[Jo Yongjun's Travel Miles] Picnic in the Secret Forest Where Alpacas Frolic~

Traveling the Ranch Road with Green Breeze
Ranches to Visit in May, the Month of Family
Snap a Photo with Cheerful Dairy Goats on the Meadow

At Pyeongchang Aniforest, cute alpacas run freely.

The sudden heatwave arriving at the end of spring feels unfamiliar. How about taking a break from the hectic daily life before the full summer and enjoying some leisure? Especially since May is Family Month. Let's find a pastoral travel destination perfect for leisurely strolling through poetic landscapes hand in hand with children and enjoying a picnic. Just in time, the Korea Tourism Organization has recommended May travel destinations under the theme of a fresh pastoral trip with the spring breeze.

Goyang Wondang Ranch (Gyeonggi Goyang), where a green lyrical poem unfolds; Taebaek Montorang Goat Ranch (Gangwon Taebaek), where you can snap photos with cheerful dairy goats on the meadow; Pyeongchang Aniforest (Gangwon Pyeongchang), a secret forest where alpacas frolic; Jeungpyeong Belforest Ranch (Chungbuk Jeungpyeong), where you can have friendly interactions with animals; and Hwasun Mudeung Mountain Sheep Ranch (Jeonnam Hwasun), where you can make eye contact with lambs while taking a walk.

#Goyang Wondang Ranch, where a 'green lyrical poem' unfolds

Prepare simple snacks and a mat for the journey along the ranch road.

If you go a little outside the city, Wondang Ranch appears like a gift.

Wondang Ranch (Wondang Thoroughbred Ranch) is loved as a nearby Seoul spot for walking and picnics. It was established in 1984 by the Korea Racing Authority to breed and raise racehorses and is currently used as an educational space for horse racing personnel. Since 1997, part of the ranch facilities have been open to the public, and it has become popular for its exotic scenery, attracting many visitors. Although the open areas are limited due to its function as a work facility, there is no inconvenience in enjoying the ranch. There are picnic zones, photo zones, and benches, making it a pleasant place to stroll leisurely. Bringing food and picnic mats is allowed, and picnics are possible anywhere within the public access areas. However, cooking, drinking alcohol, and tent installation are prohibited.

Wondang Ranch is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no admission fee. It is worthwhile to visit along with Seosamneung (a historic site), which includes three royal tombs from the Joseon Dynasty (Heereung, Hyoreung, Yereung) located nearby.

Goyang also hosts Seoorung (a historic site), referring to five royal tombs in the west (Changneung, Gyeongneung, Myeongneung, Ikneung, Hongneung), surrounded by dense trees, making it an excellent walking course. If you are with children, the Goyang Gawaji Rice Seed Museum, themed around rice seeds discovered in Gawaji Village during the development of Ilsan New Town, is recommended.

Baedagol Theme Park, equipped with an alpaca farm, koi fish aquarium, Goyang Folk Museum, overnight camping site, and Nanta education center, also captivates children's hearts.

#Snap photos with cheerful dairy goats on the meadow, Taebaek Montorang Goat Ranch

Taebaek Montorang Mountain Goat Farm has decks located throughout the area where visitors can enjoy the surrounding scenery.

How about heading to Taebaek, Gangwon Province, to create special memories in the season dyed green? Opened in 2021, Montorang Goat Ranch is a place where you can interact with animals. Situated at an altitude of 800 meters, it boasts fresh air and beautiful scenery, with white dairy goats leisurely roaming the meadow, creating a pastoral and peaceful atmosphere.

Dairy goats are gentle and sociable, quickly bonding with children and adults alike. At Montorang Goat Ranch, feeding experiences take place on the meadow. If you want to capture unique photos, renting picnic sets with props is an option. Don't forget to taste the fresh goat milk.

Goat milk and processed products are sold at the caf? at the ranch entrance, which can be used without paying the ranch admission fee. Montorang Goat Ranch operates from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. year-round, with an admission fee of 5,000 KRW (feeding experience is separate).

About a 7-minute drive from Montorang Goat Ranch is Taebaek Yongyeon Cave (Gangwon Monument), the highest cave in Korea at 920 meters above sea level. Gumoonsu (a natural monument) also features a unique geological formation: a cave-shaped hole in a rock wall with a deep pool beneath. The Cheoram Coal Mine Historical Village, showcasing the heyday of the coal industry, is also worth visiting.

#A secret forest where alpacas frolic, Pyeongchang Aniforest

The beautiful spring scenery of Daegwallyeong Sheep Ranch

Yongpyong Resort, the first ski resort in Korea and still the largest, has transformed into Mona Yongpyong, a comprehensive wellness tourist destination open year-round. Aniforest, where animals and forest harmonize, is at its heart.

Located on the mid-slope of Balwangsan Mountain, Aniforest is a place to enjoy a ranch where alpacas and sheep frolic alongside a grove of German spruce trees over 50 years old. Riding the Alpaca Monorail up to Aniforest, visitors can walk along paths through the spruce healing forest, sit or lie on chairs and sunbeds, and enjoy phytoncide forest bathing.

Don't forget to visit the ranch deep within the forest to interact with alpacas. Aniforest ticketing hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with operations ending at 6 p.m.

At the summit of Balwangsan Mountain, Mona Park's other hot spot, Balwangsan Gis Skywalk, offers a viewing platform surrounded by a millennium yew forest trail, making it worth a visit. If you want to explore a ranch with a different atmosphere from Aniforest, Daegwallyeong Sheep Ranch is perfect. Tirol Village, full of European charm, hosts the Vienna Doll Museum, exhibiting doll figures.

#Friendly interaction with animals, Jeungpyeong Belforest Ranch

A Border Collie showcasing an impressive sheep herding performance

If you want to feel the freshness of early summer, head to Belforest Ranch. It is the liveliest space within the comprehensive leisure and tourism complex, Jeungpyeong Belforest Resort. Boer goats, ducks, and geese warmly welcome visitors, and sheep leisurely graze in the spacious pasture. Feeding and horseback riding experiences are interesting, but don't miss the Border Collie sheep herding show (weekdays at 13:30 and 15:30 / weekends at 11:30, 13:30, and 15:30). The performance features a trainer disguised as a wolf stealing lambs and the clever and agile herding skills of Border Collies.

Watch the animal parade where geese, ducks, and goats seem to strut down a runway, and interact with birds such as blue-fronted amazons, peacocks, and golden pheasants at the recently opened Nest Aviary and outdoor poultry yard.

Belforest Resort offers various facilities including extreme luge, yachts, and jet boats. This year, a media art center and moto arena are also scheduled to open, making the trip even richer.

Bogangcheon Poplar Forest cultivates a spacious flower garden, perfect for photography. Across the way, the Kim Deuk-shin Literary Museum, dedicated to the mid-Joseon Dynasty scholar Kim Deuk-shin, features his biography and public art works created with local residents. The charming miniature-themed Jeungpyeong Bicycle Park is also popular as a photo spot.

#A place to make eye contact with lambs while walking, Hwasun Mudeung Mountain Sheep Ranch

You can experience feeding the sheep.

Mudeung Mountain Sheep Ranch is located at the starting point of the wide embrace that Anyang Mountain extends toward Hwasun land. Mudeung Mountain, which firmly protects Honam, extends its ridge southward to form Anyang Mountain. Before meeting the sheep flock, visitors can see fences and barns housing several herbivorous animals such as mini donkeys, mouflons, dairy goats, stone sheep, and rabbits. Beyond the barn, a meadow unfolds. On the other side of the hill, the management office is visible, and from here, the path slopes downward. The path's end is the feeding experience area for the sheep flock.

Currently, about 150 sheep are grazing at Mudeung Mountain Sheep Ranch. Among them, sheep about one year old are in the hay feeding experience area. Visitors can feed them from outside the fence or open the gate and enter inside. Even young children enjoy feeding the sheep well. It is not uncommon to see parents more excited than their children, fully engaged in feeding.

How about ending your Hwasun trip at historic sites? Yeongbyeokjeong (Jeonnam Cultural Property) is estimated to have been built in the 1500s and blends harmoniously with the surrounding scenery, making it a charming travel destination. The Jeongam Jo Gwang-jo Exile Site is where the mid-Joseon scholar Jo Gwang-jo spent his final days. At the Hwasun Dolmen Site, you can see the tombs of prehistoric rulers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.