Jisan-dong Tumuli and Gaya Tumuli

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Jisan-dong Tumuli

   Above the small county town of Goryeong, in south-eastern Korea, a line of grassy burial mounds runs along the ridge of Jusan mountain like the knuckles of a giant hand. These are the Jisan-dong tumuli, tombs of the rulers and elite of Daegaya, the most powerful member of the Gaya confederacy, a group of small kingdoms that flourished in the south of the peninsula until they were absorbed by Silla in the sixth century. The largest mounds are huge, and excavations found not only rich grave goods, iron weapons, armour, gold crowns and pottery, but also evidence that attendants were buried with their lords. Together with other Gaya tomb groups, the site was added to the World Heritage list in 2023.

   Read the complete Jisan-dong Tumuli write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Jisan-dong Tumuli is where the day begins. Next is Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli.

2. 2. Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli

   The rounded grassy mounds rising behind Changnyeong look almost like natural hills until you notice how regular they are. These are the Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong tumuli, burial mounds of the rulers of Bihwa, one of the small kingdoms of the Gaya confederacy that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula between roughly the first and sixth centuries before being absorbed by Silla. In 2023 they became part of a UNESCO listing that brings together seven Gaya tomb clusters, and they are among the most atmospheric of the group.

   Read the complete Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli comes up about 43 km into the recorded legs. Next is Marisan Tumuli.

3. 3. Marisan Tumuli

   In Haman county, in the south of Korea, a long ridge rises above the town of Gaya, and along its crest lies a line of large burial mounds, grassy domes that seem to ripple across the hills. These are the Malisan, or Marisan, tumuli, the royal tombs of Ara Gaya, one of the states of the Gaya confederacy that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula from roughly the first to the sixth century. In 2023, they were listed by UNESCO together with other Gaya tumuli across the region.

   Read the complete Marisan Tumuli write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 92 km into the recorded legs you reach Marisan Tumuli. Next is Songhak-dong Tumuli.

4. 4. Songhak-dong Tumuli

   The little port town of Goseong, on the south coast of Korea, is best known to many Koreans for dinosaur footprints, but the green mounds on a ridge above the sea tell an older story. The Songhak-dong tumuli are burial mounds of the Gaya confederacy, a group of small city-states that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula alongside the better-known kingdoms of Baekje, Goguryeo and Silla, and that were gradually absorbed by Silla in the sixth century. Goseong was the centre of one of these states, usually called Sogaya, and the big round mounds here, laid out in a line above the bay, were the graves of its rulers.

   Read the complete Songhak-dong Tumuli write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Songhak-dong Tumuli, about halfway. Next is Gaya Tumuli.

5. 5. Gaya Tumuli

   Right in the middle of Gimhae, a busy city just west of Busan, a low ridge of grassy mounds rises between apartment blocks and roads. These are the Daeseong-dong tumuli, the burial ground of the rulers of Geumgwan Gaya, one of the small kingdoms of the Gaya confederacy that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula from the first centuries AD until it was absorbed by Silla in the sixth century. In 2023 a group of Gaya burial sites, including these, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

   Read the complete Gaya Tumuli write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Gaya Tumuli sits at 206 km, about halfway. Next is back through Songhak-dong Tumuli.

6. 6. back through Songhak-dong Tumuli

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Songhak-dong Tumuli write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Songhak-dong Tumuli comes up about 283 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Marisan Tumuli.

7. 7. back through Marisan Tumuli

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Marisan Tumuli write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 329 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Marisan Tumuli. Next is back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli.

8. 8. back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli, late in the day. Next is Jisan-dong Tumuli.

9. 9. Jisan-dong Tumuli

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Jisan-dong Tumuli write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 421 km.