The Long and Bumpy Road to Nari Basin

Recently while visiting the island of Ulleong-do, I had the opportunity to visit Nari Basin, a beautiful valley hidden away high up in the mountains.

Getting off the bus at Nari Basin

But what exactly is Nari Basin? The name roughly translates to ‘flat crater area’ and is the result of a giant volcanic eruption over 9000 years ago which caused a ‘caldera’ (or unusual flat area for everyone without a Geography degree).

A view of the mountains in Nari Basin, Ulleong-do Island.

We were told on our tour that we were being taken to a traditional village over an hour away. In all honesty, I rolled my eyes at the thought – I have been in Korea going on two years and have seen my fair share of traditional temples. Was it really necessary to drive for an hour to see yet another one? My slightly jaded view was that once you have seen one temple in Korea, you have seen them all. (I realize this was quite a spoiled outlook). Despite my rolling eyes, the entire bus did not of course stop and turn around for me and I was left pleasantly surprised with what I eventually got to see.

Walking around Nari Basin on Ulleong-do Island.

Nari Basin, which is located on the North side of the island, is extremely hard to get too. It requires an incredibly sturdy bus or car (little Chevy Sparks like mine need not apply). There were times on the bus where we were driving up hill at an almost 90 degree angle. Occasionally we would idly round a sharp corner, and all 50 passengers would hold their breaths and exhale and cheer in delight when we came out ok on the other side. The bus driver received a full round of applause once we made back down the mountain. I heard a girl cheer “land!!” as we got out of the bus.

The view coming into the valley from the bus. Its a little shaky - from the bumpy ride down and possibly from my nerves as well. 

 Once we finally arrived, the valley was absolutely beautiful. It was an unusually completely flat area nestled between some fairly high peaks. Our tour guide told us that a grand total of 30 people lived in this area and used the volcanic soil to farm. The school, which is at the bottom of the mountain, has only 2 students and 5 teachers - quite the morning commute. I saw possibly two inhabitants beyond our tour group the entire time I was there. Compared to bustling cities like Busan or Daegu, this little piece of Eden was quiet and untouched.

A map of Nari Basin.

One of the more interesting things we got to see was the ‘Tumakjip’ ( or traditional houses). These are homes that Korean people lived in over 250 years ago before things like plumbing and electricity. The houses which are made of beach tree and soil, help to self-control temperature, keeping the interior cold in summer and warm in winter.  One thing that I will say, is that I felt that the bathroom, which clearly had no plumbing or even a lid to cover the contents, was entirely too close to the main house.  Although I can see the convenience of a long drop about 3 steps from the room you sleep in, I also feel that it might be an extremely bad idea from a smell point of view. I assume that the entire family would have known about it if one of its members had gotten a stomach bug. However, I suppose the alternative would have been to dig a hole next to a bush, so maybe beggars can’t be choosers.

The toilet

The 3 steps between the bathroom and bedrooms.

 Traditional homes in Nari Basin.

Traditional homes or 'Tumakjip'.

The kitchen area made of a dug out soil and clay pots

Taking photos around the traditional village. A church in the distance -set up for 30 people. I figure with such a small congregation they must really notice if you skip a Sunday.

Although the area is really difficult to reach, I would recommend Nari Basin as a stop for anyone visiting Ulleong-do Island. If you’re looking for a serene and quiet place to drink pumpkin Makkoli (pumpkin rice wine) – Nari Basin is your place!

Once in the valley - we got to try the local home made Pumpkin flavoured makkoli ( rice wine).