Jeju – The Hawaii of Korea

Jeju is the largest of South Korea’s islands, located to the southwest of the mainland. The main feature of Jeju is Hallasan, or Halla Mountain, which dominates the island. Jeju is a popular tourist destination for Koreans and foreigners year round, due to its warm climate. I travelled there in June 2024 to see what the island has to offer.

Hallasan

Difficulty = Medium

Time = 7 Hours

Distance = 19.6km

Hallasan Mountain is the dominant feature of Jeju. If you’re into hiking, then climbing Hallasan is a must when in Jeju. At 1947m, Hallasan is the tallest mountain in South Korea and as such really needs a full day to properly experience.

Before you even get to the mountain, you’ll need to book your place on a hiking route if you want to reach the summit. You can do so here https://visithalla.jeju.go.kr/main/main.do. This is for your safety – they need to know who is on the mountain as the weather there can change quickly. I recommend ascending via the Gwaneumsa Trail route, and descending via the Seongpanak Trail route.

For a good start time, I recommend reserving the 8:00-10:00 time slot and taking a taxi to the Visitor Information Center at Gwaneumsa. There is also a 5:00-8:00 time slot and a 10:00-12:30 time slot, however the latter may not give you enough time to reach the summit. After scanning your QR code and showing some ID, you can begin the hike. The path starts off gently, taking you through the forest. As far as hikes go it’s not too bad, with few steep parts and stairs where they’re needed. From the start to the last shelter at 1500m took me roughly two hours, including stops for water, snacks and toilet breaks.

After passing the last shelter at Samgakbong, you’ll face a lot of stairs. Unfortunately when I went it was at this point the clouds rolled in. The view was obscured and it was like walking in a cloud. I had no choice but to wrap up and press on. Despite being June, the temperature steadily dropped the higher I got, so I recommend taking warm and waterproof clothes to change into at the last shelter. As I climbed the stairs I heard someone coming down say there were no clouds at the top. False hope was that man’s specialty.

After the three and a half hour hike I reached the summit of Hallasan. The cloud was thickest here, and the wind brought a gentle drizzle across everyone crowded at the top. If you want to receive a certificate to prove you climbed South Korea’s highest mountain, now is the time to take a photo so that its geolocation is marked close to the summit.

What the view from the top should look like and what I saw.

After some photos (I don’t recommend queuing for a photo with the summit stone unless it’s quiet – there’s a summit tree that can give you a similar photo without the queue) I began the descent down the Seongpanak route. This route has a lot of rough stones to walk over, making the descent slow. You can return down the Gwaneumsa route, but I think it’s more interesting to take a different route, and also the Gwaneumsa route had been closed due to the weather, leaving me with no choice but to take the Seongpanak route. The descent also took three and a half hours due to the rough stone path.

Once you reach the bottom you can find kiosks where you can print a certificate to prove you climbed to the summit of Hallasan. The kiosks are a little awkward for foreigners to use, but you can figure it out or ask a friendly local to help. This is where you’ll need your photo from near the summit to prove you were there, and also ₩1,000 for the certificate (access to the mountain is free so this is a nice way to contribute to the upkeep of the trails).

Congratulations, you’ve now climbed South Korea’s highest mountain!

Seongsan ilchulbong

Seongsan Ilchulbong, or Sunrise Peak, is a volcano on the east of Jeju and as its name suggests, is the best place on the island to watch the sunrise. To reach Seongsan Ilchulbong I took a bus from Jeju City, which took around one hour and 30 minutes and cost ₩3,000. You could also take a taxi but this will still take around one hour and the price will be roughly ₩45,000.

I climbed to the top of the 182m mountain/volcano to see the volcanic crater at the top, and to also get a view of the surrounding area. Up and down only took one hour altogether as the path is a well maintained set of stairs. The 360 degree view from the top was stunning and worth climbing the stairs.

At the bottom make sure to pick up some Jeju orange juice. You can find this for sale across the island as Jeju is famous for its oranges. It’s a refreshing drink after climbing Seongsan Ilchulbong!

udo island

Off the east coast of Jeju Island and close to Seongsan Ilchulbong is Udo, or Udo Island. This little island is worth combining with a trip to Seongsan Ilchulbong to make the journey out to the east of Jeju worth the bus ride.

To get to Udo you must take the ferry from Seongsanpo Port. The ferry runs to and from the island quite regularly, and the staff will inform you of that day’s times when you buy a ticket. It’s a short journey over to the island.

I rented an e-bike on Udo, and I recommend you do the same so that you can see everything this little gem of an island has to offer. When you get off the ferry there will be lots of bike rental shops trying to draw you in, each offering similar bikes and prices. You can also rent a little buggy cart thing, but check if you’re licensed and insured to drive it first.

I cycled anti-clockwise around the island, following the road along the coast which is part of the Jeju Olle Trail. The route has many beaches to rest on, lighthouses to view and cafes to take breaks at. Once you’ve finished cycling around the island you can also cycle up to the centre to see the town and get a higher view when looking back at Jeju.

Cheonjeyeon waterfall

The south of Jeju Island features many famous waterfalls. The first one I visited was Cheonjeyeon Waterfall, which is actually a series of three waterfalls. These are impressive falls, though my taxi driver told me the best time to visit was during or just after a rain shower to ensure that the water is flowing. Luckily (or unluckily depending on your point of view) it was raining a lot when I visited so the water was flowing in full force. The path alongside the three waterfalls is well laid out but can be quite slippery in the rain, so be careful.

Also at Cheonjeyeon is Seonimgyo Bridge, a steep arch bridge over the river. Crossing it will take you to Cheonjeru Pavillion and then to the Jungmun Tourist Complex.

Jungmun Saekdal Beach

Jungmun Saekdal Beach is a beautiful beach in the south of Jeju Island, close to Cheonjeyeon Waterfall. The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs has chosen the beach as the best in all of South Korea. The beach has changing facilities and is close to cafes, though don’t do what I did and visit in the rain…

Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls

Just to the west of Seogwipo in the south of Jeju are the Cheonjiyeon Waterfalls, another series of impressive waterfalls. At the entrance you will find many shops, and unlike the Cheonjeyeon Waterfall the distance from the entrance to the falls is very short. It’s an easy flat walk to the waterfall viewing area, where many people gather for photos.

Seogwipo

Seogwipo is Jeju’s second largest city after Jeju City, located on the south of the island. Seogwipo is quieter than Jeju City but has the Olle Market. This market has lots of food vendors and souvenir shops. I recommend trying the black pork bread from Jeseong Bakery!

Jeongbang Waterfall

The last waterfall I visited in Jeju was the Jeongbang Waterfall, to the south of Seogwipo. This waterfall is distinct from Cheonjeyeon and Cheonjiyeon in that it flows directly into the sea. At 23m high it’s impressive to see! Take good shoes and waterproof clothing as to get a good photo requires clambering over slippery stones while being sprayed by water blowing off the falls.

Jeju is a great destination in South Korea and one I’ll need to return to when the weather is better.

One last thing – don’t miss the big whale at Jeju airport!