Daehan Dawon, the largest tea plantation in South Korea

The Boseong Green Tea Plantations in the South Jeolla Province are one Korea's landmarks. The most famous field is the Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation, which is naturally the most tourists. Most people travel here either in spring.

There is something mesmerising about watching Korean ladies carefully picking green tea leaves. For those who love taking pictures, there is a specially designed photo area, a well-groomed patch of field, while the rest of the plantation often happens to be slightly overgrown. Even if you come in late autumn or winter, you will see quite a picture, as the hillsides are always beautiful.

The origin of Deahan Dawon

Daehan Dawon, the largest and oldest tea garden in the southern county of Boseong, dates back to 1937, when the first green tea trees were planted by Japanese colonialists. The area’s rich soil, humidity and day-to-night temperature differences made it a perfect location for tea cultivation.

The best time to visit

The best time to visit Boseong and the Daehan Dawon Plantation is in May as the yearly Dahyangje Tea Festival is celebrated at this time. Aside from driving your own vehicle, the most common way to reach Boseong is to take the bus from Seoul, although the route is not direct. From the capital, you will need to take a bus to the city of Gwangju. You will then change at the intercity bus terminal, and take another bus directly to the city of Boseong.

Going Green

Out of the three main plantations in the Boseong area, Daehan Dawon is the most famous one. It routinely attracts domestic and international visitors but it also functions as a fully-operational plantation that produces 40% of the nation’s green tea products. Daehan Dawon is incredibly scenic, and all around you will see neatly trimmed tea hedges that adorned multitudes of hills. Daehan covers more than 560 hectares of hillside and fields. This is the largest and oldest tea garden in Boseong.
The most popular tourist activity in Daehan is the stroll up to a road that leads to the main plantation area. This iconic path is referred to as the Boseong Cedar Road, as it is lined up by tall cedar trees that can reach to up to 20 meters in height.

Enjoy Daehan Dawon’s cuisine

Go past the market and go around a small pong to get to the administrative office building. This section is also populated by various restaurants and coffee shops. Make sure to bring a camera during this hike as there are plenty of amazing photo opportunities. After the hike, get yourself some favorite green tea ice cream, a perfect way to cap off the experience.

Here, visitors can learn more about the life cycle of the tea leaf, its harvesting and drinking culture. In addition, the museum offers a number of programs such as tea-making and tea ceremony workshops that provide a unique, hands-on experience.

Read more: Explore the hidden beauty of Seoul

Source Internet