Jeju Day 2 (Part 3) – Seongsan Ilchulbong, Coastal road to Sehwa

1 October 2011

I had booked at private taxi tour to bring us to selected attractions on the Eastern part of Jeju-do (similar private taxi tour can be booked atTrazy.com).

We had our first glimpse of the famous Sunrise Peak or Seongsan Ilchulbong from the shores at Seopjikoji. As we approached the town of Seongsan-ri, we passed by some farmlands and beaches where the castle-like structure of the peak could be clearly seen in the distance.

The picture above was shot from the moving taxi.

At the entrance of Seongsan Ilchulbong.

Mr Won waited for us while we took the walking trail up to the top of Sunrise Peak. It should take about an hour to go up and down but given our level of fitness, plus the numerous rest and photo stops, I think we took longer.

We managed to shoot this couple photo without Mr Won.

The trail up was crowded with people, young and old. The sun was up and this was the first time I was perspiring in Jeju-do. 

This was the easy part of the trail up to the peak. It became steeper after this.

Climbing up Seongsan Ilchulbong.

Steep part of the trail up the peak.

View of Seongsan-ri on the way up.

Besides the view of the town, we could see many of the 360 oreums (small volcanic cones) that dotted Jeju-do from the high vantage point of the trail up to Seongsan Ilchulbong.

Key was to enjoy the journey and the physical workout or challenge (for us at least). I knew that the view of the top was not really that exciting. But I had never seen an extinct volcano crater up close before, so it was sort of fascinating.

As we were going up, signs and hidden loudspeakers were describing the wonders of Seongsan Ilchulbong. A bit of over-zealous marketing of this place, I think. I overheard one disappointed kid on his way down saying “liar”. Not sure what he was expecting at the top of the difficult climb up to the peak but he was clearly disappointed.

Here are some photos of the crater at the top.

Panoramic view of the grass covered crater at the top of Seongsan Ilchulbong.

The round crater of Seongsan Ilchulbong measures 450 meters (latitudinal) and 350 meters (longitudinal) and 99 big and small rocks mark the circumference, giving it a crown-like appearance. The crater is 90 meters deep. There are trails leading down to the crater but the trails are off limits to tourists.

That’s me at the top.

This baby made it to the top too. His father must be really fit to man-pack him up. The baby was not too pleased though.

Viewing platforms were built for those who go up early to watch the sunrise, hence the name. We took a rest there while enjoying the views and midday sun.

We made our way down and smile at those who were making their way up. There were boats taking tourists for a view of the sea-ward side of the peak.

A steep flight of steps leads down to a cove below with black sand beach (Umutgae Beach), where the boats could be boarded. At 1.30 PM and 3.00 PM daily, the famous Jeju woman divers (Hae-nyeos) will give a performance of their amazing diving abilities. These women dive in the ocean without any special tools to gather clams, abalone, or seaweed. Most of them are of the age 50 to 80 years as the younger women are not keen on this difficult trade. 

We did not go down to the beach as we had enough of steep climbing for the day and the timing was not right for us to watch the performance. Of course, the ahjummas (are they real Haenyeos?) were present at the beach, busy selling live seafood. 

Udo island could be seen across the water from this point. The wind was pretty strong here. I took some photos of the wife with the wind-messed-up hair and Udo island in the background before heading back to the entrance/exit with the food stalls and souvenir shops. We bought some drinks, dried cuttlefish and orange-filled cakes to replenish our energy and found Mr Won waiting for us in the car park.

Our next stop would be the Manjanggul Caves. We told Mr Won to take the scenic coastal route via Sehwa from Sunrise Peak to the caves.

Along the coastal route, we stopped at an observation platform in Jongdal-ri, made of an old ship from which we could see Udo Island and the magnificent Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak).

Local fisherman were seen fishing on the rocks.

Seen along the coastal route to Sehwa.

Moving on, we passed a beach where folks were para-skiing. This is skiing with the power coming from the wind and not a towing motorboat. Quite a challenge, with the strong unpredictable wind and the rocks at low tide.  Udo island could be seen in the background.

We left the coastal road at Sehwa, where numerous seafood restaurants could be seen, and headed for the Manjanggul Caves next.