During the second weekend in June, my friends and I planned a much-needed night away from Daegu. We wanted to get outdoors and enjoy the weather before it got too unbearable – camping was the perfect idea. Well, not ‘camping’ per se, but ‘glamping’. Glamorous + camping = glamping. Right up my alley! I’m not a roughing it kind of girl, though I do enjoy the outdoors; I was really excited to try glamping for the first time in Gyeongju!
Glamping Adventures in Gyeongju, South Korea
We found a couple locations relatively close to Daegu: Starry Maru (www.starrymaru.com) and O2 Glamping (www.o2glamping.co.kr). Though O2 Glamping was actually in Daegu, it didn’t permit 5 people to a tent. We decided to go with Starry Maru and booked our express bus to Gyeongju. For a one-night stay, we paid 48k per person, which included a Korean BBQ meal set.
Upon arrival, we were greeted with a warm smile from the owner as he showed us around the facilities and asked us what time we wanted dinner. The site has a convenience store (in case you forget anything – or need more beer), a shower area (no shower stalls), restrooms, a small area for children to play, and a spot to wash your dishes. Each campsite includes a gas cooking range, charcoal grill, cooler, and all the very basic utensils you need. Oh yeah, there’s also WIFI and electricity!
We settled in quite nicely and began to unwind. Aside from a bit of hiking, there really wasn’t much to do – which was perfect for me! We all lazied around a bit, walked around the facilities, and enjoyed in some relaxing conversation over the numerous snacks (and beer) we brought with us. Our dinner arrived shortly after 7pm and I was really impressed with the quality and amount of food we received for 10k per person. The food was flavorful and very very plentiful. Our 10k got us samgyeopsal, mushrooms, shrimp, cheese tteokboki, sausages, and all the usual sides. We also received a 5-pack of ramen and some eggs. We had a hard time finishing it all, but did our very best to do it justice. We spent the rest of our night eating, drinking, and enjoying eachother’s company.
Overall, my first glamping experience with Starry Maru was excellent! The staff was very friendly, the other guests were polite, and the facilities were the right level of roughing it (haha) for me. I highly recommend checking out Starry Maru if you get the chance! Happy Glamping!
A few practical things to note: Check-in is 3pm; check-out is 12pm; the owner speaks limited English (so you may need someone to call and book for you), but does well at responding to text. You can take a city bus once you arrive Gyeongju and it’ll drop you off within 7-10min walk of the site OR you can take a taxi from the express bus terminal for about 20k. We were happy with our decision to take a taxi – especially with all the food we brought with us.
Buses to Gyeongju from Daegu: Buses leave from Seobu Bus Terminal (Seongdangmot Exit 3) and Donyang Express Bus Terminal 802 (by Dondaegu). These buses will drop you off in slightly different locations, but the drop-off points in Gyeongju are within walking distance of each other. Buses from Seobu leave approximately every hour (though slightly more frequent early in the morning), while Donyang buses leave every 30min. Obviously, these are subject to change. Return buses from Gyeongju are different depending on which bus terminal you take, but run about every 30min from the Express Bus Terminal.
I’ve always wanted to do glamping! We were considering this back in the fall but didn’t do it because of the price. I hate how alot of places in Korea have such a late check in and early check out. It makes it tough if you’re planning you’re entire weekend around it, I want to be able to get there earlier and enjoy the experience a little more. It looks like you guys had an awesome time! I guess for now I will just have to live vicariously through you for glamping until we do it ourselves! 😉
Hi Megan – It’s definitely worth it! I do wish check-in and out was extended (they may have granted it if we asked), but it was a great night out nevertheless. Thanks for reading ^^
Very nice! I like how you’re really using the word “glamping” in a few of your posts already (or is it a real word?) Do you by chance know any places you can “glamp” near Seoul?
Hi Jackie! I learned the term ‘glamping’ a few years ago, but haven’t gone myself until this year! I don’t know of any places near Seoul, but it seems that ‘glamping’ is used by Koreans as well – shouldn’t be too hard to find a spot.
Thank you for sharing this. One of my recent post was on glamping sites in Malaysia. Heard there are a few places in SoKo. Super nice to read this post from you!
Neat place! We have some similar spots on Daejeon, so come on over! I think some tents even have Air Con, lol. 48,000 per person? wow, that’s kinda a lot…but a great company makes it worth it, doesn’t it?!
Yeah, considering it was my first time, I wasn’t sure how much money was normal (though the place closer to Daegu is more!!). Thanks for mentioning Daejeon! I’ll mention it to my friends 🙂
This looks like a great time! I’d wanted to go glamping in Korea but it was always sort of crazy expensive. I think some of my old students went to this place! So pretty!
I NEED to go glamping!! I’m making this a must do on my Korea bucket list. I feel like it’s the perfect amount of “roughness” for me. Were there pits for camp fires? Thank you for sharing!
Perfect amount of ‘roughness’ for me too! You could ‘purchase’ a campfire for the night and it came in a portable 2-person pit. Maybe some of the other places have more options, but not the one we were at 🙂
I have heard of glamping several times and was considering it for the family since my 2 boys are still scared of camping. But I’m not sure about the price per pax if it’s expensive or not. Anyway, will just think of it as price for buffet meals in a different setting and different experience:-).
Hi Wendy! There may be other places that are more reasonable for sure! Also, the food package is optional, which would knock another 10k off per person. Definitely worth looking in to as a middle ground between camping and ‘hoteling’ haha 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Thanks for this post. I went glaming with some friends in Gapyeong once and I wanna find other spots to go to. I will definitely check this place out so thanks for sharing the details.
Hi John! Thanks for reading 🙂 How was your experience in Gapyeong?