Tapsa Temple (마이산 탑사)

Tapsa Temple sits in a saddle between the twin peaks of Maisan, the surreal "horse-ear mountains" of Jeollabuk-do. The temple's defining feature is the eighty-some hand-stacked stone pagodas built by a single hermit-monk over thirty years in the late 19th century, somehow holding firm against typhoons and time without mortar. The pagodas range from waist-high to over fifteen meters and crowd the courtyard in dense, almost geological clusters. The walk in from the lower parking takes about thirty minutes through a forested valley, and the rocky face of Maisan looms directly behind the temple. Spring cherry blossoms here are particularly photogenic. Allow three hours total for the round trip and visit.