Traditionally associated with Japan, did you know there are big bamboo forests in South Korea too? Juknokwon Bamboo Forest 죽녹원 in Damyang (1 hour north of Gwangju) is a beautiful walking spot and popular historical K-Drama filming location.
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We spent half a day exploring the beautiful bamboo groves of Juknokwon Bamboo Forest – onsite, you’ll find everything from hanok style villages to cute cafes and even a waterfall surrounded by pandas (models – not the real thing)!
But the star of the show is the bamboo forest itself, with many photo opportunities plus places to rest and relax along the way (you can even relax in hammocks looking up at the bamboo or have a foot spa).
From prices to other nearby activities (like Damyang Noodle Street), here is our 2025 Juknokwon Bamboo Forest guide.
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How to get to Juknokwon Bamboo Forest by public transport from Gwangju
To get to Juknokwon Bamboo Forest in Damyang, you can take an intercity highway bus or a local bus from Gwangju to Damyang.
We took a 40 minute intercity highway bus from Gwangju U-Square bus station 광주종합버스터미널 to Damyang Bus station, and walked 20 minutes to Juknokwon Bamboo Forest.
You can purchase bus tickets at the counter or kiosk at both bus stations for 2,900 Won one way (with a seat reservation).
Please note – from our experience, the buses that leave Damyang Bus station to go back to Gwangju sometimes leave a bit earlier than their scheduled departure time, so arrive in good time.
You can also board a local bus from Gwangju (number 311 for Juknokwon) for 1,600 Won from many spots in Gwangju including Gwangju Station. The journey takes a bit longer (just over 1 hour), but it drops you off outside the entrance for Juknokwon Bamboo Forest.
You can find 죽녹원 Juknokwon Bamboo Forest on Google Maps here.
The Juknokwon bamboo forest address is 119 Jungnogwon-ro, Damyang-eup, Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do, South Korea.
There are also private tours of Damyang Bamboo Forest Tour from Gwangju available >
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Juknokwon Bamboo Forest 2025 admission prices and opening times
The Juknokwon Bamboo Forest is open 7 days a week.
The opening hours are 9am to 6pm from November to February, and 9am to 7pm from March to October.
Juknokwon Bamboo Forest admission / ticket prices as of July 2025 are 3,000 Won per adult and 1,500 Won for children. It is free for adults over 65 years of age or local residents.
Tours of the bamboo forest are available at 10.10am, 11.10am, 2.10pm, 3.10pm and 4.10pm and lasts 30 minutes. They can be booked via the local tourism site at damyang.go.kr.
Try this – Gwangju tours and day-trips with Klook and Get Your Guide
Things to do at Juknokwon Bamboo Forest
We visited the bamboo forest in May 2025 and would allow at least half a day to explore the area and grab some food on nearby Damyang Noodle Street and go for a walk along the Yeongsan River.
The forest has lots of sandy tracks and easily accessible paths to explore and we’d recommend this as a Damyang / Gwangju activity suitable for all ages. Surprisingly, most of the bamboo has been grown in recent years and the site only opened in 2003.
We visited Juknokwon Bamboo Foreston a weekday morning in May 2025 and found it not too busy with lots of opportunities to get photos by ourselves without crowds.
HOWEVER we have read and seen online posts that say it can be very busy at weekends. So if you don’t like crowds, try to visit on a weekday and avoid public holidays.
The best bit of visiting 죽녹원 for us were the bamboo forest themselves – walking through the large areas of wooded glades with the wind rustling the leaves was just magical and felt a world away from the hustle and bustle of Gwangju (it is also very calming if you’ve just arrived from the busyness of say Seoul or Busan).
It is also very popular with locals and domestic Korea travellers as the bamboo forest is famous for all the phytoncides the trees give out, which many people help to boost natural immunity (we’ve heard this about the forests on Jeju Island too).
Some of our favourite spots include:
Hanok Village / K-Drama Filming location
Although built just over 20 years ago, there are parts of Juknokwon Bamboo Forest that are like taking a step back in time.
You can walk around traditional ponds and old style buildings plus play the Korean game of Tuho (pitch-pots) where you throw large sticks / arrows into jars or barrels (it is harder than it looks).
Given the historic nature and lack of modern features, Juknokwon Bamboo Forest is a popular K-Drama filming location and dramas such as ‘Iljimae’ and ‘Mask’.
There are posters throughout the forest showing the exact spots where movies, TV series and K-dramas have been filmed in Juknokwon Bamboo Forest.
Love K-Dramas? Check out our guide to the Suncheon K-Drama Open Film Set you can visit >
Bamboo Forest Pandas and Waterfall
Although a bit kitsch, we really liked the waterfall with all the model pandas – there are also several selfie spots here too if you can ‘bear’ to take more photos.
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Walkways and paths
One of the best things to do at Juknokwon Bamboo Forest is just walk around the special paths and designated trails.
There are lots of information panels and maps to help guide you plus walkways such as ‘The Scholar’s Path’, the ‘Philosopher’s Path’ and the ‘Path of Contemplation’.
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Hanok Cafes
There are a couple of cafes located in the bamboo forest and they are a perfect spot to unwind or escape the hot Korean summer.
We found a hanok style cafe on a hill with a nice outdoor terrace which served lots of interesting sweet treats and hot drinks. We opted for a bamboo ice-cream (Gustoa Imsil cheese ice-cream) and iced latte.
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Bamboo Forest foot spa
After all that exploring of the forests, treat yourself to a bamboo vinegar foot spa in a shaded spot nestled directly below the trees.
There are several foot spa booths where you can soak your toes, overseen by an Umma who will top up your water and look after you.
The foot spa is open from 9am to 12pm and 1pm to 6pm. It costs 3,000 Won (card payment only) for a 1 hour 15 minute spa session.
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Other things to do near Juknokwon Bamboo Forest 죽녹원
Damyang Noodle Street 담양국수거리
See all those people along the river near the bamboo forest filling their faces with delicious noodle dishes and pancakes? That will be Damyang Noodle Street 담양국수거리 (map), comprising several back-to-back restaurants all with gorgeous alfresco dining terraces overlooking the Yeongsan River.
All of the restaurants here are very reasonably priced (as there is a lot of competition) and you can eat a big bowl of noodles for just 5,000 Won (around £2.70 / $3.60 USD / $5.50 AUD / $4.60 SGD).
We stopped by here after the bamboo forest and had noodles with anchovies in a dried anchovy broth (5,000 Won) with a Welsh onion and squid pancake (10,000 Won). The food was OK but the views were much better!
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Yeongsan River Walk
A scenic spot, we saw many families and selfie takers walking along the banks of the Yeongsan River which runs through the heart of Damyang.
There are a few cafes and bars located alongside the far side of the river plus some stepping stones that cross the entire river.
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Other things to know about Juknokwon Bamboo Forest 죽녹원
- Free toilets are available onsite and are dotted around the forest at various locations
- Smoking is prohibited throughout the entire site and fines are imposed for anyone caught smoking
- No bringing in of food (picnics) or onsite cooking / BBQs are allowed
- No large dogs are allowed in the Juknokwon bamboo forest – small dogs can be carried
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