Alpaca World

The mountain is part of the animal encounter

Alpaca World makes an unusual promise for a theme park: visitors can choose between watching a herd on a wooded hillside, feeding animals in designated zones and paying to walk with an alpaca. Those are three different experiences, with separate rules and costs, spread across a forested property rather than one compact petting enclosure

The park opened in 2017 with about twenty alpacas on land 500 metres above sea level. By 2024, a local report counted around 120 alpacas. Its roughly 110,000 pyeong (364,000 square metres) of Hongcheon forest were intended to let visitors encounter grazing animals amid a mountain landscape rather than inside a single enclosure. Its Andean Ecological Ranch is designed as a spacious alpaca grazing zone, while Alpaca Playground is a more concentrated place for encounters. Because the zones are distributed across a mountain slope, visitors have to consider walking effort as well as their interest in each activity. The hillside gives the grazing area space and separates it from smaller animal enclosures, but returning to a lower zone for feed or an activity involves more walking than at a flat urban zoo. The area's scale is a feature, not evidence that every part of the forest is open to visitors

The distinction between observation and direct handling is worth keeping. An alpaca may approach, stand still or move away; buying admission cannot promise an animal's cooperation. The guided Alpaca Nature Walk is an optional paid activity, different from seeing the herd from a fence or entering the basic animal-contact zones. A family who mainly wants to observe can use the park without purchasing every extra experience

A short walk has a separate price

Standard entry is ₩18,000 for visitors aged 36 months through 64 years; children under three enter free with age evidence. The Alpaca Nature Walk costs another ₩15,000. Feed is sold through Paca Coins, each worth ₩1,000 and redeemable for a portion in designated experience zones. The entrance ticket alone therefore cannot be treated as a universal feed-and-walk pass

Paca Coins can be purchased at the entrance, but coin changers within the experience areas accept cash only. Unused coins are non-refundable. That small payment mechanism is important for an international visitor who plans to rely entirely on a card; a few banknotes can make the difference between watching and taking part

The animal collection has grown beyond its original alpacas. Reports from 2024 described capybaras, desert foxes and parrots among roughly ten types of animals, alongside the deer, rabbits, goats, camels, ostriches and owls familiar from visitor listings. Birds' Garden offers a different encounter from the open grazing slope: visitors may see birds at closer quarters, while scheduled flight demonstrations add movement above the viewing area

There is a human history here, too. Keepers Hong Young-pyo and Jeong Pu-reun had worked at Alpaca World since its construction in 2016. When they married at the park in May 2024, alpacas joined the procession and parrots flew during the ceremony. It was an unusual one-off event, not a visitor activity to book, but it shows how this mountain park became a workplace with enduring relationships between animal carers and their charges. On scheduled days, staff run group alpaca appearances and other animal presentations, including weekend bird flights. Outdoor presentations may change or be cancelled with the weather, and not every scheduled experience runs in every season

Why arrival time and access matter

The main site opens at 10:00 and closes at 18:00, but the last admission is at 16:30 and Alpaca Nature Walks stop at 17:00. That difference can undo a trip planned around the paid walk: late arrivals may still see some animals but miss the interaction for which they travelled. The site closes on Seollal and Chuseok day; severe storms or snow can affect activities even when the park normally stays open

The entrance has step-free access, accessible restrooms, wheelchairs for loan and a nursing room. Strollers for children under 24 months are available free on a first-come basis. These services do not mean every steep wooded path is barrier-free; visitors with mobility needs should plan around the facilities and ask about conditions in the specific animal areas

There is a paid food and café offering inside, while outside meals are restricted and pets are not permitted except guide dogs. Animal allergies deserve similar attention: observing from outside a contact zone may be preferable to handling the animals

Before you go

Alpaca World is at 146-155 Deokbatjae-gil in Hwachon-myeon, Hongcheon. Driving via Donghongcheon IC is the simplest approach, with parking near the entrance road and a frequent free 20-seat shuttle between the car park and ticket office. That shuttle is only a local parking transfer, not a bus from Chuncheon railway stations

For public transport, the park gives a route from Hongcheon Terminal via a local bus serving Deokbatjae Entrance (덕밭재입구), followed by a walk of about ten minutes. The old village shuttle from Chuncheon and Namchuncheon stations ceased operating in June 2019, and the park has not confirmed a replacement; rail passengers should not base their trip on outdated shuttle posts. The extra animal-walk ticket, feeding coins and 16:30 admission cutoff deserve attention before the journey