Cranes and other winter birding wonders of South Korea
Dec. 21, 2019 - Dec. 29, 2019
Period:
Friday, December 20, 2019 – Sunday, December 29, 2019
Tour Duration: http://
9N, 9D
Guides:
Tour Price:
US$3,150 per person, two persons per room
Single Supplement:
US$450
Please indicate that you prefer sharing your room at the time of booking. If a roommate of the same gender is available, no single supplement will apply.
Tour Starts:
6:00pm, Friday, December 20, 2019
Tour Ends:
2:00pm, Sunday, December 29, 2019
Start and End Location:
335, Dongho-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea
T: 02-2264-2200
(Please click the hotel name for the location and transportation.)
Number of Persons Limit: 10
Price Includes:
• All meals
• Gratuities to guides, drivers, accommodation and restaurant staff
• All entrance fees
• Accommodations with three-star or more hotels
• All ground and sea transportation
• Luxury bus with air suspension and plenty of space for luggage, Spotting scope and camera
• bottled spring waters
• Wi-Fi inside the bus
• Disposable hand warmer
Not Included:
• Travel to and from start/end location
• Travel Insurance
• Alcoholic beverages
Highlights:
Red-crowned Crane, White-naped Crane, Hooded Crane and Common Crane
Eurasian Spoonbill, Whopper Swan, Far Eastern Curlew, Dunlin
White-tailed Sea Eagle, Steller’s Sea Eagle, Common Buzzard, Eurasian Eagle Owl
Scaly-sided Merganser, Great Crested Grebe, Falcated Duck
Mandarin Duck, Tufied Duck, Greater Scaup, Baikal Teal
Eurasian Oystercatcher, Eurasian Curlew, Far Eastern Curlew, Green Sandpiper
Eurasian Bullfinch, Eurasian Nuthatch, Varied Tit, Coal Tit, Azure-winged Magpie
Climate:
Conditions will be cool or very cold. Average temperature range in the morning is 5oC to -10oC (40oF to 15oF). When the wind blows, it feels colder.
It is essential to prepare windproof padded jackets, thermal underwear, winter hat with ear covers, ear muffs, winter scarves, warm boots and thermal glove/mittens.
Walking:
It is easy to moderate walking during our Korean Birding Tour.
Photography:
There are plenty of great opportunities to take pictures during our Korean Birding Tour. The bus has plenty of space to store your camera and spotting scope beside you.
Overview:
The Korean peninsula is located in East Asia. In the northwest, the Abrok River separates the Korean peninsula from China and the northeast, and the Duman River separates China and Russia. The Korean peninsula is surrounded by the Yellow Sea to the west, the East China Sea and the Korea Strait to the south, and the East Sea to the east. Notable islands include Jeju Island, Ulleungdo and Dokdo.
The plains are well developed in the south and west of the Korean peninsula, while the eastern and northern parts are mountainous. The highest mountain in Korea is Mt. Baekdu (2,744m), bordering China.
Animals:
The animal life of the Korean Peninsula includes a considerable number of bird species and native freshwater fish. Native or endemic species of the Korean Peninsula include Korean hare, Korean water deer (known as vampire deer because of its fangs), Korean field mouse, Korean brown frog, Korean pine and Korean spruce. The Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) with its forest and natural wetlands is a unique biodiversity spot, which harbors eighty-two endangered species.
If you're lucky, you'll see Amur leopard cats, Chinese water deer and River Otter.
Day 0: Diner and Introduction
Our Korea Birding Tour begins with check-in at Hotel Skypark DongDaemun #I. Check in starts at 14:00. We meet for dinner to get acquainted with our fellow participants and discuss the upcoming adventure. Overnight in downtown Seoul.
Day 1: Cheolwon near demilitarized zone (DMZ)
We move to the military control areas south of the DMZ. It's a great winter habitat for thousands of cranes and eagles.
• Red-crowned Crane
• White-naped Crane
• Cinereous Vulture
• Common Crane
• White-tailed Sea Eagle
• Common Buzzard
• Greater white-fronted Goose
• Goosander / Common Merganser
• Smew
• Chinese Grey Shrike
Day 2: Ganghwa Island
Ganghwado, also known as Ganghwa, is a Korean island in the Han River estuary. Located in the Yellow Sea on the west coast of South Korea, it is separated into a narrow waterway spanned by two bridges in Gimpo on the mainland of Korea, and the main waterway of the Han River in Kaesong in North Korea. The island is strategically located and controls access to the river flowing through Seoul. It covers an area of 302.4 km2 (116.8 square miles) and currently occupies most of Ganghwa-gun, a division of Incheon City. The population is about 65,500, half of which live in northeastern fortified villages.
• Swan Goose
• White-naped Crane
• Long-eared Owl
• Greater white-fronted Goose
• Bean Goose
• Ruddy Shelduck
• White-tailed Sea Eagle
• Common Kestrel
• Eurasian Eagle Owl
Day 3: Sihwa Lake, Maehyang-ri, HwaSeong Lake
Lake Sihwa is an artificial lake built in 1994 after building a 12.7 km embankment for 17 years. After the dike was completed, a total of 133.7 km2 of rice paddies were made on the tidal flats and 43.8 km2 of lakes. After lunch go to Maehyang-ri and Hwaseong Lake. Maehyang-ri has a large natural tidal flat of 20km2 unlike Lake Sihwa, which was created by a dam.
• Whopper Swan
• Mute Swan
• Eurasian Spoonbill
• Taiga Bean Goose
• Eurasian Wigeon
• Common Pochard
• Ruddy Shelduck
• Common Coot
• Black-necked Grebe
• Great Crested Grebe
• Bean Goose
• Greater White-fronted Goose
• Eurasian Curlew
• Far Eastern Curlew
• Eurasian Oystercatcher
• Dunlin
• Saunders’s Gull
• Greater Scaup
• Tufted Duck
Day 4: Cheonsuman (Cheonsu Bay)
Cheonsu Bay is a large bay from south to north on the midwest coast of the Korean peninsula. The dam length, totaling 7.7 km, was built in 1991 and is famous for the habitat of many winter migratory birds, such as the Oriental White Stork, Hooded Crane, Northern Goshawk, and hundreds of thousands of Baikal Teal.
• Lesser White-fronted Goose
• Oriental White Storks
• Snow goose
• Baikal Teal
• Hooded Cranes
• Whooper Swan
• Eurasian Spoonbill
• White-tailed Sea Eagle
• Northern Goshawk
• Peregrine Falcon
Day 5: Geum River Estuary
Geum River flows west to the sixth longest river in the Korean Peninsula and goes to the Yellow Sea. The Geum River Estuary is in Seocheon, and another side is Gunsan. The wide tidal flats spanning over 2 km are a mix of fresh and seawater, which is home to many winter migratory birds.
• Baikal Teal
• Lesser White-fronted Goose
• Oriental White Storks
• Hooded Cranes
• Whooper Swan
• Eurasian Spoonbill
• White-tailed Sea Eagle
• Northern Goshawk
• Peregrine Falcon
• Snow goose
Day 6: Suncheonman - Suncheon Bay Wetland Reserve
Suncheon Bay has excellent habitats for tidal reeds, various bird species (local and migratory birds) and tidal environment. This bay has unique nature and beauty. The bay's natural "S" shape is one of the best places for sunset photography in Korea. In November 2004, the park was opened to the public. In December 2003, Suncheon Bay was registered as a protected wetland under the Ramsar Convention, and in 2004 Suncheon Bay joined the International Network for Crane Protection in Northeast Asia.
• Hooded Crane
• Eurasian Spoonbill
• Whooper Swan
• Common crane
• White-tailed Sea Eagle
• Peregrine Falcon
• Common Kestrel
• Hen Harrier
• Saunders’s Gull
• Common Shelduck
• Pallas’s Reed Bunting
Day 7: Yubudo - Yubu Island
Yubu Island is a small island about 6.5 km west of the Geum River basin. The island is the main habitat of Eurasian oysters, a natural monument of Korea, and is home to 56 species, 400,000 birds, and 125 species of benthic animals.
• Eurasian Oystercatchers
• Dunlin
• Eurasian Curlew
• Common Shelduck
• Vega Gull
• Mongolian Gull
• Black-headed Gull
• Hawks & Ducks
Day 8: Korea National Arboretum and East Nine Royal Tombs, Guri
The National Arboretum is located in the Gwangneung Forest. More than 40,000 domestic and foreign plants, insect specimens, wildlife specimens and plant seeds are preserved and managed. In 2008, 2,700 genealogical tropical plants were planted for research. The National Arboretum occupies an area of 1,157 square kilometers and has 15 specialized forests, including conifer gardens, ornamental tree gardens, aroma and touch gardens. The Forest Museum is the largest in Asia and occupies an area of 4628 square meters with traditional Korean design, both inside and outside, consisting of wood and stone.
East Nine Royal Tombs is part of the Royal Tombs of Joseon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a tomb for the honorary emperor Taejo (1335-1408, r. 1392-1398), the first ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, and eight other kings.
• Solitary Snipe
• Pallas’s Rosefinch
• Eurasian Bullfinch
• Grey-capped Woodpecker
• White-backed Woodpecker
• Grey-headed Woodpecker
• Great Spotted Woodpecker
• Hawfinch
• Mandarin Duck
• Eurasian Nuthatch
• Varied Tit
• Coal Tit
• Yellow-throated Bunting
• Azure-winged Magpie
• Eurasian Jay
Day 9, last day Morning - Hanam, Seoul Vicinity
We visit Hanam before the last lunch and dismiss. Hanam is east of Seoul, where the North Han river and South Han rivers meet and enter Seoul. The river is wide and the speed of the river flows slowly, making it a prime habitat for many birds.
• Steller’s Sea Eagle
• Scaly-sided Merganser
• White-tailed Sea Eagle
• Common Buzzard
• Whooper Swan
• Goosander
• Smew
• Common Goldeneye
• Great Cormorant
• Long-billed Plover
• Green Sandpiper
• Great Crested Grebe
• Little Grebe
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