iii) Everland Park & Resort
A briefly introduction about the Everland Resort, it is South Korea's largest theme park that was opened in 1976. It is located in Yongin, a city in Gyeonggi-do province, approximately 2 hours by land travel from Seoul city.
Admission Fee
Adults : 52,000 Won
Children : 41,000 Won
Night Ticket (After 5pm)
Adults : 43,000 Won
Children : 34,000 Won
Opening Hours
Monday - Thursday : 10.00 - 22.00
Friday - Sunday : 10.00 - 23.00
The park is divided into five zones that have their own distinct themes which are Zoo-Topia, European Adventure, Global Fair, Magic Land and American Adventure. This made it easier for visitors to decide and plan their activities all the day in the park.
It’s advisable to arrive early as there are so many attractions and some of these have very long queues so it is not possible to explore every single one of them unless you’re early into the park and the last to leave!
We reached here around 1pm. From the car park, we walked a bit to the entrance.
While Vincent as ussual arranged for our admission tickets, we took photos at the entrance. Can't wait to explore this place.
But before that, we took a group photo first.
After getting our tickets, we went in. The first zone we met upon entering the theme park was Global Fair. However Vincent brought us to take cable down to Alpine Village located at European Adventure Zone for lunch first. Basically there are lots of restaurant/food court available at each zone, but the food at the Alpine Village is more suitable to cater the Muslim's requirement.
Human sky to Alpine Village. A very safe cable to ride down and not very high though. We also really enjoyed the view of the lovely colourful trees .
Finally reached down.
Exit to the Alpine Village.
Before we started our adventure, Vincent allowed us to fill our stomach first, then prayed at the rest room nearby. Next he leaved us to explore this place at our own and we should meet him at the entrance around 6pm!! Such a long time to enjoy all the rides and games here..
Once we finished our lunch and pray, we started to explore our first zone, The European Adventure.
European Adventure is built to imitate the appearances of European town and it is filled with fragrant flowers all year round. This theme zone contains “Four Seasons Garden” where beautiful seasonal flowers including tulips, roses and chrysanthemums are in full bloom throughout the year. “Rose Garden” features a romantic atmosphere and “Holland Village” features the Netherlands style of architecture and other fascinating attractions.
Started to explore.
Among other attractions are Mystery Mansion, Rotating House, Horror Maze and many more.
There is one roller coaster that you will see no matter where you are in this zone (and maybe even from some other zones), and it is called T-Express, the first wooden roller coaster in South Korea and the world’s steepest wooden one. It is also ranked online as the world's best wooden roller coaster. If you are an adrenaline junkie, then you should give this a shot. It is one of the recommended attractions on the Everland website, so if you’re up for a challenge and thrill, don’t hesitate to go for it. After all, you don't always see a wooden roller coaster in theme parks.
But I have to be honest here, I didn't even try to get on it. This was just not my thing. Hahaha... Yes, call me a scaredy cat, it’s better than ending up in a final destination.
The sight of the Notorious T-Express. Majestic! The entire structure is made out of WOOD. I felt my heart beat faster as I gazed up upon it.The symmetry of lines and structure. What a beautiful beast!
Next we went to Zoo-Topia Zone, where visitors will experience a harmonious bond between humans and animals while taking an unforgettable trip into the wild world of the animals.
Here as the queue was not very long, we tried the Amazon Express ride. We went through a beautifull forest until we met an artificial river and the waiting point.
We boarded the raft. Each raft could occupy 8 persons.
Prepare to get wet as the're water splashing here and there. Luckily they had us covered!
Immersed in the beauty and the serenity of the wood.
The tour took about 15mins and finally our journey ended.
Back to the waiting platform, we exited back to the park.
Autumn foliage..
Such a beautiful surrounding here.
The woods.
Another attraction in Zootopia Zone are Lost Valley for the Ecological Safari Experience and Animal Wonder World to observe wild animals and learn their characteristics.
We passed by the Friendly Ranch where we could get an up-close meeting with cute and unique animals such as Raccoon.
Such an incredible creature!
Desert Fox
And even kangaroo..!!
From Zoo-Topia, we back to European Adventure and proceed to Magic Land. Magic Land transports you to the land of imagination and is the playground for all things ‘abracadabra' which definitely a children's heaven.
Next we took another cable car, a Sky Cruise from Magic land up to American Adventure Zone.
American Adventure is a main street where young culture rules, filled with exciting music and strong beats. This zone is built based on the theme of 500 years of American history, from the time when Columbus discovered the American continent to the 1960s when Elvis Presley, the "King of Rock n Roll", burst on the music scene.
This American Adventure zone offers thrilling, hair raising rides, exhilarating roller coasters and mind-blowing stimulations. We could see some of the attractions from the cable car such as the famous Rolling X-Train, a thrilling 360deg rotations ride and Star Lite Drive In, a restaurant which offers an American meals.
Double Rock Spin will let you to feel the thrill of four continuous 360deg rotations, while surrounded by high-energy music. It's like a torture for me... :=O
Finally, we reached to the last zone, the Global Fair.
It is the first theme zone once you enter the Everland. It is also the last place you visit before making your way out of the park. As the name suggests, this is the ‘international’ zone and almost immediately, you'll find yourself immersed in the whole atmosphere of a theme park. A place where pleasant and cheerfull music is played along streets lined with beautiful architecture features from various countries all over the world. A place where East meets West.
I would say that it serves as a very fitting welcome to tourists from other parts of South Korea and from all around the world as well.
It was a beautiful autumn day. The temperature was a chilly 14 degrees and the sun peeked out from the clouds sometimes. The red gold leaves were so pretty and there are plenty of greenery around the park.
There’s kiosks selling drinks and foods at every turn and corner so you do not need to worry that you’ll starve. Never miss a chance to taste a lovely churros here!!
I really like these reproductions of castles from France, Middle Eastern countries, Spain, India, and Russia. Besides being visually captivating, the various architectural styles invite visitors into the culture and history of other nations, such as the Ancient Mesopotamian era and Medieval Periods of Europe.
The Magic Tree!
The biggest attraction in the area is based off what South Korea is world-renowned for: K-pop. What is interesting about this is that it is the first-ever K-Pop Hologram Concert in the theme park! We are lucky as the Psy concert was schedule at 5.00pm that day so we managed to watch it. It was the time when Gangnam Style became hit in all over the world, so really glad and looking forward for the concert.
But before that, who would think that we were lucky enough to meet a real K-Pop group.
Initially we didn't noticed it, but we felt curious as there were crowds followed the group with cameraman and bodyguards.
Our guess was right when we saw ladies approached the group member for an autograph. But this group was still new that time, so we didn't recognised it. (Well I'm not a K-Poper so obviously my knowledge about K-Pop is a bit low, but since Nor, a K-Pop hardcore also didn't know them.. that's mean this group was not very famous then).
Nor did asked them, "What's your group's name?"
One of the group member replied "My name?"
Nor : "No, what's your group's name?"
Group member replied again : "My name?"
Gave up, we rest our case.
Only then when we returned to Malaysia we found out thay the group's name was actually MY NAME. Hehehehehe....
Back to the hologram concert, we went in to the concert hall a few minutes before the show started.
There was one section where we could take our photo. Our photos then were saved and displayed during the concert. Basically these were how its look like.
It was a nice show, unfortunately we were not allowed to take photo inside the concert hall. The hologram looked so real that you feel like in a real concert with live Psy in front of you.
The show took about 20mins, so once the concert ended, we headed to the gift shop (K-Pop Store) next to the hologram hall.
You can also digitally take photos with your favourite idols, print them and bring them home as souvenirs.
By the time we went out from the K-pop Store, it was already dark and the lights made the park looked very beautifull and unique. Felt like been in different world, an enchanted world. The weather became very cold also.
As promise, we waited for Vincent near the entrance gate where all the group members also already there at 6pm. Together, we back to our tour bus and proceed for dinner.
To conclude all, Everland Theme Park offers complete exciting attractions and entertainment for everyone. For families, friends, couples or even solo travelers, Everland has everything to make your visit more fun and enjoyable. No wonder this fantastic place is called, Everland. Because here, all the fun, laughter and excitement seem to last for-EVER.
More on the next post where I’ll share about our dinner and accommodation for this night. Stay tuned!