(A big thanks to one of our Travel and Teach teachers, Breda Lund, for this!)

Buddha’s birthday, a national holiday and the most important Buddhist festival, is coming up May 21. What better way to celebrate than an overnight templestay in historic Gyeongju!

Plus, since it’s a three-day weekend, and Gyeongju isn’t far from Busan, it’s a great opportunity to head to the beach. So after getting in touch with our spiritual side at the temple, we’ll go experience a different type of relaxation in Busan.

Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla Dynasty, which was was Buddhist and highly artistic. So it’s no surprise that it produced the most magnificent temples in Korea. Built during the sixth century, Golgulsa temple was carved from solid rock and is the only cave temple in Korea. Visitors and pilgrims come to Golgulsa to see the ancient Buddha statue, original to the temple, as well as the unique cave sanctuaries.

Another exceptional aspect of this temple is its focus on seonmudo, or zen martial arts, which we may observe and experience during our visit, along with other traditional practices like a tea ceremony and zen meditation.

We will also visit the most well-known sights of the city: Bulguksa, the most famous temple in all of Korea, and Seokguram, a unique man-made grotto shrine.

Then, we’ll head to Busan to visit the famous Haeundae Beach, with its seafood restaurants, aquarium and miles of sand!

For more information on itineraries and how to sign up for this trip click here