Cheonjeyeon Waterfalls

Between the hotels and resorts of the Jungmun tourist complex hides a deep ravine. Walk down the steps and you reach an emerald pool ringed by dark, column-shaped rock. Cheonjeyeon, "the pond of the emperor of heaven", is the source of a waterfall that drops three times on its way to the sea.

How the falls work: three steps down the Jungmuncheon

The Jungmuncheon stream rises on Hallasan and forms three falls as it runs to the coast.

• First fall: it plunges 22 m from a cliff of columnar basalt into the 21 m-deep pool of Cheonjeyeon. Most of the time the cliff is dry and the fall only flows after heavy rain, but the hexagonal columns and the clear pool are worth seeing on their own.
• Second fall: fed by water from the pool, it flows all year, and most photos of Cheonjeyeon Waterfalls show this one.
• Third fall: the last drop further down the valley, from where the water runs into the sea.

What to see

• Columnar joint cliffs: pillars of rock formed as lava cooled and cracked surround the pool. The viewing area in front of the first fall shows them best.
• Seonimgyo Bridge: a 128 m arched footbridge modelled on the magpie bridge from the legend of the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd. Its sides carry the Seven Nymphs, each holding an instrument and rising on a cloud, which is why it is also called the Nymph Bridge.
• Cheonjeru Pavilion and Obokcheon spring: a traditional-style pavilion beside the bridge and a spring carved with a turtle, dragon, carp and other figures.
• Warm-temperate forest: the woods on both sides of the ravine shelter rare plants such as whisk fern and Elaeocarpus sylvestris, and in places you can see gotjawal, rocky lava ground tangled with trees and vines.

Good to know

Ice-cold water drips from the roof of a rock cave near the first fall, and people once believed that bathing under it around the midsummer festivals of Baekjung and Cheoseo cured every illness. Swimming and access are now banned. Downstream, the Cheonjeyeon irrigation channel, built to carry this water to rice fields, is a registered national heritage site.

Nearby

• Daepo Jusangjeolli Cliff: about 2 km away on the coast, where columnar joints meet the sea; a nice comparison with the columns at Cheonjeyeon.
• Jungmun Saekdal Beach: the sandy beach of the Jungmun resort area.
• Yeomiji Botanical Garden: a large greenhouse garden in the same resort complex.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: 09:00–17:50, last entry 17:10, open every day. Times can change with sunset and the site may close in bad weather.
• Admission: adults KRW 2,500, youth and children KRW 1,350.
• Route: follow the paths down the valley from the first fall onwards. There are steps up and down the ravine, so wear comfortable shoes.
• Timing: the day after heavy rain is your best chance to see the first fall flowing. In the morning the pool looks especially clear.
• Time needed: allow 40 minutes to an hour for all three falls.