Boseong Green Tea Fields

Boseong Green Tea Field — Green Stripes Flowing Down the Mountainside

If you've seen Korean film and TV scenes with overwhelming green tea-field landscapes, this is where they come from. Tea bushes carved into contour lines run endlessly along the mountainsides, escorted by an avenue of metasequoia trees. I rarely meet anyone who regrets going to Boseong — but timing matters a lot.

What it is — Daehan Dawon

When Koreans say "let's go to a tea field" in Boseong, 90% of the time it's Daehan Dawon. Established in 1957, it's Korea's largest green-tea estate at about 560,000 m². Not a UNESCO site, but Korea's #1 visual landscape, a regular filming location for ads, dramas, and films. The metasequoia avenue at the entrance opens the signature view.

How to explore

Entrance → metasequoia avenue → walking trails between the tea fields → overlook → estate café & shop.

• Suggested route — walk slowly from the entrance to the overlook, take photos → green-tea latte and ice cream at the café → descend. About 2 hours is right.
• 15–20 minutes to the overlook. Uphill (not steep, but skip heels).
• Photo spots — the entrance, the bends mid-path between fields, and the overlook.

Getting there — a car is essentially required

• KTX: Yongsan Station → Gwangju-Songjeong, about 1.5 hours → intercity bus (1 hour) or rental
• Express bus: Seoul → Boseong, about 4–5 hours
• By car from Gwangju: about 1 hour
• Rental car strongly recommended — to link the estate, downtown Boseong, Yulpo Beach, and nearby spots.

Season really matters

Boseong's tea fields look completely different depending on the time of year. The same place visited in different months feels like different places.

• 🌱 Early to mid-May — the new-leaf harvest at peak green. The fields are at their greenest, with new shoots emerging. The best time of year. Top season for foreign visitors.
• ☀️ June–August — deep green. Peak verdancy, but hot midday with little shade.
• 🌅 The Boseong Tea Festival in May — the county's tea festival, with field events and tea ceremonies.
• 🌫 Dawn mist in May–June — fields shrouded in mist, a magical landscape. 5–7 AM.
• 🍁 Autumn (Oct–Nov) — foliage contrasting with the green. The second-best season.
• ❄️ Winter (Dec–Feb) — tea bushes turn slightly brown, photos disappoint. Snow is rare here, but stunning when it falls.

Real recommendation: go in May if you can. Other times you can say "I went to Boseong" — but you'll miss the landscape.

Food — what to eat in Boseong

• Green-tea dishes — green-tea bibimbap, green-tea kalguksu, green-tea samgyeopsal (very fragrant), green-tea ice cream. At the estate café or downtown.
• Beolgyo cockles — a specialty of nearby Beolgyo. Chamkkomak + saekkomak set meals with 7–8 cockle dishes.
• Samhap — skate, aged kimchi, and pork. A Jeolla specialty that divides opinions strongly.
• Nokdon (green-tea pork) — pigs fed green tea. A Boseong specialty.

Pair with nearby

Boseong alone is half a day. A typical 1-night, 2-day trip combines neighbors.

• Yulpo Beach + Yulpo Green Tea Hot Spring — 20–30 min by car. The green-tea sauna is a specialty.
• Suncheon Bay Garden — 1 hour by car. Reed fields and migratory birds.
• Beolgyo — 30 min by car. Cockle set meals.
• Gwangju Mudeungsan / downtown — 1 hour by car.

Honest tips

• Weekday mornings are dramatically better. Weekends and holidays bring Korean tour groups en masse.
• Photos of the metasequoia avenue from the entrance. Inside, the curved mid-path is the spot.
• Green-tea ice cream is genuinely intense. Try it.
• Admission — about 4,000 won (adult).
• The trails between fields are dirt — slippery the day after rain.
• Spending 30 minutes to an hour at the photo spots is the heart of Boseong. Walk through quickly and you've just seen a farm.
• Boseong is small — stay in downtown Boseong or in Gwangju / Suncheon for more options.

Visitor info

• Admission: about 4,000 won (adult)
• Recommended length: 2 hours (estate only), half day (estate + downtown), 1 night (Boseong + Suncheon/Gwangju)
• Hours: 09:00–17:00 (seasonal variation)
• Official: dhdawon.com (Daehan Dawon)

June Guide (June 2026)

Boseong Green Tea Plantation in June is truly at the peak of its greenery. Under the early summer sun, the entire field is brimming with vitality from the freshly started second flush tea leaf harvest. With every step, the rich scent of tea mixed in the air brushes past your nose.

This year, the monsoon front is expected to move north starting early June, so there's a high chance of encountering the dreamy, misty scenery of the green tea plantation after the rain. Even better! If you're lucky, you can also capture the last sights of the mountain azaleas that bloomed from late May. Early to mid-June, when the second flush harvest is in full swing, is the best time to visit, and don't miss a cup of deep, rich green tea that can only be tasted during this period. However, visitors may flock during the long weekend around June 6th (Memorial Day), so if you prefer a more relaxed trip, weekday visits are recommended.

It is accessible by local bus or taxi from KTX Boseong Station, so even travelers without a car can easily go, but checking the bus schedule is essential as bus intervals can be long. If driving, the parking lot is spacious but can be full during long weekends. The entrance fee for Daehan Dawon is around 4,000 KRW for adults, and it's recommended to allocate at least 2 hours to slowly explore up to the observatory.

For Foreign Visitors: Major signs along the main paths are translated into English, making navigation easy. While credit cards are accepted at the ticket office and main cafes, it's wise to carry some cash (KRW) for local bus fares or small eateries nearby.