I had another day to spare in Daegu – and with the city explored and the must-do-stuf done, I decided  for a trip out to Palgongsan National Park for a bit of hiking and some more temples.

Getting here was easy with the city express bus leaving right at the back of DongDaegu station. I got off at the stop for Dongwhasa Temple – as I had  picked that one as the first action for the day – just to  discover that it is currently under renovation and  essentially  dismantled. As such it  was right to the trailhead for the hike up the mountain. First to the upper station of the ropeway and then on to the summit – Birobong Peak at 1193m above sea level.

I  originally wanted to take a different route  – but, plenty  of trails were  closed for  maintenance – so, options were kind of limited. After reaching the summit (which was unphotogenically dotted with telecommunication and other towers) I initially followed the same path down that I had come up. As there was an option for a different way down, I opted for a bit of diversity and followed the “new” trail.

Arriving at the bottom I was welcomed by a sign showing a boar and plenty of text – and lo and behold, Korea is another country that has an African swine pest issue.

From here I made a slight detour towards Buinsa Temple (after the miss in the morning) for another great temple visit. This one with very few people around, really quiet and peaceful – plus nicely arranged gardens around. A very worthwhile sidetrip. The hike today covered a bit more than 11km, with about 900m up and down.