Mount Nam's new garden offers guided walks into Seoul's quieter side
Summary
Mount Nam’s renovated Korean Forest Garden in Seoul will begin guided Healing Walk tours on Aug. 21. The Seoul Metropolitan Government says the docent-led walks will take small groups through themed cultural and ecological zones on the mountain’s southern slope in Itaewon. The program also adds family biodiversity hunts, tea-tasting sessions and night treks, with online registration opening Tuesday afternoon.
Key Facts
- The Korean Forest Garden opened to the public in late June on the former site of the Namsan Outdoor Botanical Garden.
- The garden complex has 11 themed areas divided into cultural, ecological and elevated rest zones.
- Evening walks will run on Friday nights from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., while daytime sessions will be held on weekend mornings.
- Each guided group will be limited to up to 15 adults and led by professional forest commentators.
- Online registration opens on the Seoul Public Service Reservation portal, with additional monthly slots opening on the 20th of each month through mid-November.
Participants walk the Dulle Trail at Mount Nam in Yongsan, Seoul, May 17, 2025. Korea Times file
Amid the concrete expanse of Korea’s sprawling capital, Mount Nam has long served as a vital green refuge, crowned by its iconic broadcast tower and laced with shaded hiking trails. Now, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is offering city dwellers a new way to decompress: guided walking tours through the freshly renovated Korean Forest Garden.
Beginning Aug. 21, the Jungbu Parks & Recreation Center will launch a series of docent-led day and evening tours designed to immerse visitors in the traditional landscapes, native ecology and seasonal rhythms of the mountain's newest attraction.
Spanning the former site of the Namsan Outdoor Botanical Garden on the mountain's southern slope in Itaewon, the 11-themed garden complex officially opened to the public in late June. Designed to mirror traditional forest landscapes from across the country, the space is divided into three distinct zones: a cultural section featuring reinterpreted traditional pavilions and quiet lotus ponds; an ecological zone showcasing plum groves, moss beds, and bamboo thickets; and elevated rest areas that offer sweeping views of the cityscape below.
Under the new Healing Walk program, professional forest commentators will guide small groups of up to 15 adults through the grounds. Evening walks will run on Friday nights from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., while daytime sessions will take place on weekend mornings, allowing participants to experience the garden under soft dusk light or morning shade.
The initiative comes as urban planners across Korea increasingly prioritize accessible green spaces to combat burnout and urban heat.
"The Korean Forest Garden is a space where visitors can experience both the raw nature of Mount Nam and the subtle aesthetics of traditional landscape design," said Shin Hyun-ho, director of the Jungbu Parks & Recreation Center. "We hope these guided strolls offer a meaningful pause for reflection and rest in the heart of the city."
Alongside the adult walking tours, the center will also introduce family-friendly biodiversity exploration hunts, sensory tea-tasting sessions and guided night treks along the elevated Namsan Sky Forest Trail. Online registration opens Tuesday afternoon on the Seoul Public Service Reservation portal, with additional monthly slots opening on the 20th of each month through mid-November.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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