We had the opportunity to visit Seoul as part of my wife’s company event where spouse was invited too. So it made sense to extend our trip for few days in Korea. We choose to visit Jeju Island because Jeju boasts many unique natural attractions as well many man-made ones. Jeju was nominated (and later selected) for one of the new 7 Wonders of the World. Timing wise, it was also the best time to visit Jeju. In autumn, the temperature is not too hot, nor too cold, between 17 to 22 degrees C.
I used to think that trying to see Korea on our own, without joining a packaged or guided tour was going to be difficult, in view of the language gap. With the amount of information available on the internet, it was not too difficult to get around on a Do-It-Yourself trip in Korea. In fact, through the research and planning, the trip became more meaningful and memorable as we finally got to see and actually experienced, first hand, what we may had already previewed through the internet.
There are many man-made attractions like parks, museums and rides in Jeju. For a list of Top Things to Do in Jeju, click here.
Our preference was to see the natural attractions and features of Jeju and some specific man-made attractions that are normally not found elsewhere in the world. So, we skipped popular attractions such as Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Trick Art Museum, Miniature World, ATV rides, horse rides, maze park, etc.
In terms of accommodation, options include staying within Jeju City, Seogwipo City or Jungmun Tourist Complex. I opted to stay in the Jungmun area since some of the attractions are located near there. This area also has excellent hotels and good transportation links.
We stayed all 4 nights in one hotel as we did not like the hassle of packing/unpacking, and time wasted checking in and out of hotels.
This was my planned itinerary.
Day 1 (30 September 2011)
Travel to Jeju from Seoul.
Check into Lotte hotel in Jungmun.
Visit Yakcheonsa Temple*, Jusangjeolli Cliff, Daepo Jungmun Coast, Jungmun Beach.
* we skipped this finally.
Day 2 (1 October 2011)
Book a private taxi for the whole day to take us to the Eastern part of Jeju.
Places to see: Soesokkak Estuary, Jeju Folk Village, Seogpikoji, Seongsan Ilchulbong, and Manjanggul Cave. The taxi driver suggested we visit Sangumburi crater but we did not have enough time.
Day 3 (2 October 2011)
Book a private taxi for the whole day to take us to the Western part of Jeju.
Places to see: Andeok Valley, Yeongmeori Coast, Sanbangsan, Songaksan, Hallim Park, Yongduam Rock*, Yongyeon Pond*, Jeju Loveland and Mysterious Road. * we skipped this finally.
Day 4 (3 October 2011)
Visit the attractions near our hotel such as Teddy Bear Museum, Cheonjeyeon Waterfall. Then go to Seogwipo to visit Jeongbang Waterfall and Cheonjiyeon Waterfall. Have sashimi dinner at Chilsimni Food Street.
Day 5 (4 October 2011)
Check out from hotel, Fly back to Gimpo, transfer by bus to Incheon Airport for flight home.
In addition, we aimed to try as many local Korean or Jeju cuisine, as far as possible.
On hindsight, I think this Do-It-Yourself trip turned out pretty much according to plan. Most important, we had a good time.
If I were to do this again, I would probably make the following adjustments to my itinerary:
1. instead of staying all 4 nights in Lotte Jeju Hotel, stay one or two nights in the Lotte or Shilla hotel, and/or spend one or two nights in Seaes Hotel and Resort. And maybe one night within Jeju city or Seogwipo city itself.
2. Skip Hallim Park and visit some other places instead. Nothing against Halim Park. It was just that the park did not meet our interest.
3. We missed out on the abalone porridge but we got to try a few other famous Korean and Jeju food.
4. Given more time, maybe one extra day, we could do a walk along an Olle trail from Seongsan Iichubong to Sehwa. That stretch of the Jeju coast is nice. Alternatively, we could do a hike up Hallasan.
5. Visit one of the traditional markets, or see the fishermen landing their catch at a port or village.
6. Make use of the Jeju luggage delivery service from the airport to the hotel. For a small fee, we can hand over any heavy or bulky luggage to the service staff and go sightseeing right from the airport. The luggage would be delivered to our hotel and ready for collection in the evening when we checked into our hotel. This service is also available from hotel to hotel or from hotel to airport.
Jeju is a place that we would return again in the future, probably in the Spring time. And I may engage our taxi driver again. Contact for Mr Won, our taxi driver. Email: maarooii@yahoo.co.kr. His rates may be a bit on the high side (I think) but he is a helpful and safe driver. He speaks English, Chinese and Japanese. And of course Korean.
Alternatively, we could try rent a car at the Jeju International Airport or booking a private taxi tour from Trazy.com.
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