Bangudae Petroglyphs (Daegok-ri)울주 대곡리 반구대 암각화

At a glance

Bangudae takes its name from a rocky bluff said to look like a turtle lying flat, a beauty spot poets visited for centuries. Nearby, on a cliff above the Daegokcheon, a tributary of the Taehwagang, prehistoric people carved hundreds of figures over many periods starting in the Neolithic, with the main panel about 10 m wide and 3 m high. Whales, seals and turtles share the rock with deer, tigers, boars, people and boats, nets and harpoons, and the hunting scenes are seen as one of the earliest records of whaling. In July 2025 these carvings and the Cheonjeon-ri inscriptions and petroglyphs were inscribed together as the UNESCO World Heritage Site Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream.

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Bangudae Petroglyphs (Daegok-ri) · 2 tours & tickets

1. GetYourGuideBangudae Petroglyphs, Onggi Village & park tourAn Ulsan day tour to the UNESCO-listed Bangudae Petroglyphs, with their 300-plus carvings of whales and animals, plus Oegosan Onggi Village and a park.Book
2. KlookBangudae petroglyphs & Daewangam Park day tourA one-day Ulsan tour that visits the Bangudae petroglyphs and Daewangam Park.Book

Map

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Tips

• 01
  The UNESCO site covers about 3 km of the Bangucheon stream, so add the Cheonjeon-ri carvings, the first petroglyphs ever found in Korea, to your visit.

Nearby

Amethyst Cavern ParkAn old amethyst mine near Eonyang turned into a cave park, with 2.5 km of tunnels, an underground boat ride and a dinosaur zone, 12–16°C all year.Taehwagang National GardenA riverside garden in the middle of Ulsan, open around the clock, best known for the rustling Simnidaebat bamboo forest along the Taehwagang.Tongdosa TempleOne of Korea's three great temples, where relics of the Buddha are enshrined, so the main hall has no Buddha statue; UNESCO-listed.Yeongnam Alps Eoreumgol Cable CarA 50-seat cable car in Miryang that climbs 1.8 km in about 10 minutes to 1,020 m, into the high ridges known as the Yeongnam Alps.