# Hwacheon

Hwacheon (화천) is a county in Gangwon.

## Understand

Hwacheon gun has many high mountains such as Mt. Daeseongsan, Mt. Hwaaksan, Mt. Baekamsan, etc, which its beautiful valleys flow clean and cold water to Paroho Lake and Hwacheonho Lake. This offers visitors beautiful natural scenery, along with water skiing, fishing, tenting and other leisure and tourism activities all year round. It is in close proximity to the DMZ (Korean De-Militarized Zone) with 36,000 military personnel residing in the area along with 22,000 local residents.

## Get in
### By bus

There is a bus departing from Chuncheon bus terminal at 20 and 50 minutes past the hour every hour. Buses start around 06:20. The last bus is at 21:20. The journey is very windy through mountain roads, valleys, lakes and rivers but is serenely beautiful and takes approximately 45–50 minutes.
Visitors can take a bus from Hwacheon Terminal to Dong Seoul Bus Terminal. The bus runs eight times a day and takes two and a half to three hours. The cost is about \13,700 for adults and \11,000

## Get around
### By bus

There are two bus terminals. One intercity (services to Seoul and Chuncheon) and one local.
The local bus terminal (5 minutes walk from the intercity terminal) is located on the main street and provides services across Hwacheon county.
The number 5 bus will take you to Lake Paroho. It departs from Hwacheon with a journey time of 10 minutes.
The bus will return from Gandong and pass Paroho.

### By bike

There are numerous well marked and designed cycle paths that stretch the length of the Bukhangang river in the Hwacheon area.

## See

Paroho May 1944 Hwacheondam is an artificial lake created as constructed. In 1944 years of Japanese colonial rule, Japanese had built a Hwacheondam in order to support the defense industry for invasion to the continent. Paroho as a man-made lake made at this time, and the area is 38.9 km².
Peace Dam
Peace Dam is correspondence dam completed on October 19, 2005, under construction Geumgangsandaem by North Korea. Total storage capacity, one hundred million tons 26.3, length 601 m, height 125 m is a large dam. there are the Bimokpark and Mulmunhall On the left the entrance. Mulmunhall promote the importance of water resources and has been operating a restaurant and other facilities.

## Do
### Festivals

* Jjokbae Water Festival (물의나라 화천 쪽배축제). Takes place in Hwacheon and ends at Bungeoseom island. Jjokbae is a kind of raft used in Korea and during this festival creative rafts with unique shapes decorate the lake of Bungeo seom island. There is a very famous song about a rabbit living on the moon crossing over the Milky Way by a raft. Many of the contestants have built their rafts themselves. The rules don't set any limits concerning the size or design of the rafts; they can carry more than one person - but they may not be motorized. Goods are awarded to the person who takes the victory in this competition. It is already quite famous among foreigners as well and the competition has been adapted with contestants from abroad in mind. The festival also provides various other water sports and events. Aside of the race, you can experience canoe or kayaking that are hard to experience directly and water slide flume, or enjoy some of the many culture experience spaces prepared for families such as water golf. If you come at night, performances of well known singers are available for you to appreciate music in the moonlight. Also, lovers may spend time and families are delighted with the beautiful fireworks display prepared. A honeymoon trip to Korea offers a really good culture experience.
* Tomato Festival (on Mt. Hwaaksan). Tomato is Hwacheon's local specialty. Delightful experience programs of the tomato festival are prepared to offer a good time without spending a lot of money. For example, the tomato slide & tomato tail catching events. Spaghetti for 1,000 people is also provided during the festival. You can buy tomatoes at the festival for an inexpensive price if you want to buy fresh tomatoes of Hwacheon. When night comes, a dance contest is held and many participants come to show off their talent regardless of gender or age. Hwacheon's Tomato Festival is a place where one can feel the atmosphere of the Brazilian Rio Carnival.
* Sancheoneo Ice Festival. A unique winter festivity that attracts over million visitors every year. Programs are organized into four major categories, themed around ice and snow. The program relates to the fresh water fishes living in mountain lakes and creeks, especially sancheoneo - a fish which can only live in the best and clearest waters. Activities include ice fishing, lure fishing, and catching fish with your bare hands. Because it usually snows much in Hwacheon, the Sancheoneo Ice Festival achieves success every time. You can feel how Hwacheon's nature is clean and beautiful. This festival offers many different activities such as snow sledding, snow bobsleighing, ice bicycles as well as experience spaces to catch Sancheoneo. Especially, the folkways playground was prepared at this festival.

## Eat

Like anywhere in Korea, there is a wide selection of Korean cuisine on offer. Sangyeopsal is Hwacheons signature dish, and can be found across town. For Westerners and tourists not so keen on Korean food, there is a Lotteria fast food restaurant, 'Chicago' hot dog restaurant and several Italian and Western style restaurants. All are relatively cheap but good quality.

## Drink

There are several coffee shops, and one western style bar on the main street (Cass and Rock) that is occasionally frequented by the small ex-pat population.

## Sleep

* Hwacheon Sancheoneo Pension, Shineup-ri, Hwacheon-eup (Nearby Hwacheon-eup), ☏ +83-108747-1777, welcomejmkim@naver.com. This pension (rooming house) was built in 2015 and will open for visitors during the 2016 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Ice Festival. ₩. (updated Dec 2015)