Ulsan Migratory Bird Travel Bus hits the road this fall

Ulsan's Migratory Bird Travel Bus will take passengers on birdwatching tours combining migratory birds, geological sites and cultural heritage from Sept. 2 through Oct. 31.

The bus departs twice daily — at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. — from Parking Lot No. 1 at Taehwagang National Garden, Wednesday through Sunday, for three-hour excursions. A nature interpreter rides along to explain the birds and each destination.

Stops include Taehwagang National Garden, Dongcheon, Seonam Lake Park, the birthplace of independence activist Goheon Park Sang-jin, Yugok-dong Dinosaur Footprint Park and the Yaksa-dong Embankment Heritage Exhibition Hall. The itinerary is designed to bring together migratory birds, dinosaurs from 100 million years ago and the history of the Silla dynasty and the independence movement.

Wednesday tours, themed "Forest Playground of Birds," follow the mid-Taehwagang River corridor — stopping at the Gulhwa Water Quality Improvement Center and the forests around Seonbawi Bridge and Mangseong Bridge. Friday tours carry the same theme at Seonam Lake Park and Duhyeon Reservoir. On Thursdays, the "History Journey with Birds" theme takes riders to Taehwagang Pond in Jung-gu to watch waterbirds, then on to Yugok-dong Dinosaur Footprint Park and the Yaksa-dong Embankment Heritage Exhibition Hall. The dinosaur footprint park sits on a Cretaceous fossil site dating back 100 million years, while the embankment hall lets visitors see a cross-section of a Silla-era levee built more than 1,000 years ago by layering branches and shells.

Saturday tours, themed "Taehwagang Estuary Bird Safari," follow the waterway from Myeongchon Bridge through Taehwagang Observatory, Samho Migratory Bird Park and Samho Island, where egret flocks gather. On Sundays, riders watch birds at Sirye Submerged Bridge and Singsangan Bridge along Dongcheon in Buk-gu before visiting the birthplace of Park Sang-jin, a commander of the Korean Liberation Association and one of Ulsan's independence fighters.

Each tour is limited to 12 participants. Reservations can be made through the website of the Taehwagang Ecotourism Council. Kindergartens, daycare centers and other groups may request a customized route based on travel distance.

The Taehwagang River and Ulsan Bay were designated as a Flyway Network Site in May 2021 — the 150th such site worldwide and the 17th in South Korea.