Nowon-gu opens Seoul's first urban forest lodge

Treehouse-style cabins rise above the forest floor at Surak Hyu, Seoul’s first urban forest retreat. (Nowon-gu Office)

Wooden lodges and playful forest-themed details are seen at Surak Hyu on Wednesday, ahead of its public launch as Seoul’s first urban forest retreat. (Nowon-gu Office)

A new forest retreat has opened on the slopes of Suraksan in northern Seoul, offering city dwellers a rare chance to unplug in nature without leaving the city.

Surak Hyu, which officially opens Thursday, is Seoul’s first public forest lodge built within city limits. The 23.1 billion won project ($16.7 million) was jointly developed by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Nowon-gu over seven years.

Located in Nowon-gu’s Sanggye-dong neighborhood, Surak Hyu is built across 9,800 square meters of woodland and features 25 rooms in 18 buildings.

A treehouse suite at Surak Hyu features a glass ceiling for stargazing and panoramic views of the surrounding forest canopy. (Nowon-gu Office)

Natural light fills a two-story treehouse unit at Surak Hyu, where full-length windows look directly into the forest. (Nowon-gu Office)

The highlight is a cluster of three treehouse-style cabins, each perched nearly 14 meters off the ground. Inside, partial glass ceilings let guests fall asleep under the stars, while floor-to-ceiling windows open to uninterrupted forest views.

Surak Hyu accommodates up to 82 guests and offers rooms for two to six people. According to the Nowon-gu Office, all rooms during the trial period were booked within three minutes. Priority reservations open monthly for Nowon residents and people with disabilities, who also receive a 10 percent discount.

Nightly rates range from 70,000 won for a two-person room to 250,000 won for the treehouse suites. Bookings are available through the national forest lodging portal at www.foresttrip.go.kr.

Rather than offering a barbecue area, Surak Hyu provides a full-service restaurant. (Nowon-gu Office)

Amenities include a cafe and restaurant run by renowned chef Hong Shin-ae and eco-friendly landscaping designed for comfort.

A forest healing center and outdoor activity programs are also in development, with a second urban forest lodge already planned for Gwanaksan by 2027, according to Seoul Metropolitan Government.