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Seoul to Busan - Korean Cross Country Bike Trail
I find that there's two types of people who plan: those that methodically anticipate every possible variable ahead of time and those that sketch something on a napkin. I'm definitely the former. Hopefully some of what you see here will be of help.Obviously the official website is a good place to start. It's 633km from Incheon to Busan, or roughly 500km from Seoul to Busan. Either way, it's as brutal or as enjoyable as you make it. You can burn through it in 2.5 days if you want or stretch it out to a week or more if you have the time. It all depends on how you're packed, what time of year you take the trip, where you want to sleep, what you want to see, and how physically fit you are.
This time last year, I had it in my mind to make the Seoul to Busan trip by myself during the summer break. A coworker and friend of mine had done it the year prior and had only good things to say about it. So, I began my new hobby in earnest a few months before summer began to prepare. Other than time in the saddle, one of the best ways I found to prepare was to see how other people had completed the trip. Some of these are a simple google search away but others were obscurely hidden at first.
*Note* I'm still searching for a video I saw a year ago that started out fine but one of the travelers bailed in Daegu, leaving only one to finish solo in Busan.
Anyway, hopefully you'll get a good idea of what to expect.
1)
A few years ago, four guys set out from Seoul to Busan and completed the trip in 4 days. That's about 560km at about 140km per day. Their video editing and pacing is a great introduction to the trip. It's a tad long but is just about the best summary of what to expect.
Korea Cycling Trip 2012 - Seoul to Busan 서울 - 부산 자전거 여행 - 대한민국 2012 .
2)
Last year, someone made the trip in five days by himself. Entirely non-narrated and short but honestly quite memorable. Out of all of the videos online, this one actually reminds me of the trail the most accurately. Go figure.
3)
Very PR-friendly and professionally produced, this video extends not just from Seoul to Busan but covers all four rivers of Korea. Don't be turned off by the cheesy edits and the obvious scripted dialogue. It's still a good video that covers a lot of territory, especially if you're planning on filling the entire stamp book eventually.
4)
Text and photo-only roundup: here are some nice trip guides without videos but are all good resources worth reading:
- five day trip guide for casual riders. Funny stories for worst-case-scenario planners like myself. If you're wondering what could go wrong, read this.
- speaking of unprepared, this blogger completed the trip with a barebones bike, paper-thin tires, and good will from a traveling group of riders.
- here's a nice guide for those considering doing the trip starting in the South and working your way up to Seoul.
- another five day long trip with excellent advice. They that didn't exactly follow the official path, so there's some really unique photos included.
- here's an older trail guide made before the official bike path was made. interesting to see how much has changed.
- general safety and preparation advice for first timers.
- here's what the awards and medals look like and how to apply for them.
5)
Three guys did it in six days, got plenty lost on the way but stayed positive (on camera) the whole time. Not bad, gentlemen.
6)
Two guys did it in 3.5 days. Not a very detailed video but it does have a great ending; take the camera, run, and jump into the ocean. The scene is a bit misleading as the final stamp station is actually about 30km away from Haeundae beach, but it is inspiring nonetheless.
7)
Simple and sweet. Here's seven days on the bike summarized in four minutes. Minimalist editing and relaxing music. The creators are family friendly with solid advice. They also have some country trip travel advice, too.
8)
Here's what I like about this video: two guys scrapped together a plan, some supplies, and it didn't work out exactly as planned. One of them even calls it quits by Daegu (which is still impressive, actually). Yet, they still uploaded the video and they still look like they had a great time. Respect: earned.
Biking To Busan From Seoul from Mark & Elysabeth Ratto
