One of the largest caves in Asia, with almost 2km of steel stairways that take visitors through cathedral-sized caverns, up, down and around its varied formations. Some curious formations to look out for are the heart-shaped hole over the correspondingly named Bridge of Love, the rimstone that resembles a fried egg, and a difficult-to-spot calcite growth that resembles a tiny statue of the Virgin Mary.
As with many caves in Korea, while Hwanseongul’s natural beauty is breathtaking, garish lighting and kitschy names have been added to ‘enhance’ the experience.
Bus 60 (₩2900, 45 minutes, departures 8.20am, 10.20am, 2.20pm) heads from Samcheok’s intercity bus terminal for the cave. The last bus leaves the cave at 7.30pm.