(also published in Korea.net: Enjoy the Summer in Nanji)
Seoul is as metropolitan as it gets. The city is teeming with people who don’t seem to sleep. Seoulites have the latest gadgets with capabilities covered by the latest technological breakthrough. But for all its technological advancements, the physical landscape is gifted and has been retained and enhanced to create a dynamic example of an ecologically-balanced urban planning. Such is the case of Sangam-dong’s neighborhood which boasts of the World Cup Parks, Haneul, Noeul and the Nanji attractions.
One I recently experienced was the Nanji Camping Ground. My son was invited to a birthday party and the mom had a fantastic idea of making it a memorable birthday with selected friends through a camping-turned-glamping sleepover. It started on a Friday afternoon when there weren’t many people renting the tents yet. In fact, we felt like we had the camping grounds to ourselves, a total of four tents for us all.
The Nanji Camping Ground opened in 2009 as part of the Hangang Renaissance Project (source). The Project has given open spaces which Seoulites in this part of the city enjoy. As for the camping grounds, it provides a camping experience with provisions for convenience. It has a convenience store which sells basic necessities and even meat for barbecue, bbq grills, shower rooms and rents out tents, chairs, and tables. And the tents?
There are tents that have airconditioners and there are tents that have both cooling and heating features. Uhhmmm, yeah you’re camping in Korea!
Here’s more about the Nanji Camping Grounds for more details: Nanji Camping Grounds
But what made the overnight experience refreshing was the easy access to the Nanji Park surrounding the camping grounds. My husband and I and some of the kids didn’t have to go far because just right behind our tents was a bike and jogging trail and a scenic jungle of greens.
When children are left in nature, they explore it with such wonder and happiness because:
“Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere.”
– Blaise Pascal
We all went out at 9:30am. That’s the check-out time for campers. The birthday girl and her friends didn’t sleep the whole night. They sang, scared each other with stories, hunted the spider that was bothering them half of the night and created memories they’ll bring with them over the summer.
NANJICAMP ADDRESS: 495-81, Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Korea
Nanji Camp Website: Nanji Camp
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[…] just this June when one of my first son’s friends turned 11. Her mom reserved tents at the Nanji Camping Ground. We went on a Friday so there weren’t too many people. I can’t imagine when all the tents are […]