Namyeol Beach; Swimming, Surfing, Camping in Korea

Yet another awesome spot for camping in Korea! Namyeol Beach is in Goheung, way down in one of the southernmost regions of Korea. An hour and forty-five minutes from Gwangju, it’s not the closest, but its quiet, peaceful, and an absolutely beautiful area!

After Appa spent the morning preparing gimbap to take for lunch – yum! – we headed down to Goheung. The area is as rural as it gets, and the drive through the hills and rice fields is gorgeous. Appa tells me that the ageing residents of Goheung are amongst the healthiest and longest-living in Korea.

It was a Thursday morning in September, which would explain the lack of people. September is our favourite time for Korean beaches. Koreans tend to think that August 31st is a good beach day but September 1st; nope.

We’ll never get enough of sleeping right by the sand. Overnight the tide comes up pretty high, and there’s nothing more peaceful and grounding for me than listening to the waves as I drift off to sleep. We slept so well we missed the famous sunrise. We’ll have to come back.

To the west of the beach or the left, if you’re facing the water, there’s a staircase up the hill with striking views of the coast and the surrounding countryside.

The beauty of beach camping in September, apart from the lack of people, is that it’s warm enough to swim but cool enough as the sun goes down to truly enjoy a fire.

Namyeol beach is famous as a surf beach. Check out the massive swell! Haha. You can rent surfboards and get lessons from the guys at either end of the beach. People were getting lessons in the very late afternoon, and early morning when granted, the waves were a little bigger than pictured below, and the people were laughing and smiling and caught a few ‘waves’. Surfing is becoming more popular in Korea, and there are a few decent spots.

We’ve only got a month or two to get some more camping in before it gets too cold. Maybe it’s time for better gear for cold weather. We’re loving camping in Korea, and I have a wish list going of spots I want to try. Some of the places we’ve enjoyed this season are Yulpo Beach, Gosapo Beach, Deokbawi Agricultural Village, and Wolchulsan.