Café near Naksansa, Yangyang: sunset boat past the reeds, Cafe Dunchi

What kind of place is Cafe Dunchi?

Cafe Dunchi (카페 둔치) is a water leisure center and café right in front of the Namdaecheon stream in Yangyang, at 295 Ilchul-ro, Yangyang-eup, Yangyang-gun, Gangwon. It is open daily 10:00–21:00 (last order 20:30), and the electric boats run 10:00–18:00. There is a large private parking lot, and you can drink your coffee on the 2nd floor with a view of the Namdaecheon. You can also walk the deck trail at the neighboring Namdaecheon Salmon Ecology Park, or take your coffee to go and enjoy the river view from an electric boat.

I went to Yangyang and ended up at a really special café! You order your coffee, then carry it onto an electric boat and cruise a loop around the Namdaecheon, taking in the river view. It was such an unusual, special experience. Drinking coffee out on the river felt so relaxed and healing. If you're looking for something different to do on a Yangyang trip, I totally recommend it! Please read to the end.

Is Cafe Dunchi a good next stop after Naksansa, and is there a walking trail?

Cafe Dunchi is close to Naksansa (낙산사, a Buddhist temple), so it's a good stop after sightseeing there, and in front of the café there's a deck walk running past a pond and a cherry tree path. I visited Naksansa, took photos and wandered around, then arrived at Cafe Dunchi for coffee! Being close to Naksansa was great, haha. And the parking lot is seriously huge.

Standing on the deck, you see the wide-open river, the reed beds and the mountain ridge far away all at once, so I was already fully healed before even getting on the boat, haha. In front of the café there's a deck path landscaped like a park, with a pond full of lotus leaves, a stone path and a cherry tree path just starting to turn autumn colors. It was perfect for a slow stroll before or after coffee. Boat, coffee and a walk all in one place, so it's honestly perfect for a date or a trip course!!

The Cafe Dunchi building and its 2nd-floor river view

At Cafe Dunchi, the 1st floor is where you board the electric boats and the 2nd floor is the café. After parking, you just walk along the deck path. The building sits on a deck floating on the water, so from the moment I started walking it felt like I'd arrived at a foreign water house.

The moment I stepped inside, the open river view made me go "wow" out loud, haha. Sitting down, the Namdaecheon and the reed beds spread out in front of you, and the view was just amazing. The view and the atmosphere were really, really good!

Cafe Dunchi menu and prices

Coffee at Cafe Dunchi starts at ₩5,000 for espresso or an Americano, ades and smoothies are ₩7,000, and old-fashioned patbingsu (shaved ice with sweet red beans) is ₩15,000. The full menu is below.

Coffee

• Espresso ₩5,000
• Americano ₩5,000
• Café latte ₩5,500
• Cappuccino ₩5,500
• Dolce latte ₩6,000
• Hazelnut latte ₩6,000
• Vanilla latte ₩6,000
• Café mocha ₩6,000
• Caramel macchiato ₩6,000
• Affogato ₩6,000

Drinks and tea

• Cherry Coke ₩5,000
• Iced tea (peach, lemon) ₩5,000
• Latte (green tea, chocolate) ₩6,000
• Latte (sweet potato, strawberry) ₩6,000
• Ade (grapefruit, lemon, yuja) ₩7,000
• Passion fruit / green grape ₩6,000
• Brown sugar bubble tea ₩6,000
• Plain yogurt ₩6,500
• Smoothie (strawberry, mango) ₩7,000
• Blueberry smoothie ₩7,000
• Homemade grapefruit / lemon / yuja (citron) tea ₩6,000 each
• Homemade ginger tea ₩7,000
• Black tea, chamomile, peppermint, hibiscus ₩5,500 each
• Yuja lemon herb sparkling ₩6,500
• Grapefruit rich sparkling ₩6,500
• Mango passion fruit ade ₩6,500
• Hibiscus iced tea ₩6,500

Desserts

• Old-fashioned patbingsu (homemade toppings) ₩15,000
• Croffle ₩7,500
• Honey garlic bread ₩6,500
• Honey bread ₩6,500
• Honey ball ₩6,000
• Milk cream castella ₩6,000
• Croque monsieur ₩6,000
• Tiramisu cake ₩6,000
• Cheesecake ₩6,000
• Cacao fudge ₩6,000
• Extra whipped cream ₩1,000
• Homemade yanggaeng (sweet bean jelly) small ₩6,000 / large ₩10,000
• Homemade almond tuile ₩7,000
• Kohakuto (dried jelly) ₩4,000

While waiting for my coffee, I looked at the river view from the terrace. I guess that's the electric boat we'll be riding >.< Apparently they can't go out when it's very windy, but the weather was nice and the water was calm~~ today, so it was perfect for an electric boat.

How much is the Cafe Dunchi electric boat?

The electric boat at Cafe Dunchi is ₩30,000 for up to 4 seats and ₩35,000 for up to 6 seats, both for 30 minutes. Drinks and the boat are paid separately.

• Electric boat (up to 4 seats) ₩30,000 / 30 minutes
• Electric boat (up to 6 seats) ₩35,000 / 30 minutes

With drinks in hand, we headed straight down to the boat. The fee is per boat, not per person, so it didn't feel too pricey, haha. Life jackets on, and we're boarding~

Is the electric boat hard to drive?

The Cafe Dunchi electric boat only needs a steering wheel turn, so it was really easy to drive. Once you're on board, a staff member gives a quick explanation of the controls! It's so easy that I think even kids could drive it. You just turn the wheel, haha!

There's even a cup holder on the boat, so it's perfect for having a coffee, haha. It's not very fast and there's hardly any rocking, so it wasn't scary at all~! Driving wasn't hard either. You just turn the wheel.

When is the best time for the Namdaecheon reed sunset?

On a loop around the Namdaecheon in the Cafe Dunchi electric boat, you reach the reed beds, and the sunset falling behind them at dusk was really beautiful. It was a view you can only get in Yangyang in autumn.

The 30 minutes flew by, haha. Cafe Dunchi isn't just a place to drink coffee. You can ride an electric boat on the Namdaecheon too, which made it a truly different experience!! I rested on the 2nd floor looking at the river view, then climbed onto the boat with a coffee and even saw the sunset, and the day felt completely full. If you're looking for things to do in Yangyang, an unusual Yangyang trip course or a Yangyang date, definitely stop by Cafe Dunchi. I especially recommend riding the electric boat at dusk to see the Namdaecheon sunset.