away as you start warming up. I brought along a short-sleeve exercise t-shirt, hiking/travel pants, and trail shoes. I had my rain jacket tied around my waist the whole time, but a small daypack would've been more comfortable for me. Shawn did a great job at keeping the pace and heart rate up, with breaks at just the right times. Thank you!

A must for story-loving hikers visiting Busan - This hike with Shawn was one of the top highlights of my trip to Busan. His knowledge of Korean folklore, the Busan area and his expertise as a guide made this a terrific experience that I would fully recommend.

storytelling and hiking - Shawn is a brilliant story teller. My partner and I enjoyed listening to him share folklores of the mountain we hiked on as well as his experience living in Seoul. We were sad that we didn't have enough time to take other tours with Shawn. We highly recommend that you hike with Sean whenever you visit Seoul.

PUT THIS ON TOP OF YOUR SEOUL TO DO LIST - This is an incredible tour! Shawn is an incredible guide whose story and knowledge paired with the breathtaking views make for a really good respite from the city of Seoul. The food and drink are included in the price so this is a great value as well because you get to go to a local restaurant outside the city with different dishes you will not see in Seoul. Can't recommend this tour enough. Also, Shawn and his business partner have an amazing podcast called "Darkside of Seoul" if you want to learn more about the spookier parts of Korean history and folklore be sure to give it a listen.

Beautiful Views - Shawn is the best tour guide I've met and shows he is passionate about what he does. He was responsive before the trip so we had no problem meeting up with him. This hike route is for semi-beginner hikers. You will be hiking up for the first half so bring good shoes, a bottle of water and light snack. We had dinner at a local restaurant after the hike but you may want to have a couple of chocolate bars on the way. The route was not super crowded with people. We saw a cave with shamanic rituals inside, a fantastic buddhist temple and tons of other great sights. It's all stuck in my mind because of the stories Shawn told us about the place. It makes a difference when you know about history of a place rather than just walking it.

Amazibg guide, spectacular views and even greater stories - Shawn is ab amazing tour guide who is very experienced on this trail. Taking this tour you can expect a fun climb, spectacular views, interesting heritage sites and absolutely amazing stories told in a great way by Shawn.