Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park

With Sakura season coming to an end It was the tulip season beginning in Hokkaido. On a late May weekend we decided to visit the Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park, one of the largest Tulip gardens in Hokkaido. At a distance of about 370km from Niseko, it was not a good option for a one day trip. But last minute planning didn't leave us a choice. So we left early in the morning hoping to save as much time as possible. Out of two possible routes to Asahikawa we chose the route through Sapporo because it was about 30km shorter than going through Chitose. We hoped there would be no traffic in the early morning. But we forgot the traffic lights. Hundreds of traffic lights standing inch by inch kept us waiting for nothing and added at least an hour to our travel time.

It was noon when we reached the tulip park. It was a spectacular scenery with hundreds of varieties of flowers as far as the eye can see. The parking lot was almost full and there was a huge crowd. The entrance fee was 500 yen for an adult. There were motored carts for those who have difficulties to walk.

We strolled in the park for about two hours before have Ramen for lunch from a food stall. It was hot and there was a long line to buy ice creams. Additional to food stalls there were some souvenir shops also.

After enjoying the Tulip park we started our journey back home. The Daisetsuzan National Park was a short detour from Asahikawa. So we decided to visit Ginga no Taki and Ryusei no Taki waterfalls which are situated adjacent to each other. Waterfalls were only few hundred meters from the main road at a distance about 3km from Sounkyo Onsen. There was a parking lot and the waterfalls could be seen through the foliage even from the parking lot.

After enjoying the waterfalls we continued further up the road to visit Obako a river gorge with a remarkable rock formation.

Useful Links

• Hotels in Asahikawa
• Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park