Exploring Bukhansan - We had a great time on this trip with Shawn. The views were fabulous and the meal at the end of the hike was delicious. Would highly recommend!

Best guided tour! - We loved it, start to finish. It was easy to get to the station, Shawn met us there and got us to the trail head. The views on the hike were spectacular, and the temples, shrines, just fabulous. Shawn is exceptional and the lore and heritage he shared exceeded all expectations. The meal at the end again exceeded all expectations. I cannot wait to go back for the Ghost Tour, it's on our bucket list.

We had a lovely time - Beautiful route with great guidance and info from Shawn! Seoul is now contextualised geographically and spiritually - wonderful to get a break into nature for some fresh air in an otherwise city-centric holiday!

Nice Hike. Good views over Seoul. - Nice Hike. Good views over Seoul. Did this when it was very hot but was not to bad as a lot of the trail was shaded. My guide Shawn was very accomdating and informed, sharing the myths, legends, and symbolism of the various sites and stops along the way. Enjoyed the very prevelant hiking culture in Korea. It was fun to see the change up in the commuters from week days to hiking gear on the weekends. Also great to experience the park and it's surroundings in North Seoul which is an outdoor escape but easily accessible. Restaurant was great also!

MUCH MORE than a mountain hike! - We easily found our guide, Shawn Morrissey, at a subway station on the outskirts of Seoul. We had booked a day hike into the mountains northeast of the city and hopped on a short bus ride with him to where the hike would begin. He was very personable and enquired about our hiking experience and level of fitness as we walked from the bus stop to the trailhead in a national park. Our experience and fitness was moderate and the mountain pass that he indicated would be the highest point of our trek seemed both high and far off. He assured us we would be fine (spoiler: we were fine!). As the day was pretty hot in the sun, we appreciated that he anticipated that and had selected a path that was primarily shaded all day. We were thankful for his thoughtful planning! He has been studying Korean culture and folklore for many years and entertained us all day with his many fascinating stories. They tied culture, religion, and history into the local mountain geography. He was also a font of knowledge about temples and their architectural and decorative details, which are direct reflections of Korean culture, history and folklore! We had visited temples across the country, but we had not known what we were seeing. We visited several temples along our path. The views ran from lovely to spectacular, as well. His stories not only entertained us, but helped us better understand what we had seen elsewhere. He was so funny and entertaining that we did not notice (much!) the distance we were traveling. Sensitive to our energy levels, he made sure that we took all the rest breaks that we needed and passed the time with more folk tales. We never felt rushed or pressured; it was like hiking with a supremely interesting friend! He took plenty of time with us and the fact that the day ended up longer than planned (due to our own leisurely pace) did not bother him in the least. At the end of the day, we ended up not far from another bus stop, where he took us back to the subway stop so we could head back to our hotel. However, before getting us back to the subway, he took us to a local restaurant in the small village at the foot of the mountain and fed us a variety of delicious dishes, downed with some local beer (all in the daily fee that we had arranged). We have take guided hikes all over the wold and Shawn was, without a doubt, the best guide on a hike that we ever had! Do not miss this if you have the chance to do it!

Worth booking - Having done the hike, the trails are well marked and you can certainly hike in Seoul on your own. The trails were not a walk in the park but they were not especially difficult either. But I would book this again in a heartbeat for all of the things you cannot get on your own. For starters, the history and folklore of the area make for a much more interesting hike than just walking through interesting scenery. In addition, we saw several things that were off the beaten path that you would never see if you did this on your own, including a modern day performance of an ancient traditional ritual. The dinner at the end was quite good as well, as was the company.

Exciting cultural exploration - My wife and I loved this hike with Shaun. In the end was a 6km hike over 5 hours that had us winded a bunch - even as experienced hikers. Don’t underestimate good shoes and water. We learned so much about the history of Korea through its religious origins that I felt I took a college course on history. Finishing the hike with a tasty meal, Maekgoli and talk about horror movies and as an added bonus.

Beautiful hike - We would strongly recommend the hike. Shawn is very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and keen on health and safety. Beautiful views and yummy food at the end!

Great stories and amazing scenery! - Our mountain hike with Shawn was great! Had we done the hike on our own, we would have walked right by remnants of important Korean history. The pace, the scenery, and the stories up the mountain were already amazing, but once we were coming back down and got to see the temples, it got even better. I am a big fan of folklore and storytelling, while my partner's more into the outdoors and sights, so we both got an awesome experience. I got stories, and she got her photos. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip. I'm not a hiker and I got through it okay, just bring comfortable shoes that won't slide on rock (that is sometimes wet!), and layers so you can add or take away as you start warming up. I brought along a short-sleeve exercise t-shirt, hiking/travel pants, and trail shoes. I had my rain jacket tied around my waist the whole time, but a small daypack would've been more comfortable for me. Shawn did a great job at keeping the pace and heart rate up, with breaks at just the right times. Thank you!

A must for story-loving hikers visiting Busan - This hike with Shawn was one of the top highlights of my trip to Busan. His knowledge of Korean folklore, the Busan area and his expertise as a guide made this a terrific experience that I would fully recommend.