Hae'insa is without question one of the most gorgeous temples in Korea.  The temple complex and surrounding hermitages, monastaries and retreats are gorgeous.  The location, deep in Gaya-san National Park has protected Hae'insa from some of the ravages of harsh Korean history, and many old buildings remain.  Most importantly, of course, Hae'insa houses the Tripitaka Koreana, a collection of 81,000+ wooden blocks on which were laboriously carved the entire Buddhist scriptures and then later on, the writings of some of Korea's most prominent Buddhist philosophers.  The blocks are housed in several buildings, and though you can't go inside, you can peer through the walls (open for ventilation) and see tablets on display.   Several years ago there was a huge scare at Hae'insa because when repairing a temple, imported wood was used, and the timbers ended up having Powder Post Beetles in them.  Huge efforts were made to eradicate the foreign pests, and most of all to ensure the safety of the Tripitaka Koreana.   They were successful, and you can enjoy seeing not just the blocks, but the rest of the buildings and the various historical relics and sculptures around the grounds.  After you check out the temple, you can continue along the left hand outside wall of the temple, following middle-aged Koreans in garish wool socks and hike up Gaya-san.  Gaya-san has a tremendous view, and you'll enjoy the hike along the pine-needle carpeted trail. 

To get to Gayasan and Hae'insa from Daegu, simply go to Seobujungryujang (Seobu Bus Terminal, located at the Sungdangmot station on the subway line) and catch one of the buses that leave every 15-20 minutes all day starting at 6:45 in the morning.  The buses usually run through Goryoeng, stopping for about 3 minutes there.  The bus fare is 3,600 won, and when you get close to Hae'insa, a ticket taker will come on the bus so you can buy a ticket (which, if I remember correctly is about 3,500).  If you only want to hike, it's possible to get off before this ticket taker and hike on a different route, with no fee.   I advise you to stay on the bus until the bus station at Hae'insa.   It will make it simple for you to find the station again, and you only waste about 5 minutes when you back-track on foot, down the hill (there are signs in English) past the parking lots to the souvenir seller lined trail to the temple.   From the trail-head to the temple is actually a good 20 minute walk, maybe 30 if you wore the wrong shoes.   The walk gets increasingly peaceful, as the souvenir booths are left behind and you find yourself out in the woods crossing an old stone bridge over a creek flowing around moss covered boulders. 

I would recommend you allow one and a half hours for the bus ride, thirty minutes to walk to the temple, an hour and a half to look around the main temple (additional time if you want it to visit any of the hermitages, monastaries and retreats, or if you want to take off your socks and shoes and soak your feet in the cool water) and then if it's meal time, have a meal at one of the many restaurants near the bus station.  Many serve excellent Bo-seot Jun-goel (mushroom stew), of course San-chae Bibimbap (mountain veggie Bibimbap) and Insam Dongdongju (Ginseng Dongdongju).  If you do decide to hike Gaya-san, then the time required really depends on how fast you hike.   I'd say, allow four hours round trip for an average person.  The ride back will also take about an hour and a half.  It's a perfect one day trip. 

The last bus back from Hae'insa is at approximately 7:30 pm, so don't miss it.  Though if you do, there are several yogwans and hotels and probably a minbak or two.  I have known foreigners who accepted invitations from the monks to sleep in one of the monastaries, but this only works if there is not a large training session filling all the sleeping spots with people who are attending a training seminar (and probably paid for the privilege of the bed and meal).   If you do luck out and get to sleep at a hermitage or something, please donate at least 10,000 won.   You can slip the money into the receptacles in front of the Buddha image in the prayer hall. 

Written By Cedar Bough, Manager of Koreabridge Daegu and Host of Cedar Bough Photography