Jeju Island is one of the most popular places in South Korea, a super loved destination for both local and international tourists. Off the south coast of the Korean peninsula stands this fascinating oasis with beautiful beaches and pristine and unique natural magnificence, which attracts millions of tourists (an estimated 15,000,000 a year), most of them looking for an escape from the busy gray life of Korean cities.
Jeju Island is dominated by the highest mountain in South Korea: Hallasan, a volcano about 2000 meters high which represents the highest peak in the country. A place that transmits serenity, until you find yourself in the midst of hordes of tourists busy taking their selfies. But luckily the island is large enough for you to find some quiet corner from which to enjoy the peaceful natural beauty. Of volcanic origin and, given its geographic and isolated location, with a unique ecosystem.
How to get to Jeju Island while you are in South Korea
In recent years it has become quite famous as a tourist destination, more precisely it has been literally stormed by visitors from all over, both for its beauty and uniqueness and for the ease with which Jeju Island can be reached when you are in South Korea: with a few dollars and in a about an hour you can fly from Seoul or Busan to Jeju City International Airport.
There is also the option of traveling by ship but this is a much longer and more expensive option.
What to do in Jeju Island
Once you get off your plane or disembark from the ship and find the accommodation you will be spoiled for choice when deciding what to do on Jeju Island: there are many natural wonders to visit and the cultural and sports activities that you can do here.
Many tourists prefer to stay in Jeju by relaxing comfortably by jumping from one of the countless cafes to another, taking a selfie over a coffee drunk in front of some beautiful scenery or visiting one of the many museums/galleries theme parks, which are practically opened every day given the success they have had recently. But I hope that you will not limit yourself to these superficial visits and will proceed on some much more interesting and unique adventure that will remain more etched in your heart and not just in your stomach.
The Seongsan Ilchulbong – 성산 일출봉, one of the reasons why tourists come to visit Jeju Island here in South Korea and probably the most characteristic attraction: a volcanic mountain, originating from an underwater eruption, with a particular peak bowl (the crater of the volcano) covered with green vegetation, which rises on the east coast creating a spectacular contrast of colors and shapes in a truly unique setting.
The waves crash against the tufa cone 180 meters high and with the crater having a diameter of 600 meters. A large number of people wake up early in the morning to await the spectacular sunrise while watching the sun rising from the ocean.
Many say that the outline of the mountain looks like a castle … can you see it? Climb the steep Seongsan Ilchulbong – 성산 일출봉 to its crater at the top for a beautiful view!
Hallasan mountain with its 1950 meters above sea level is the highest relief of Jeju Island and the whole South Korea and represents the surface of the island itself. It is a mountain of volcanic origin, a place traditionally considered sacred, it is believed to be the home of several deities and spirits. Many smaller secondary cones (or also known as “parasitic cones”), which in the Jeju dialect are called oreum (오름), have formed on the flanks of the Hallasan mountain, there are more than 360 of them. Small soft hills create a fantastic landscape that you can observe when you land with the airplane.
The area around the volcano has become a national park: the Hallasan National Park. One of the major attractions of Jeju Island.
To fully appreciate the natural wonders of the area I recommend that you explore it with a trek along with one of its many routes, if you are in good physical condition you will have no problem climbing the mountain to the spectacular peak/crater in one day (round trip).
There are several routes, more or less demanding, ranging from 1.5 kilometers up to 10 kilometers that allows you to reach the summit of the Hallasan mountain, where you will find in the center the small lake called Baengnokdam (백록담), the lake of the white deer.
Another important attraction is the Jeju Island waterfalls, the best in South Korea: they are mostly located in the Seogwipo area, to the south, except Yongam-p’okp’o Waterfall which you can admire in the Hallasan National Park, a little more difficult to reach and therefore less visited than the others.
One of the most famous is the unique Jeongbang Waterfall as it casts its waters directly into the ocean from a height of 23 meters. If you decide you want to see only one, I suggest you don’t miss this one!
A short distance away is the Cheonjiyeonpokpo Waterfall, 22 meters high, accessible via a pleasant walk in the middle of the subtropical nature of the area.
The other waterfalls you can visit on the same day if you hurry and have a private vehicle available: Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, Sejeongbang Waterfall, and Eongtto Waterfall.
The Haenyeo, the sea women of the island of Jeju in South Korea who practice underwater fishing only in apnoea, are an example of people with a strong character and a really strong spirit. They have always fascinated me ever since I first heard about them. You can see the Haenyeo around the coasts, busy diving into the water without the aid of oxygen tanks, with their fins, wetsuit, chest weights, gloves and mask, managing to reach depths of about 10 meters.
They dive to fish for various seafood, seaweed, octopus and what they can catch with their bare hands and then sell them at markets, restaurants or they themselves organize banquets by the ocean. They are often found around the Seongsan Ilchulbong – 성산 일출봉.
You can visit Seongeup Folk Village – 성읍 민속 마을 to get an idea of what rural life was like in Jeju island before the modernization of South Korea that happened in the last few decades and completely changed the face of the country and the island. You can find perfectly preserved houses of the inhabitants, altars, workshops, walls still intact and monuments, all built using wood and dark lava stones.
Seongeup Folk Village – 성읍 민속 마을 is not an abandoned village: there are still people living here (no longer as primary residence) and some shopkeepers who sell handicrafts and traditional food from one of the typical folk buildings.
Obviously, being Jeju an island, I can’t fail to mention its beaches! The more attractive they are, the more there is the chance to run into a lot of tourists taking selfies all the time, especially in the summer season …
Some of the beaches of Jeju Island to visit (not necessarily in order of beauty):
One of the most beautiful is probably the Hyeopjae Beach, to the north-west, a long stretch of land of white sand and crystal clear waters in front of the green island Biyangdo, which has the shape that reminds me of the snake that digested the elephant in the Little Prince tale. Reachable both by car and by public transport.
You can spend time collecting shells at Gwakji Beach, also an attractive white sand beach. There is a public bath of very fresh spring water where people come to relax, cool off after burning their feet in the sun and to shake off the salt once they have finished a swim in the ocean.
If you like to surf there is Jungmun Beach, not far from Seogwipo, surrounded by the horrendous super mega-resorts, which fortunately do not spoil the beautiful landscape too much (just a little …), built on the steep hill overlooking the Ocean south of Jeju Island. When I was there the waves weren’t good enough to ride, but people come here to practice this sport, I’ve only seen them floating on their surfboard …
Iho Tewoo Beach is close to Jeju City, easy to reach by public transport. People come here to admire the view and take a couple of photos with its distinctive horse-shaped lighthouses, one white and one red, in the background. Here, too, surfers sometimes come to try their luck to find themselves in front of some waves worthy of being ridden with their boards.
You can come here to enjoy a wonderful sunset!
There are many other beaches that you can visit all along the coast of Jeju Island, if you have a car it becomes much easier to visit them. If not, look for the one you like best and enjoy the relaxation of being in front of the blue of the ocean that gives you peace with the sound of its waves!
The last time I visited Jeju Island while I was traveling around South Korea I discovered the beautiful Yakcheonsa Temple, a large Buddhist religious building recently built in the middle of nature and close to the sea, if you go to the upper floors you can have a beautiful view! Easily accessible from Seogwipo, south of the island, by bus or private vehicle.
It doesn’t have a long history but it is definitely beautiful for its architecture and for its colorful decorations, paintings and statues from the Buddhist religion.
There is a chance to sleep and have a monastic life experience at Yakcheonsa Temple with a temple stay.
If you like trekking the island of Jeju offers a wide choice of routes that will take you all around the coast (some of them also develop partly inland), forming part of what is known as the Olle walking trails, a word that can be translated as “path on the threshold of the house”. There are several paths (21 main and 5 secondaries) that extend for a total of 422km, divided into sections of approximately 15km each, well mainteined and marked by some two-colored orange/blue flags.
Inspired by the Camino de Santiago in Spain, it is perfect if you are looking for an eco-sustainable holiday, the Olle walking trails is one of the major attractions of Jeju island that will take you through all its wonderful views!
Also famous among tourists is the Manjanggul Cave – 만장굴, a cave created by one of the many eruptions occurring in the past and which consists of a tunnel formed by the lava that came out to the surface and then solidified over time. Some data, if you are interested: 23 meters wide, 30 high and almost 9km long, only one of which can be visited by guests, formed from 200,000 to 300,000 years ago … if you feel better now that you know its numbers you can peacefully explore its beauties in the cool temperatures of the dark cave made of stalactites, stalagmites, bridges and other black solidified lava formations of the Manjanggul Cave – 만장굴.
What to eat in Jeju Island
Prepare your belly to be filled because Jeju Island is also famous for its food, with dishes cooked using the fresh products of its land or freshly caught in the surrounding sea.
Some specialties of the local cuisine of Jeju Island:
Heuk Dwaeji – 흑돼지 – The Jeju black pig, very famous and appreciated not just in Jeju Island but also throughout the rest of South Korea, delicious, super tender cooked on the barbecue and served with kimchi, mushrooms, onion and bean sprouts also cooked on the hot plate. Good eaten rolled up in a leaf of perilla or lettuce.
Jeon-bok-juk – 전복죽) – abalone porridge, creamy and tasty rice soup cooked with the big shellfish, usually just caught.
Haemultang – 해물탕 – seafood soup, a dish rich in all the specialties of the sea of Jeju island: octopus, crabs, shrimps, squid, clams, oysters and all the seafood that the cook decides to boil in a tasty broth, usually spicy.
Godeungeo – 고등어 – mackerel that is fried or stewed (or even served raw as sashimi), can be found almost everywhere in South Korean restaurants, but here in Jeju island it is definitely super fresh!
Seonggeguk – tasty, good smelling sea urchin soup cooked with seaweed.
Hoe – 회 – If you like sashimi you will find numerous dishes of fish, seafood and shellfish raw, appetizing and served fresh, freshly caught!
All these delights can be tasted in one of the countless restaurants that you will find everywhere, you also have the option of tasting them directly from one of the simple banquets that the Haenyeo organize on the shores of Jeju Island.
How to get around when you are in Jeju Island
The best way to move along the streets of Jeju Island in South Korea is definitely the car, renting a private vehicle will save you a lot of time and will allow you to visit more remote and characteristic areas of the place.
Buses are also a good alternative but extremely slow and don’t run frequently, plus you’ll have to make some changes. The journeys will be quite long, but if you have time and want to save money, they are the best!
From the airport, there are several buses that take you to (almost) the whole Jeju island.
On foot … there are some people who visit the island for trekking, often along the coast, walking from one destination to another.
You can join other tourists on one of the various tours they sell to visit Jeju Island.
Hope you have a nice stay!
