South Korea · Walking Tours

3-Hour Walking Tour in Busan with Seokbulsa Temple and Maaebul

3 Hours Round trip from Busan Moderate pace

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The journey

Trip highlights

01 Visit Seokbulsa Temple, famous for its beautiful Buddha statue carved on the wall
02 Walk around the beautiful Geumjeongsan Mountain in the spirit of Buddha
03 See the famous Maaebul rock-carved Buddha image at Huejeongam
04 Follow a scenic walking route from Seokbulsa Temple to Geumgang Park

Walk from Mandeok Station to Seokbulsa Temple and explore this beautiful temple and its surrounding landscape. Continue through Geumjeongsan Mountain toward the south gate of Geumjeongsanseong Fortress, then head to Huejeongam to admire the famous Maaebul carved into the rock wall. The tour ends with a walk down to Geumgang Park, with the option to continue on to Oncheonjang subway station.

Huejeongam is famous for Maaebul, a Buddha image carved into a rock wall.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 3 Hours

Tour type Shared

Activity level Moderate

Accommodation Not included

Transport Not included

Wheelchair access Not applicable

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Seokbulsa Temple Walk to Geumgang Park

Meet at Exit 2 of Mandeok Station, where I will be holding a flag.
Travel from Mandeok subway station to Seokbulsa Temple in about 40 minutes.
Spend about 30 minutes at Seokbulsa Temple as you explore the temple and its surrounding landscapes.
Walk from Seokbulsa Temple to the south gate of Geumjeongsanseong Fortress in about 40 minutes.
Continue from the south gate of Geumjeongsanseong Fortress to the cable car stop, Huejeongam, in 20 minutes. Huejeongam is famous for Maaebul, a Buddha image carved into a rock wall.
Walk from Huejeongam Hermitage to Geumgang Park in about 30 minutes.
End the tour at Geumgang Park.
Head to Oncheonjang subway station.

Where this trip takes you

Seokbulsa Temple, Geumjeongsan Mountain ridgeline, Maaebul at Huejeongam, Geumgang Park

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

English and Chinese-speaking South Korean tour guide
Fold trekking poles (free rental)
Towels
A bottle of water
Korean snacks
A refrigerator magnet to commemorate your trip to Busan
Heater pack (winter)

What's Not Included

Traveller's insurance
Cable car fare
Meals and alcohol

Know before you go

Maaebul is found in India, China, Japan, and Korea, and its methods vary, including embossing (relief), engraving, and line carving. It is one of the most common Buddhist sculpture styles in Korea. Experts believe that the Maaebul style originated from the cave temples of ancient India in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD and was brought to China and Korea through the West. In temples such as the Ajanta Caves or Ellora Caves in India, large rock walls were carved out to create spaces for meditation, and Buddha or Buddhist icons were carved on the inner walls. In the early days, the biography of Buddha and stories of his past lives were placed on the cave walls, but this gradually developed into a method of engraving Buddha images.
Maaebul in Korea first appeared in the coastal region of Chungcheong-do around the 7th century. The representative statue of the three Buddhas in Yonghyeon-ri, Seosan, famous for "Baekje's smile" (National Treasure No. 84), has been widely known since the Three Kingdoms period. Hyujeongam Maae Trinity Buddha is a Buddha statue made in the 1950s and shows a very realistic sculptural technique in Busan. From the Geumgang Cable Car stop, follow the hiking trail for about 20 minutes to reach Hyujeongam. Behind the temple hall, there are three Buddhas of Maae engraved on the rock that surrounds them like a folding screen. When the Hall of Fame in Hyujeongam was extended in the 1940s, it was a quiet valley with thick fog and no footsteps. It is said that in the old days, this place was where people who had failed in life came to commit suicide.
Compared to other temples and hermitages on Mt. Geumjeong, Seokbulsa has a very short construction history. It was founded by the Buddhist monk Jo Il-Hyeon in 1930, during the Japanese colonial period, and a stone Buddha was built on the rock wall while he was governor. The temple was named Seokbulsa because it looked as though a stone Buddha was connected between the rocks, as if linked by carvings. People usually call it "Byeongpungam Seokbulsa Temple" because of its spectacular scenery.

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