Bikepacking Seoul to Busan – Day 1 cycle to Seoul downtown

Bikepacking Seoul to Busan took me 7D6N. In my first post, I had shared about the logistics of bike boxing, and cycling out of Incheon Airport to Ara West.

As mentioned in my first blog post, it is almost 80km from Airport to Seoul (Hongdae). That would be easily 5 hours on the road, do buffer enough time to reach your motel earlier.

I only pre-book a motel for the first night, the other nights are all walk in. It is very discomforting for me, as I was worried about room and motel availability. Many folks have done it, you are safe.

 

Bikepacking Seoul to Busan

Breakdown of my Four River itinerary.
Total distance was 680km over 7D6N, elevation 3500m.

1)7D6N itinerary
Day1 90km IncheonAirport to AraWest to Hongdae
(Strava Day 1)
Day2 90km Seoul to Yangpyeong
(Strava Day 2)
Day3 123km Yangpyeong to Suanbo
(Strava Day 3)
Day4 82km Suanbo to SangjuSi
(Strava Day 4)
Day5 90km SangjuSi to Daegu
(Strava Day 5)
Day6 114km Daegu to Namji
(Strava Day 6)
Day7 95km Namji to Busan
(Strava Day 7)

Day 1 route from Incheon Airport -> Ferry -> Wolmi -> Ara West start point -> Seoul Hongdae . Doable but challenging, as there are many unknowns.

Incheon Ferry to Wolmi
Incheon Ferry seagulls
You may watch my Day 1 video first.

Day 1 Bike boxing, ferry and cycling from Incheon Airport to Ara West

Ara West would be the Start point of Seoul to Busan trail (aka Four Rivers).
You can get your passbook (passport) from here.

K-Water ( the architect for Four Rivers) came up with this passbook idea (and red certification booths), to encourage more folks to cycle and enjoy the river views.

Take note that my route did not capture all the red booths, as the journey itself was already packed with attractions (and memories).
Cyclists will spot these red booths and stamp their passbook. At the 633km end point (Busan), they can get a medal as badge of honour.
Certification booths and stamps Seoul to Busan

The only differences would be how many days do you need to complete Four Rivers trail.  Reasonably fit folks will take between 5 to 7 days. I took 7D6N with daily 90, 100km (including some detours), rolling speed of 23-25kmh.

I would strongly recommend you to buffer one extra day. For emergencies, or to explore more in one province. No need to rush.

Example.
My trip was cut short by 30km on Day 1, due to thunderstorm.
On the last day, two punctures delayed my  finale celebration.

Ara West Start point four rivers

Cycling Korea Autumn foliage

Cycling in autumn, beautiful foliage and earlier sunset (at 1745). This means I have one hour less to cycle every day, and I needed to do some (destination) adjustment.  In rural areas, it will be pitch dark by 1815.

 

Just follow the Four River signages (or blue lines) to stay on the bike trail.
Validate your route with Naver or Kakao Map (Kakao preferred as it shows you the elevations infront).

Since I arrived in Seoul downtown in the evening, the Blue lines and Red pavements assured me me that I am on the right track.
(Some Four rivers signages are already worn off)

Kakao and Naver Map are reliable, but it will be time consuming for first timers to only rely on on Kakao Map. Many self doubts.


Four rivers signage navigation

Getting dark, I arrived in my motel only at 2000. Would recommend you to arrive before sunset. I do not need extra anxiety from cycling in the dark and unfamiliar terrain/routes.

I should highlight that my route is not exactly four rivers route, ie following the red certification booths.

Refer map below, if you are going for stamps, follow the Red arrow. I had crossed Han river and stayed at Hongdae, because I wanted to visit some downtown attractions (red circle).

You may browse additional landmarks in my custom Google Map.
The “red” colour markers are the certification booths locations, thanks to a Mr Yoo.

There are at least 25 bridges across Han river, those following the “official” route need to know which bridge to take.

Anyway, Seoul Mansion Guest House was my motel for Day 1.

I had accidentally cycled extra 10km to another “Seoul Mansion”!

I actually shortlisted 10 motels nearby, and most will not allow you to roll bikes into the room.

Seoul motels recommendation
It was a cool temperature during Autumn evenings. It will get colder as I cycled South. (and morning 0800 can be 8-10 degrees)
Hongdae street vibes
Hongdae street busking

Hongdae street is only 10min walk from Motel.

Had wanted to stay near Hongdae, as I heard the busking and night vibes are happening. Kakao shop is popular for those looking for souvenirs or gifts.

Hongdae Kakao shop

Some random pork soup to warm the body. Meals in Korea would be around 8000 to 10000 per pax. I did encounter 2 restaurants who only serve minimum 3 pax, not single.

(wip) I might share my planning Gsheet later.

Day 1 Bikepacking Seoul to Busan would be easy for seasoned cyclists. Those new to bikepacking (including me) might wish to take note of a few things.

Additional Bikepacking Seoul to Busan tips

1)It is always easier to rent a bike in Korea (rather than ship over).
It is a luxury to cycle in a group (with support car), cycling solo means you are on your own, be it navigation or research (for motel and F&B).

..and the panniers will weigh you down.

2)Travelling solo will always be cheaper than a group package.
– Bikepacking expense estimation per item,  Motel (40,000 to 60,000 Won), Meal (8000 to 12000 Won), cafe (8000 to 10000 Won) and convenience stores snacks and drinks (2000 won) .

(Solo) Per day conservative budget can be between  SGD70 to 100 (70,000 to 100,000 Won). Total 7D6N would be an affordable SGD 490 (490,000 Won).

The most value meals are from convenience stores (like CU, GS25 etc), 5000 Won. I only budget 55,000Won on certain days.

A 7D6N packaged tour will easily set you back by 2,000 to 2,500 SGD (250,000 to 300,000 Won). (Inclusive 4 or 5 star hotels, support vehicle and guide etc)

3)We will always pack more in our pannier. You will feel every extra kilogram.  As you cycle more, you will learn how to pack front and back, left and right, for better balance.

Those things which are used frequently should not be unloaded (daily).
Fyi, last minute packing of pannier (especially mornings) is time-consuming.

4)It helps if you can shower in your jersey and pants :p
Just scrub down with soap, and dry your jersey with towels (overnight).
I bought 3 jerseys, but only wore two sets for 7 days (no extra odour).

5)Cycling 200km is different from cycling 2 x 100km. Train for multi-day cycling. Consecutive cycling will wear you down, I was on the road for 10-12 hours easily daily.

6)Coming from flat Singapore, there are limited elevation training grounds.
There are many slopes Big and Small in Korea’s four rivers route.
Some of us train on Malaysia slopes and gradient.

7)Cycling in cold weather is new for me too. Get a long-sleeve thermal jersey and long cycling pant. I have an inner layer to wick off any perspiration. The usual layering applies.

– Balaclava to cover my exposed neck and ear
– Full gloves (not half) to ensure all fingers are insulated
– I had an extra set of thermal (heat tech) as standby

Even at 20 degrees, you can feel the chills when the wind blows, or when you go downhill. Morning 0800 in the countryside can be as low as 8 to 10 degrees.

On the first few days, I noticed Korean cyclists covering their mouths. I did not, and my lips were numb from cool weather exposure.

Be it Autumn or Spring, I have no doubt that you will fully savoured what Four Rivers trail has to offer.

Resources:

a)Part 1 and 2 of my custom Google Map will share my route, F&B and motels from Seoul to Busan. Do take note that I did not follow 100% 4 Rivers Route, skip Andong, and I did not search for all the certification booths.
I have indicated “Purple markers” to represent Detours and Slopes.

(Part 1 Seoul to Sangji) Red dots depict the Certification Booths.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1wkn6Pfp_OownBmnRM_C3gOaBEOos-pU&usp=sharing

Gpx of Seoul to Busan Trail


(Part 2 Sangji to Busan here)

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=16LLQuW-Xw9wna0ifgsfTBmLnOzz74ug&usp=sharing

b)YouTube videos of my 4 Rivers trail (wip)

Day 1 Bike boxing, ferry and cycling from Incheon Airport to Ara West

Day 2 – 4 Rivers trail Seoul to Yeoju

Day 3 – Yeoju to Suanbo

Day4 82km Suanbo to SangjuSi (submit two mountains)

Day 5 90km SangjuSi towards Gumi and Daegu

Day 6 114km from Daegu to Namji (Hardest segment for me)

I am still working on the other videos, do browse through all the photos in album below.

Korea Four Rivers Photos

c) 300+ Facebook photos over 7D6N
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10231495769562405&type=3

d) Seoul to Busan blog :
Day 0 Summary – Bike Boxing overseas and cycling from Incheon Airport to Seoul
Day 1 – Bikepacking Seoul to Busan – Day 1 cycle to Seoul downtown
Day 2 – Bikepacking 4 Rivers – Day 2 to Yeoju

5D4N Cycle to KL bikepacking

5D4N Cycle to KL bikepacking, six of us completed the 460km journey last October. Before this, the furthest multi-day trip I did was 3D2N to Malacca.

(This blog post is 3 months late)
Cycle to KL trip was a milestone for most of us.  Self supported tour, own navigation and exploration. Happy to meet our objectives 🙂

In fact, cycle to KL trip was a good base training (and validation) for my Korea (Seoul to Busan) ride.  You can watch my Korea cycling videos here.

Custom Google Map below captures our 5D4N Cycle to KL trail. Please view with Desktop for better experience. We have added POI for F&B and landmarks.

GPX Strava map Singapore to KL

*Many of the research and tips are from friends from Facebook group “Cycling SG to Malaysia“. Thank you Sam, Linda 🙂

5D4N, 460km Cycle to KL

Day 1 Singapore to Pontian to Batu Pahat – 160km (Strava Day 1)
Day 2 Batu Pahat to Malacca – 100km (Strava Day 2)
Day 3 Malacca to Port Dickson – 84km (Strava Day 3)
Day 4 Port Dickson to KL – 116km  (Strava Day 4) (We detoured 20km)
Day 4a KL to Bukit Tunku night climb – 16km (Strava KL night)

*If you are counting from CIQ, Melaka is only 230km.
Once you reach Melaka, KL is only 200km away.

From Strava, you will notice our 5D4N total elevation is around 1500m only.
The route from Johor to KL is relatively flat.

Do pop by our video and photos below.
YouTube cycle to KL https://youtu.be/rNB6m2l54Vk?si=yKs4uP4IoOaiGjAE

Cycle up Bukit Tunku (aka Mayor Hill)

Facebook album

You can check out my Johor cycling playlist here (8 videos)

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

I did Malacca 3D2N in 2022, so I had some experience with multi-days cycling.
-How to pack your panniers?
-How to balance the load?
-I wore same jersey 5 days :p
(I shower in my jersey everyday, and use towels to dry)

However, every ride is a new experience. Different cities, climate, weather and even cycling buddies. We need to build up the dynamics.

The usual cliche. Go alone if you want Fast, go together if you want to go Far (and Safe too). Everyone need to look out for one another.

Day 0

Test loading with the panniers. Your cycling balance will be affected.  Braking and starting will take longer too.
Get accustomed to the dynamics.

Day 1 Singapore to Batu Pahat

Strava map to Batu Pahat

Early in the morning, six of us cross the busiest causeway in the world.
3 small wheels and 3 road bikes, photo below is after Malaysia customs.

Our usual breakfast haunt at Jia Qin.

Breakfast Jia Qin

Pekan Nanas pineapple landmark is popular with cyclists. From here, you are less than 20km from Pontian.

Pontian has many old school coffee shops, serving aromatic traditional kopi and toasts (涌泉香).

Our rolling speed was supposed to be 25kmh, but first two days was average 25kmh! Guess we are pumped with adrenalin 🙂

Another Landmark in Pontian.

Pontian landmark

Lunch and power-up at Restoran Rengit, we need energy for the slopes ahead (before Batu Pahat).

I always remember that after Pontian, there is a good 20,30km with minimum shade! Hot!

Restoran Rengit only has two or three items on their menu. All are good!

Love this wall mural at Rengit. So Iconic. So Instagramable.

Coffee wall mural Rengit Johor

Before reaching Batu Pahat city, there are a series of 5,6 (or is it 7) rolling coaster hills waiting for you. Use the momentum.

Slopes before Batu Pahat

Anwyn brought us to a low profile fruit store (GPS 1.80825, 102.95647, at the end of the slope). The sweet watermelon and coconut are anything but low profile 🙂

We are only a few kilometres away from checkin.

1600 – Checkin to Pinetree hotel.
Roll your bikes into the room.

Mini hot pot dinner.

We made it to Day 1. Chill ride, no surprises.

Day 2  Batu Pahat to Malacca

Strava map to Malacca

0700 Sumptuous breakfast at 富苑点心 Fock Yen Dim Sum Restoran.

The boss happens to be ex-partner for Geylang’s 126 揾到食 Dim sum. Small world!

Delicious breakfast bursting with flavours on our table.

After breakfast, we rode 40km to the next attraction.

Photo op at retro two storey house. This is behind Muar’s famous Otak Otak shop. You can climb up to the second floor too.

You will noticed by now that our ride is chill and relax type. Plenty of photos and  food explorations.

Famous Char Kway Teow stall in downtown Muar. Their CKT comes with Otak. (Pronounced as Otah in Singapore).

Cheers to cendol and fruit juice. We need more hydration.

More old-school kopi haunts 🙂
(Tin Chip Mui)

Classic Malaysia breakfast, just smash the runny egg yolk over the toast.

Bicycles are chained together, while we have our meals.

Admiring some wall murals in Muar. The “quality” of the cartoons and anime is quite decent. More wefies.

Muar street art 

Muar’s landmark Giant Rickshaw.

Fast forward 30km, and we are in the heart of Malacca (also known as Melaka).
Dutch Square (Red Square) is always crowded.

Always feels good when we reach Malacca. We are over the halfway point of our journey.

Special mention to this hunk (Desmond). Without consistent training rides, he chased us from JB to Malacca (and KL) Bravo!

1700 checkin to Marvelux Hotel.

Take note that Jonker Street night market is only opened evenings Friday to Sunday. If you wish to visit Jonker (2.5km away), please choose a nearer accomodation.

Yummy Peranakan dinner at Kam Cheng 感情. Recommend their Babi pongteh.

 

Day 3 Malacca to Port Dickson

Strava map to Port Dickson

My best segment was at Port Dickson (PD). Inbound and outbound, PD is packed with rolling winding hills, slopes are gradual and FUN!

Breakfast at ‘Kedai Kopi Kheng Juan Hin
(Good Kaya taoast and Kopi)

Expect constant winding slopes for the next 10km,  near the mountains and hills. Do pop by YouTube 9:48min for some of the hilly terrains.

Slopes Port Dickson cycling

The road condition is not tip top condition, expects some bouncy segments.  Use momentum to roll over the roller coaster slopes.

Fruits pitstop after the slopes, we have the sea coastal lanes.

At about 30km mark (GPS 2.3363392, 102.0610618), we reached Port Dickson’s Rainbow stairs. Hazy sea view in the background.

This is actually a mini staircase, and the swing is missing.    

You will pass a few Malay kampungs, most will sell assam fish and mango float.

We had the most welcome Mango float 2km after the bridge.  Restoran Asam Pedas Ummairah (GPS 2.4091754, 101.9691375). Only RM5 for a refreshing cup.

Double decker buses at “London Bus Retro Village“.
Folks can book the bus for a night stay too.

1330 Reach Coconut bay for lunch. The famous thing here are the “coloured” drinks and that huge tree.

We are very near to our resort.

 

1700 checkin to PD’s Tasik Villa International Resort

Our corner is too quiet, we needed to grab out to find some dinner and massage. Take note most massage outlets here only accept cash (no credit cards).

Dinner at Restoran Fatt Kee ( 1.5km from resort).

As we get nearer to KL, we were constantly monitoring the haze psi.
So far so good, Haze in KL has dropped to moderate level.

 

Day 4 Port Dickson to KL

 

Strava map to KL

 

After breakfast at resort, more winding roads welcome us out of Port Dickson. You will use Route 5 to exit PD. No worries, the climbs are gradual.

We detour a bit to wefie at Sepang F1  (GPS 2.76081, 101.72562). If you are keen, KLIA airport is just next door.

Always remember to hydrate and eat well. Cycling in Malaysia, the heat and humidity can get to you.

Detour 1)
Before KL outskirt, cyclists should remember this road called “Jalan Roller Coaster“! It is 2km of mental slopes, many fellow cyclists will need to push their bikes up.

End up, we detour 20km Left of Putrajaya (Pink route below).
If opportunity presents, I would like to cycle around Putrajaya and Cyberjaya.

Image below is part of Jalan roller Coaster.
For cycling gurus, the real “Dragon back” rolling is around “Bukit Cherakah“.

Jalan roller Coaster (image credit Google Map)

Detour 2)
For those who complete Roller Coaster, you will cycle towards an university.

Sam and team (another KL cyclist) hit the university compound but found  the gate locked(weekend? holiday?). They could either climb the low wall, or detour 🙂

At GPS 2.97868, 101.73307 (junction), I would recommend you to follow Linda’s route (in yellow). Refer our custom Google Map again.

(On hindsight, I might have chosen the climbing-pain at Jalan Roller Coaster. Our own 20km detour took extra 1 hour, and eat into our time)

Since we did not attempt Jalan roller Coaster, we enjoyed chicken lunch at ‘Dapur Cik Puan’ (Route 36).

  

At this point, we are about 70km from Petronas Towers.
Below custom Google Map would include many F&B and landmarks in KL. (thanks to Angie).

But we underestimated the efforts needed to navigate through KL.

Dark clouds gathering as we weave through “greater” KL traffic.

Haze reports comparison. No more red zones,  we are safe.

We have been fortunate to avoid rain so far. But thunderstorm caught up with us when we were so near to KL endpoint.

1600 quick detour to avoid the rain. Good desserts at Time Off Puchong cafe.

Kiera was my buddy when we cycled to Malacca 2022 🙂
The best sweeper and he will always ensure everyone is safe.

As mentioned before, it is straightforward to cycle from Johor to Port Dickson. The challenge would be in KL itself.

Besides bad traffic jams, the roads are full of pot-holes. You cannot avoid slopes in KL (too many!)

We got lost at Mid valley. From the map, the “River of Life” is just behind us, but we needed to cycle a “loop”. River of Life is a bike path along the river, much like Singapore’s PCN.

Perhaps I got intimidated by the heavy traffic .
Perhaps we are tired.
But we cannot afford to lose our focus.

As the leader for the group, I can feel the extra stress if I lead folks down the wrong route 🙂

1910 KLCC YEs!!

So proud of ourselves!

The joy and jubilation. Sense of relief, we can be proud of ourselves.
Two wheels and leg power brought us 400km to Petronas Twin Towers!

5D4N Cycle to KL bikepacking

 

1700 checkin to our grand apartment “Expressionz Professional Suites @ Tun Razak

Classy and spacious loft.

Three of us went up Bukit Tunku to catch the splendid city skyline (4 KL skyscrapers). This would be the finale of our 5D4N cycle to KL ride.

 

We quickly unload our heavy panniers, and make our way to Bukit Tunku.  (aka Mayor’s Hill or Changkat Tunku) to see KL’s iconic towers and skyline.

Bukit Tunku was only 6km from our apartment, but navigation was not straightforward. Imagine, two phones can show two different Google Map directions!

I would say it is about x1.5 steeper than Mount Faber (expect 7 to 9% gradient). Mayor Hill is a popular spot for both cyclists and joggers.

Do not miss this climb if you are in KL.

Cycle up Bukit Tunku

The four skyscrapers are Petronas Twin, KL tower, Tun Razak Exchange & Merdeka 118.

Bukit Tunku KL Skyline view

Late dinner for the three of us. Super hungry yet feeling a deep sense of accomplishment.

Day 5 KL R&R

 

Chill day for us, but the haze has reappeared over the horizon.

Some of us decided to pamper ourselves with a massage. Soothe those calves and knots. Pity we did not have enough time to explore KL’s famous street food.

Delicious bowl of Ramen. KL has plenty of gourmet options to whet your appetite.

Ramen Bankara Avenue K

We hired private vans to bring us back to Singapore.
Pickup at 1300, and we target to reach Singapore in time for dinner.

We opt for comfort van, as coach\bus policy for road bikes are not streamlined. Have heard stories of road bikes rejected for storage (for whatever reasons). Sometimes a small tip for bus driver helps, sometimes bus policy requires proper bike covers.

Hyundai Starex price per pax (maximum 3 bikes) is SGD126.
If we opt for coach, it will be SGD $40 to $50.

Most importantly, do wrap your precious bikes securely, in case some luggage fall on your precious groupset.

Yummy lunch at Negri Sembilan’s Restaurant Bo Kee & You 芙蓉波仔鱼头.

Fish head Restaurant Bo Kee & You

Pitstop and shopping at Ming An(Yong Peng).

明安 Yong Peng

And that concludes our epic 5D4N Cycle to KL journey.

Happy to reach another milestone in our Malaysia Cycling exploration.
Just remember, KL is only 200km more from Malacca 🙂

When shall we ride up to Penang?

For folks who wish to explore more of KL, take note there is a Car-Free KL event every Sunday! (https://klcarfreemorning.my). Alternatively, I know “OCBC Cycle” also has a KL edition.

 

ps..

You may read about other cycling trips below:
Cycle to Pekan Nanas and Legoland (My virgin trip)
JB food hunt (3 hours 30km) (Video tips on cycling across customs)
Cycle to Forest City (Boat ride!)
Cycle to Pontian (笨珍)
Cycle to Elephant Rock (Bukit Batu Gajah)
Cycling to Malacca (2022 3D2N)
Cycle to KL (2023 5D4N)
2018 Cycling Hualien to Taitung (with two kiddos)
2023 Autumn Seoul to Busan (four rivers solo)

*Do follow our cycling adventures here -> https://sengkangbabies.com/tag/cycling

YouTube: Additional videos from our overseas trips:

YouTube: Chill at Pontian 笨珍

YouTube :Cycling to Forest City and boat ride (my best Johor trip yet)

YouTube: Cycling to Elephant Rock (Bukit Batu Gajeh)

YouTube: Cycling to Malacca

YouTube:Cycling to Putuo Village

YouTube:2023 Cycle to KL (5D4N)

Cycling In Taiwan (250km from Hualien to Taitung)

2023 Nov 7D6N Solo Seoul to Busan Four Rivers trial.

Do pop by our Road Trip to Penang 2022Dec YouTube: