By John Redmond
Contributing writer
With the vacation season and hot temperatures upon us, many are seeking to find more unique and adventurous travel arrangements than those offered by your average travel agency.
Whether your dream time out of Seoul be spent rafting, fishing, a combination of flying and kayaking, getting covered in mud at the Boryong Mud Festival or even a weekend spent learning to surf and visiting temples in Busan, there are agencies out there that can help you. Some to a greater extent than others.
One such agency is Ztravel Bug, a Seoul-based unit specializing in combination adventures to unique locations around Korea. Offering everything from temple visits to seafood market tours and mountain hikes, the agency has an itinerary for just about anyone wishing to get as much out of Korea as possible with minimal fuss.
One of the more popular packages, and one known for its cultural significance is the Boryeong Mud Festival July 19-20 at Daecheon beach in Boryeong.
Held annually, this festival has a well-deserved reputation as one of Korea's best festivals. Participants are encouraged to bath, slide and wrestle in sea mud said to contain nutrients essential for a healthy skin complexion. Other festival activities include mud massages, a mega mud tub and a mud prison.