Private Hiking To Bukhansan & Korean Local Spa(include Lunch)

Andy is very knowledgeable and entertaining, the hike went by really fast. The restaurant provided very authentic and exquisite food.

the hike, lunch and sauna was a fantastic experience! kim provided a very authentic experience to see seoul

We had a fabulous day. The hike was 4 hours, straight up, along Granite ricks ending at the incredible temple. Then we walked up hundreds of steps to see the Buddha carved in the granite cliff, 10th century. The views were incredible, but make sure you dress accordingly. Our guide was in an entemology club so he pointed out beetles which was a fun touch. He loved talking Korean culture and politics which we loved hearing about. We also had a lunch with two kinds of tofu stew, so good. The spa was naked, hot tub, then freezing cold tub, then back and forth. There was some screaming, but all in fun. A great finish to a full day.

Fantastic day. My husband and I both agreed that this was our favorite day of our 2 week trip. Wonderful guide. It is a true hike to get to the top, but our guide was patient and encouraged me all the way to the top. My husband scaled it no easy peasy. the climb was worth it, the view is spectacular and the temple is beautiful. We went to a small family restaurant and had a wonderful meal (we are vegetarians, which had been a challenge elsewhere, but not here.) The spa was a unique experience that I will not forget. The ladies are kind and helpful if you have never been to a bathhouse before. Great day and thank-you.

Mr. Kim provided an authentic feeling experience of meeting a local and spending some time. Nothing felt touristy. The spa, the lunch restaurant, and the conversation offers a genuine slice of life. I really liked this aspect. I can of course hike popular trails solo. This booking was an off the beaten path experience.

Kim was a lovely tour guide and was so knowledgeable. We loved the hike and the food was delicious. It was nice to hear another perspective and views on Korean history. Defs recommend

Andy is an amazing tour guide, very nice and friendly, he speak a perfect English and answer all our question. The hiking was not hard, and the view over the mountain was breathless. I recomanded this experience

I rarely write long reviews, but this Bukhansan hiking experience deserves a full and transparent account — both for future travellers and for the operator. 1. A Chaotic Start: Technical Issues & Miscommunication The problems began even before the hike started. Viator required an additional online form, and despite entering my correct pickup address, the form mysteriously populated an old address—possibly a technical glitch or cached data that wasn’t cleared. To make matters worse, there was no record of my earlier conversation with Kim where he had already confirmed the correct pickup location. So on the actual morning, everything unraveled. 2. Pickup Disaster & an Extremely Unpleasant Phone Call When the pickup went wrong — through no fault of ours — we received a harsh and unnecessary lecture from Kim over the phone. While we were scrambling to secure two taxis from Gangnam to the northern side of Seoul during peak hours, Kim insisted on repeatedly “fact checking” in a stern, accusatory tone. Despite multiple polite and gentle requests to resolve the misunderstanding in person when we arrived, he continued speaking sharply, which only added stress to an already hectic situation. Even after meeting in person, the issue was still not dropped. We ended up apologizing simply to keep the day moving, even though the mistake wasn’t ours and we never asked for any compensation for the extra taxi fares or the wasted time. This was an extremely disappointing start to what should have been a beautiful hiking experience. 3. The Silver Lining: Spectacular Hike & Kim’s Guiding Skills Once we finally began the hike, things improved dramatically. The Bukhansan fall scenery was breathtaking, and in fairness, Kim is undeniably knowledgeable. He commanded attention with his storytelling on: • Korean history & culture • Local biodiversity • Geomancy (feng shui influences in the mountains) On the trail, he was competent, alert, and safety-focused — always pointing out risky sections, choosing safer paths, and adjusting to our pace. Lunch was simple, local and delicious. From a mountain guiding perspective, Kim is very capable. 4. The Mood Breaker: Completely Inappropriate Topics Unfortunately, the experience dipped again due to some extremely inappropriate conversations. Kim openly discussed: • how Koreans dislike Communists, • how he personally “wants to shoot Putin,” • and how he appreciates Singapore because of the death penalty. These are not topics that belong in a leisure hike with a group of ladies trying to enjoy nature. The mood noticeably dipped among my fellow hikers. 5. My Sincere Advice for Improvement Kim absolutely has the potential to be a fantastic mountain guide, but hospitality requires more than skill — it requires attitude, sensitivity, and professionalism. My personal advice: • Please be a gentleman in communication. • Confirm pickup details clearly, and avoid assumptions. • Avoid discussing politics, violence or sensitive topics with guests. • Provide clearer itinerary descriptions, especially terrain details, because not all guests are seasoned hikers. Many guests may not have the same patience we had, and I genuinely hope this review helps you grow into an even better version of yourself. Final Thoughts This trip was a mix of stressful lows and unforgettable highs. The mountain itself was spectacular, the hike was rewarding, but the communication issues and inappropriate commentary did cloud the overall experience. I sincerely wish the operator success, and hope future travellers can enjoy the incredible beauty of Bukhansan with a more polished, considerate guiding approach.

Incredible day! The Bukhansan hike was beautiful, the lunch was delicious and the spa was so relaxing. Couldn’t ask for a better mix of adventure and culture.

Bennie is the best. Gave great information on the history of Seoul. The hike was so great. Loved every minute up to the 108 step to the Carved Buddha on the mountain. Highly recommend this tour. Helps to be fit and familiar with hiking. The meal after was great.

Benny was a fantastic guide - very welcoming and knowledgeable- and the tour was excellent. Great for solo traveller.

Kim was THE BEST!!! We had a great time hiking to the temple. The scenery was INCREDIBLE the entire trip and the views were breathtaking at the top. Kim was very knowledgeable and we enjoyed all the conversations! We brought our 16 year old daughter with us and Kim was good at including her in the conversation. She thoroughly enjoyed it. We had a snack at the temple made by the monks and then after, he took us to a local korean restaurant which was delicious. We had a wonderful full day and would definitely book with Kim again!

Andy was great - as was the hike! We thoroughly enjoyed learning about Korean culture and history. It was a nice workout too! We told him what we wanted to eat and he found the perfect place for exactly what we asked for. A great day!

We had the best time with Kim. He took us on the most magical hike and the experience felt once in a lifetime. The meal we had after our beautiful hike was so delicious and home cooked and the spa we ended up going to wasn't pretentious at all. It felt like a neighborhood spot all the ladies close by go to...it was totally a glimpse into everyday life in Seoul. I highly recommend this tour...so worth the money! Thank you Kim!

This was truly a special experience for our family! Mr. Kim guided us on our hike up Mt. Bukhansan. We learned so much about the history of Korea. Hiking to the temple was so amazing! Lunch was delicious and our jimjilbang (spa) experience was incredible!! It was a wonderful way to start our family vacation. We loved it.

The hiking experience was a great experience. The hike was about 3 miles. Pretty steep at some places. Lots of rocks to climb on way up and then roadway down. Kim was very knowledgeable and explained a lot about Seoul. The lunch was at a traditional Korean location and was so delicious! The spa experience definitely helped relax all the leg muscles from the hike. I recommend doing this tour!

This was a great experience! David was very patient with me on the hills and was a very knowledgeable guide. Views were gorgeous. Spa experience loosened up my muscles post-hike and my skin is glowing.

Amazing day which included hotel pick up, hike up a mountain to see a Buddhist temple, local lunch and spa. The guide was punctual, friendly and considerate. You should bring plenty of water for the walk and toiletries for the spa. I should have brought clean clothes to change into after the body scrub. I was glad I had researched the spa so I knew what to do once I was inside. Easy to recommend this trip. Thank you.

A great experience, even if the weather was hot. I recommend good hiking shoes and lots of water. Our guide Jimmy was the perfect host. Helpful and friendly, made our trip unforgettable. We got great views, fantastic Korean food and an unbelievable experience at the Korean sauna. I recommend you do get the scrub: it costs a small extra (25.000/30.000 won), but it is worth every penny. You will never have smoother skin.

Kim is really knowledgeable of Korean culture, history, flora, and fauna. It was interesting hearing his perspectives of current events and topics. The hike was fun however not specifically easy. It was about a 3 mile walk with a 600 ft elevation change.

Our guide Jimmy was simply exceptional. He was very knowledgeable and friendly. He made us feel very comfortable. The traditional lunch was quite awesome. The sauna experience afterwards was quite unique. It forced us to shed some inhibitions but thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Hike was spectacular. It’s a relatively short, low/moderate intensity hike. Great for beginner hikers, seniors etc. Lunch was delicious and soaking in the spa was a relaxing way to end the tour. Guide was knowledgeable and attentive. Highly recommend.

Chance Kim told us how Americans are couch potatoes, that USA government is poor, that the USA government wants South Korea to pay the USA, that the USA health care is terrible, and that he eats dogs. He was very poor guide and appeared angry at us from the very start. We walked slower than he liked, but we paid for a private tour, expecting to be treated with respect and kindness. Which we saw none of. It appears the Chance Kim does not like USA and should not guide persons from that country. Not a good experience. And I don’t recommend Kim as a guide.

We went to our hike on a rainy day, our guide Benny was excellent , he texted before, brought water , snacks and umbrellas. Hike was amazing, it is demanding hike so make sure you are fiscally in good shape. Hike up was around 1.5 h. On top of the mountain is 1000 years old Buddhist temple with amazing view and Buddha figure carved in stone . After hike and steps to the temple you go another 108 steps to the stone. Hike down is easier. After hike we went to eat traditional Korean meal in local place, which was very tasty,it’s not flashy place but food was good. After that we went to Korean spa which was quite interesting experience. I hope you are not shy because you are completely naked around others. No swimming suites. Genders are separated and you first wash and scrub yourself then use hot tub and cold tub and sauna. People bring their own cleaning supplies , face masks and hair caps. You get 2 small towels that cannot cover you . Korean ladies were trying to explain things to us and show us what to do. It was funny very unique experience.

Just a heads up regarding the Korean-style spa. Initially, experiencing some cultural shock. But upon immersing oneself in, it proves to be a profoundly enriching experience. Like the Nike slogan: “Just do it.”

The wonderful hike, the lunch, the first experience into a local spa with the scrub experience would not have been possible without the guidance of Benny! He was a great host and made me feel at ease straight away. I highly recommend this tour!

This hike was the best of my whole trip! Sophia was the best tour guide and had so much information to share. The hike itself was stunning and the views at the peak were unparalleled. I felt like a local. The Buddhist temple was gorgeous and a must-see. There was quite a bit of incline and many stairs, so be prepared. I wore hiking boots and felt that was a good call after exploring the trail. Be sure to bring lots of water, especially if you are not used to the heat. Thank you Sophia! I also ended up booking a second tour with Sophia to the DMZ the next day, as I truly enjoyed my time with her. She is such a gem and I am so thankful for the time we spent together on my trip!

What an incredible day in Korea! Aeja took me on a beautiful hike with a crystal clear cool river where we got to cross over several times and keep ourselves cool on a hot day. She taught me about Korea's history and it's relationship with their natural plants and animals. She provided me with snacks and water and we had kimbap and fruit at the top of the mountain. Then we went to a restaurant where we had amazing bibimbap and she taught me some Korean phrases. Afterwards we went to a bathhouse and she was very helpful because I had no idea what I was doing there! I got scrubbed down head to toe by one of the ladies at the bathhouse and spent time in the hot sauna and switching between different pool temperatures. It was a great way to end the day after a long hike. Aeja was so sweet and accommodating to me. This tour was my favorite part of my time in Korea--absolutely worth it!

Mr. Kim was very knowledgeable and easy to understand. I felt the hike was challenging but fun and loved what I saw. The entire day was perfect and saw a new side of Seoul that I hadn't seen. Recommend doing on your trip here.

Our trip was amazing. Sophia was so kind and attentive to how we were doing the entire time. She took time to explain the history behind various plants and landmark of Bukhansan. We were beginner to intermediate hikers so took us on a route that was more suitable for us but view was equally beautiful. The lunch at the end and the Korean spa was icing on the cake. If you're considering this tour, make sure you ask for Sophia because she made the experience so easy.

This hiking experience with Jimmy was the highlight of my trip! Not only was I able to see a gorgeous side of Seoul that wasn’t overrun with tourists (truly felt like a local), but the tour guide, Jimmy, was an incredible conversationist, extremely intelligent, well-traveled, answered all of my incessant questions with kindness/understanding and most of all fun! Truly the most “interesting man in the world” and this is coming for a 31 yr old from NYC. I was apprehensive about booking a guide as a solo woman, but I felt absolutely comfortable for all of ~6 hrs we spent together. After a week of indulging in street food, the hike was exactly what my body needed. You trek toward the top of the mountain to an active Buddhist temple with sights that are well worth the hike both in views and architecture. You also find a level of spiritually in the peacefulness and quiet. Jimmy provides plenty of history and anecdotes to make the experience much more elevated and rewarding than doing it alone. During my entire trip I ate my weight in fine dining, trendy restaurants and street food, but the local, no frills restaurant that we landed at post-hike (featured homestyle cooking) warmed my soul and is still imprinted in my memory. Highly recommend you indulge in “Makkoli”. Lastly, you end the trip at a local Korean Spa! Highly recommend you google what to expect as its quite different than any spa in the US. All in all, I walked away with a richer Seoul experience after my hike and also with a new friend! :) (Gamsahabnida, Jimmy!)

I had a fantastic time on this hike. Benny was such a great tour guide, he shared many stories of Korea, history and pop culture, with me and I felt really comfortable throughout the day. Bukhansan is a beautiful area, and seeing the Buddhist temple at the peak of this hike was wonderful. The lunch was one of the best meals i had on my trip too, and the spa was a unique experience. Highly recommend doing this hike, and Benny as a guide.

Great experience. The private hike had breathtaking views and the temple provided some amazing sightseeing. I recommend getting Jimmy as your tour guide. He was very kind, funny and had good English. My group was not an experienced hiking group, so luckily Jimmy was very accommodating. We had a delicious lunch at a Korean BBQ place near the base of the mountain. The sauna was quite the culture shock for us 'prude' Americans. If you're a very private person I would recommend foregoing the sauna as you must get quite intimate with strangers in an open room. Once over the shock though it turned out to be a relaxing and comfortable time.

First time hiking up a mountain in winter as I’m from a tropical country. The guide Chance, is very friendly, thoughtful and take special care of our safety. It was a great hike and hope to do it again. His English is good and we understand the history he described and explained.

This was an excellent way to get out of the city and go "forest bathing." After 4 days in Seoul, to get up North and on the trail was great. Jimmy was waiting in our lobby and took us in his SUV to Bukhansan park, where we hiked up a peak with a beautiful view. He tailored the trip to our abilities and gear (not having true hiking boots you would likely want to skip the peaks that use cables). He brought us snacks and beverages, although I might suggest also some water of your own if it's a warm day. There was a lot of shade cover. The trails are maintained in fantastic shape, kudos to Korea. Jimmy loaned us his hiking sticks for the way down, as it was definitely a challenging walk. I so much enjoyed being able to talk with a local because Korean is a challenging language to me. I also loved seeing how popular hiking is with the locals. After the hike, he brought us down to a delicious lunch (not his usual restaurant, because we were hiking during the Chuseok holiday) then he dropped us at the sauna. If you haven't been to a Korean spa then you don't know what you're missing! This was a local sauna, definitely not a tourist spot, so it was an experience just figuring out what to do, although the ajummas helped us. The hot baths felt so fabulous after the hike, and I'm sure it cut down on the soreness. If you enjoyed that, then I would definitely recommend Dragon Hill in Seoul or Spaland in Busan, which are even larger and really fun. I just so enjoyed this combination of different activities, really different from a usual tourist day and my favorite tour of the vacation!

I lived for 8 months in Seoul now and this hiking tour remains as one of the top experiences I had here. Jimmy, our tour guide, was very friendly and considerate. Since we speak german, he brought along a friend who knew. the mountain well and also spoke german, so we got a lot of information on the area and the 4 of us had a blast. Jimmy made sure that the road was not too challenging and was funny and informative. My friend and me had the loveliest time. The view from the top was spectacular and the lunch was very very delicious and fun. The spa was relaxing and much needed after the hike! I cannot recommend this tour enough, if you need a respite from the bustling city life this is the tour to book. We would have loved to climb even more mountains with Jimmy! 즐거운 시간 보내줘서 감사합니다! 다음에 또 봐요 Jimmy!

I am amazed at this hiking tour. It included everything I was looking for. From transportation to a great hiking spot, that was challenging but not too difficult, to a relaxing lunch and sauna afterwards. What make the hike even better was the guide. Sophia is a wonderful and kind person that dedicated to making sure I had the best experience possible. She was fun, courteous and knowledgeable about the area we were hiking. I could see that she was focused on my safety and comfort the entire time. I enjoyed every aspect of this hike and I highly recommend it.

The hike is very interesting. Nice scenery. The ground is irregular, there are big rocks across the trail and steps to climb and descend so you have to be a little physically fit. The hike lasts 2 hours, as described and follows a stream (stream). Located only 20 minutes from the grand palace. Benny is a perfect guide. He makes conversation if we hire him and he can remain silent too. He is very knowledgeable on a lot of subjects and can be asked about his country, politics, domestic life, etc. I was lucky enough to have the guide to myself and the trip was not cancelled, which I really enjoyed. He speaks very good English, he drives the van safely. It is very pleasant company. He's a good explanation. Everything flowed naturally. He accommodated me for dinner because of my special diet. The restaurant is typical and the dishes tasty. The Korean spa experience is exotic! You should know that you have to strip completely for baths. These are unisex. People only speak Korean but Benny will explain everything you need to know in advance. I would choose the same thing if it were to be done again The Buddhist temple visited is a temple for women and features access to nirvana 😉! Beautiful view from this temple.