Why this ride
From Hyeonpung it runs 251 km to Hyeonpung; allow about 4 h 45 of riding. On the way it passes Okjeon Tumuli, Dodong-seowon, Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli and Marisan Tumuli.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Jisan-dong Tumuli and Marisan Tumuli
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 251 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 45
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
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 Okjeon Tumuli.
2. Okjeon Tumuli
On a ridge above the Hwang river in Hapcheon County, a row of grassy mounds rises against the sky, each one the burial of a ruler or noble of Dara, one of the small kingdoms of the Gaya confederacy that flourished in the south of the Korean peninsula between the first and sixth centuries. Gaya was famous for its iron, traded across the region and to Japan, and its tombs held armour, weapons, horse gear, pottery and gold ornaments. The Okjeon tumuli are one of seven groups listed together by UNESCO in 2023 as the Gaya Tumuli.
Read the complete Okjeon Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Okjeon Tumuli comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Dodong-seowon.
3. Dodong-seowon
The ginkgo tree in front of Dodong-seowon is over four hundred years old, a massive trunk with branches spreading wide, and in early November it turns a brilliant yellow and sheds its leaves into a golden carpet that photographers come from all over Korea to see. Behind it, the academy itself climbs a gentle slope in a series of courtyards and wooden halls, with a view over the Nakdong river. Dodong-seowon was founded in the sixteenth century to honour Kim Goeng-pil, a Neo-Confucian scholar executed in a political purge, and it is one of the nine Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies, inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2019.
Read the complete Dodong-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 49 km into the recorded legs you reach Dodong-seowon. Next is Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is Marisan Tumuli.
5. 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
Marisan Tumuli sits at 114 km, about halfway. Next is back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli.
6. 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 comes up about 174 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Dodong-seowon.
7. back through Dodong-seowon
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Dodong-seowon write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 201 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Dodong-seowon. Next is back through Okjeon Tumuli.
8. back through Okjeon Tumuli
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Okjeon Tumuli write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Okjeon Tumuli, late in the day. Next is Jisan-dong Tumuli.
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 251 km.
Leg by leg
Jisan-dong Tumuli to Okjeon Tumuli
Jisan-dong Tumuli → Okjeon Tumuli is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Okjeon Tumuli to Dodong-seowon
Okjeon Tumuli → Dodong-seowon is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Dodong-seowon to Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
Dodong-seowon → Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli to Marisan Tumuli
Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli → Marisan Tumuli is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Marisan Tumuli to back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli
Marisan Tumuli → back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli to back through Dodong-seowon
back through Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli → back through Dodong-seowon is 27 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Dodong-seowon to back through Okjeon Tumuli
back through Dodong-seowon → back through Okjeon Tumuli is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Okjeon Tumuli to Jisan-dong Tumuli
back through Okjeon Tumuli → Jisan-dong Tumuli is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.