Just a few of the beautiful fall colors along the way.

My friend Rob from fellow K-blog Roboseyo was kind enough to include me on his recent Gangwon-do trip. After our excursion to Jangneung and nearby Bodeoksa, we found our way to Gossi cave (고씨 동굴, or Go-sshi dong-gul) not too far away.

The name comes from Go, the name of one Korean family that stayed here when the Japanese invaded in 1592, and ‘ssi’, a title roughly equivalent to ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs.’ in English. Designated as National Treasure #219 in 1969 and opened to the public in 1974, there’s more than enough cave to satisfy almost any cave enthusiast.

One interesting aspect of Korean caves is the almost-obstacle-course-like paths. While the terrain you’ll traverse is primarily steel grating, there are several places where you’ll be thankful you’re wearing that helmet given you at the entrance. It’s a good idea to stow your backpacks or other bags in the cave’s office – getting through without them is tough enough. While I didn’t have to resort to all fours at any point, at least one point featured some squat walking for a few meters.

Because flash photography was not allowed inside the cave, I resorted to using a 35mm f/1.8 prime lens – a great lens for low-light situations – and exposures of typically 1/15 or 1/20 of a second. It’s a good idea to brace yourself against the steel handrails for those longer exposures – and to tinker with the brightness / contrast once you’re back home 🙂

Most of the cave’s features had light on them, and there was adequate light to see – for the most part. I sort of wish the lights were aimed more at the floor and less at my eyes, although it’s wasn’t a major complaint.

Just like Hwaam Cave and Cheongok Cave also in Gangwon-do, the internal temperature remains the same all year round – between 11 and 16 degrees Celsius (that’s 52 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit). Unless you go on the five days a year Korea happens to be that same temperature, it’ll be an adjustment (meaning your glasses will fog and you might sweat despite the coolness)

Directions to Gossi Cave: Take a bus to the Yeongwol-gun intercity bus terminal (from Seoul, several buses a day head there). Once at the Yeongwol-gun bus terminal, ask about the local bus that stops at Gossi Cave. Taxis will also be happy to take you there. Admission 3,000 won; tickets on sale from 9am – 5pm; cave open from 9am – 6pm.