The only way to experience the natural beauty of Korea is by travelling and visiting those places. My very intention of visiting Korea was to travel as far as I can in Korea and explore all the beautiful mountains, temples, islands and festivals of Korea.

Since Korea has 4 different seasons – Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter. And every season has something new to offer. So the last thing I wanted to do in Korea was to sit at home on weekends and watch downloaded movies. I made it a point to not waste my single weekend and visit every possible place in Seoul and Korea.

The Korean Tourism Organization also organizes festivals from time to time to attract tourists from various parts of the world. So every month you will be busy marking dates on your calendar about the festivals which you are planning to attend. Korea hosts some interesting festivals at various seasons like Mud festival, International Fireworks Festival, International Mask Dance Festival, Lantern Festival, Bullfighting Festival, Flower Festival, Cherry Blossom Festival, Green Tea Festival, Ceramic Festival, Medicinal Herb Festival, Martial Art Festival, Film Festival, Bird Festival and so on.  You can check the link here to view the complete list of festivals conducted throughout the year.

Some festivals are conducted in Seoul, whereas others are conducted in others parts of Korea. It would be easier for one to attend festivals where he/she resides. But to attend festivals in an altogether different part of Korea one would need the help of some Travel Agencies or Travelling groups who can arrange for such trips periodically.

Here are a few Travel Agencies and Travelling Groups in Korea where you can register yourself and take the benefit of travelling.

• Seoul Hiking Group – operates through Facebook. After joining the group you will get regular messages from Warren about the upcoming events every weekend. Apart from Hiking tours Warren also covers major festivals like mud festival, lantern festival and Jeju. I have been regularly attending the hiking trips with Warren and every time I had an amazing experience and met so many wonderful people on the group from different parts of the world. When in Korea do not miss Seoul Hiking Group.
• Korean Tourism Organization – has announced the year 2010-2012 as the visit Korea year. And to promote tourism in Korea they have come up with Free Shuttle Buses from Ganghwamun which takes you to important destinations in Korea like Gyeongju, Jeongju & Busan. You can visit their website to register yourself.
• The Royal Asiatic Society – also organizes various cultural tours on weekends where they take you to historical places in Korea and at the same time enlighten you with knowledge on rich Korean culture, Confucianism, Buddhism and so on. You need to be a member of the society to get discounts on the tours.  Apart from tours they also have lectures on Korean History and Culture.
• Adverture Korea – is also popular amongst the foreign community here in Korea. And they conduct various adventure tours like paragliding, mountain biking, river rafting, bungee jumping apart from their normal tours. They also conduct Temple Stay tours for some one seeking inner peace and absolute bliss.
• The other popular travel agencies are Awesome Korea & Discover Korea.

If you are aware of any other Travel Agencies here in Korea and would like to feature it in this post then please add it in your comments and I’ll update this post accordingly.