Templestay - Food and Travel

Templestay

Tired of the same-old hotel accommodation? Visit Korea has a soothing suggestion for your next stay in Korea.

Visitors to Korea are being encouraged to take time out from their hectic city lives and enjoy a peaceful and rejuvenating templestay experience. Templestay has become so popular with foreign visitors to Korea there are now sixteen temples offering English templestay programs across the country.

Many of the temples are situated in the most scenic areas of Korea with beautiful mountain scenery, streams and spectacular natural beauty. The templestay program offers two day/one night experiences where you are immersed in Korean Buddhist culture and can enjoy many aspects - meditation with the temple monks, dharma talks, temple food, making lotus lanterns, calligraphy, helping out in the temple garden and much more.

templestay

Two day/one night programs are relatively cheap ranging in price from 50,000 Korean won (less than $50) up to 100,000 Korean won (just under A$100). Many temples also offer a 'temple life' program for day trippers for around 20,000 Korean won (less than $20).

You can even enjoy the templestay programs at UNESCO World Heritage Buddhist temples such as Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju and Haeinsa Temple. Bulguksa is the largest and perhaps most beautiful of Korea's temple located in the ancient Shilla capital of Gyeongju. Gyeongju is a wonderful area to visit for a few days with several World Heritage sites including the must-see Seokguram Buddha in the mountains nearby.

If you are interested in martial arts then Golgulsa Temple may appeal with its 'sunmudo', which literally means the 'way of doing meditative martial arts'. It is a traditional Korean Buddhist martial arts which traces its origins back over a thousand years. Golgulsa Temple is built into a massive rock area in the mountains nearby Gyeongju.

There are also Buddhist temples offering the program in the suburbs of Seoul like Bongeunsa Temple located in the southern suburbs of Seoul. Bongeunsa Temple offers the overnight experience as well as daily programs.

For visitors looking for a more in-depth travel experience in Korea where you can reach out and touch the heart of the country, the templestay experience is just the answer.

Have you visited Korea - if so where did you enjoy staying?

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