After 11 years, it felt good to be back in Jeju again. This time, my wife and I came with the same group of old school friends that had travelled with us to Siem Reap and Chiang Mai in previous trips.
Once again, I was tasked to be the overall trip planner. There would be 8 persons (4 couples). After exploring the option of renting two cars for 8 persons, I decided that it would be more economical and also easier for co-ordination if I were to charter a large taxi with driver for the group.
Jumbo taxi for our group of 8 persons.
I managed to contact Mr Won Mon Soo who took me and my wife for sightseeing in Jeju when we first visited the island back in 2011. It was reassuring to have a reliable guide and driver to bring us around Jeju in his jumbo taxi on days where we needed transport. Mr Won speaks English, Chinese and Japanese. And of course Korean.
Mr Won’s contact: Facebook, Whatsapp(+82 10-3697-2303), Email: maarooii@yahoo.co.kr.
Jeju-do is an island off the southern coast of South Korea in the Korea Strait. Previously, there was no direct flight and we had to take a domestic flight to Jeju Island from Gimpo Airport after an international flight to Incheon Airport, with a local transfer by airport shuttle bus between Gimpo and Incheon Airport. Pretty troublesome. Now, Scoot flies direct between Jeju Island and Singapore, making it very easy to visit Jeju.
The island is popular with mainland Koreans (especially honeymooners) and is also well known for many things:
1. Its unique cuisine, most notably the local seafood caught by Jeju's famous female deep-sea divers (haenyeo), all of whom are aged 60 and over.
Grilled abalones in butter.
There is also the famous Jeju black pig, silver hair-tail fish (also known as cutlass fish) and the tangerines. Tangerine picking is a great outdoor activity that both the young and old can enjoy. There are numerous farms all over Jeju that grow the fruit and some farms allow visitors to go pick their fruits for a small fee.
2. Hiking trails such as the 26 Jeju Olle trails that one could take to hike round the entire island or hiking on Hallasan (South Korea's highest peak).
Coastal scenery along Olle trail Route #10.
3. Catching sunrises and sunsets over the ocean, especially on the oreums or in one of the many seaside cafes.
4. Visiting the sets or locations where Korean television dramas were shot.
5. Visiting natural landscapes and geological marvels like the dormant volcanoes, lava tubes, polygonal basalt columns and small volcanic cones called oreums.
Hexagonal basalt columns at Jeju.
6. Chilling at the numerous cafes found all over the islands, especially at the sea side, with views of the ocean and coastline.
7. Sandy beaches and offshore islands (although it would too cold to swim or lay on the beach in autumn).
8. Horse riding.
9. Visiting museums and themed parks. Jeju has all sorts of museums and themed parks for the young and old.
10. Glamping or camping as a way to enjoy the outdoors.
With so many things to do, it was a challenge to organise them into the 8 days/7 nights that we had in Jeju.
During the planning, I used both Google Map and Naver Map to mark out the places of interest. To estimate the travelling time between destinations for itinerary planning, I used Naver since Google Map route planning function does not work in Korea.
Although Jeju is a small island, only 73 km east and west, 31 km north and south, with the famous Hallasan Mountain in the center, the speed limit on the Jeju roads is low and there are plenty of speed cameras. So it is wise to minimise road travel as much as possible. One way of doing this is to explore Jeju by regions, e.g. one day to explore the eastern part, one day for the western part and another day for the southern part.
There are two main cities in Jeju Island, Jeju City in the north where the airport is located and Seogwipo City in the south. There is also the Jungmun Tourist Complex near Seogwipo where many tourist attractions, luxurious hotels and resorts are clustered. Jeju-City is the ideal base for chartered taxi tours since most taxi drivers reside in Jeju City.
We stayed 3 nights in Jeju City at the Ocean Suite Jeju Hotel, 3 nights in Seogwipo City at BK Hotel and did glamping on our last night at Starlight Glamping.
This was the itinerary for our 8 days in Jeju.
Day 1 – Arrival day. Free and easy at Jeju City.
After a 6 hour direct flight from Singapore, we landed in Jeju Airport at about midday. We headed to Jeju’s Noodle Street or Guksu Geori (국수거리). From my experience, a bowl of hot noodle like the Gogi Guksu is the ideal comfort food to eat after a long flight.
It was free and easy at our hotel till evening where we took a slow walk to Jeju’s Dongmun Market (동문시장) for dinner. Dongmun is Jeju Island’s largest and oldest permanent market. On the way there and back, we walked through Chilsung-ro, the No.1 Fashion Street of Jeju and the Jungang Underground Shopping Center.
Trip report: Enjoying Gogi Guksu and Bibim Guksu at Guksu Madang
Trip report: Evening in Jeju City and Dongmun Market
Day 2 - Hike at Hallasan
The plan for the second day of our trip was to hike up Hallasan, the highest mountain in South Korea offering a once-a-lifetime experience for adventure seekers.
We chose the 3.7 km Yeongsil and 4.7 km Eorimok Trails as these trails are short and relatively easy for beginners. We ascended via Yeongsil Trail and descended via Eorimok Trail. These trails offer good views along the way as well as Baengnokdam in the background.
The best way to pamper ourselves after a day of physical workout hiking up and down Hallasan is to have an early dinner in one of the popular Jeju’s Black Pig BBQ restaurants such as Neulbom Heukdwaeji, Childonga or Donsadon.
We chose Neulbom Heukdwaeji since it i one of the larger restaurants in Jeju specialising in this cuisine. It is also located on our way back from Hallasan to Jeju City.
My original plan was to visit Iho Tewoo Beach in the evening to see the unique horse-shaped lighthouses at sunset. But we started our hike at Hallasan too late and our hike took too long. Even though it was dark, our driver took us to view the light houses at night before driving us back to our hotel along the rainbow coastal road.
Trip report: Hiking Hallasan‘s Yeongsil and Eorimok Trail in Autumn.
Trip report: Jeju’s Black Pork BBQ and Horse-shaped Lighthouses
Day 3 - Explore the east coast of Jeju by car.
Our plan for this day was to explore the eastern part of Jeju by chartered taxi, in particular enjoy Jeju's seafood (abalone), beautiful coastal scenery and geological marvels.
These were the places we visited.
- Breakfast at Cafe Delmoondo (at Hamdeok Beach)
- Manjanggul Caves
- Jeju Haenyeo Museum
- Lunch at one of the seafood restaurants along the coast. We went to Galchi Gongjang (갈치공장) Restaurant because Myeongjin Jeonbok was closed.
- Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak)
- Sangumburi Crater - see fields of reeds in autumn.
- Dinner in Jeju City – we had cravings for samgyetang (Ginseng Chicken Soup). Mr Won brought us to a small local restaurant near our hotel called the Tophyang Health Soup (탑향보양탕).
Samgyetang at Tophyang Health Soup for 15,000 KWR each.
Trip report: Delmoondo Cafe at Hamdeok Beach.
Trip report: Back to Manjanggul Cave.
Trip report: Abalone and seafood lunch at Galchi Gongjang (갈치공장) Restaurant.
Trip report: Back to Seongsan Ilchulbong or Sunrise Peak.
Trip report: Fields of Silvery Grass at Sangumburi Crater in Autumn.
Day 4 - Travel to Seogwipo and see some South Jeju sights.
We checked out from our hotel in Jeju City and travelled to Seogwipo City, located in the southern part of Jeju. We visited several places of interests on the way and also in the southern part of Jeju.
- Visit Odeungdong Tangerine Farm near Jeju City to pick tangerines.
- Gwaneumsa (filming location of K-drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo)
- Lunch in Jungmun area. We went to try the famous Jeju cutlass fish called galchi at Galchiwang.
- Cheonjeyeon Falls
- Jungsangeolli Cliff
- Yakcheonsa Temple
After checking into our hotel at Seogwipo (BK Hotel) in the evening, we took a walk to Seogwipo Olle Market. Seogwipo Olle Market offers an opportunity to taste the street food of Jeju and Korea. Besides the cooked food, the market sells a good variety of dried local products, seafood, fruits like tangerines and also souvenirs for tourists.
Trip report: Tangerine Picking in Jeju.
Trip report: Visit to Gwaneumsa.
Trip report: Lunch at King of Cutlass Fish – Galchi Wang (갈치왕).
Trip report: Cheonjeyeon Waterfall and Jusangjeolli Cliff.
Trip report: Yakcheonsa Temple.
Trip report: Evening at Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market and Lee Jung Seop Art Street.
Day 5 - Explore Jeju’s southern coast by hiking Olle Trail Route #6.
Hiking in Jeju is easy with the Olle trails. There are 26 different walking and hiking courses circling the island. Jeju Olle Route #6 is one of the most scenic and also the easiest.
The start point for the Olle 6 trail is at Soesokkak Estuary. We took public taxi to the start point since we did not engage Mr Won on this day,
We hiked the coastal trail back towards Seogwipo, ending at our hotel.
Along the way, we stopped by two cafes and also the Jeongbang Waterfall.
As a coastal city, Seogwipo has many restaurants specializing in fresh, local seafood, especially along Chilsimni Food Street. We had live Fish Sashimi and Seafood Stew (Haemultang) Dinner at the Horim Sikdang Restaurant, located just opposite our hotel.
Trip report: Hiking Jeju Olle Trail Route #6 from Soesokkak Estuary to Jeongbang Waterfall.
Trip report: Live Fish Sashimi and Seafood Stew (Haemultang) Dinner at Seogwipo
Day 6 - Explore Jeju’s south-western coast by hiking Olle Trail Route #10.
Another hike on the Jeju Olle Trails. This time, we did Route #10 from Hwasun Golden Sand Beach to Songaksan (Mount Songak). Although the end point for the Jeju Olle Trail Route #10 is at Hamo Sports Park in Moseulpo, covering a distance of about 15.6 km, we hiked the coastal trail to Songaksan only, covering a distance of only 8.5 km.
We took Mr Won’s taxi to the start point of the trail after sending one of our travelling companions to the Seogwipo Medical Center to seek medical attention for her injured foot.
During the hike, we had tea break at One and Only Cafe, visited Yongmeori Coast with the Hamel Monument and saw interesting coastal scenery along Sagye Beach with views of Sanbangsan and Hyeongjeseom Islands.
My original plan was to have dinner at one of the BBQ restaurants near Songaksan after a day of hiking. Our driver cum guide, Mr Won, advised me that restaurants at touristy places are expensive and it is better to eat in Seogwipo. He drove us to a restaurant favoured by locals and Koreans.
Trip report: Hiking Jeju Olle Trail Route #10 from Hwasun Golden Sand Beach to Songaksan.
Trip report: Dinner at Charcoal Grilled Pork Restaurant in Seogwipo.
Day 7 - Explore west coast of Jeju by car
The plan for our last day was to explore the Western side of Jeju on a chartered taxi tour.
We checked out of our hotel in Seogwipo and travelled to the western part of Jeju.
We made a stop at Osulloc Tea Museum and Innisfree Jeju House before proceeding for a scenic drive along the Sinchang Windmill Coastal Road.
The western coast of Jeju has some of the most scenic coastal roads, starting from Suwolbong Peak and going north towards Hyeopjae Beach.
Our next destination was Aewol Cafe Street. We did a short walk at the Handam Coastal Trail, a 1.2 km trail between Gwakji Gwamul Beach and Handam Village in Aewol. We had opportunities to explore a few popular cafes at Aewol.
We decided to experience glamping in Jeju on our last night instead of staying in traditional hotels.
Glamping is a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping.
Trip report: Osulloc Tea Museum and Innisfree Jeju House.
Trip report: Scenic drive along the Sinchang Windmill Coastal Road.
Trip report: Black Pork Gomtang Lunch at Hyeopjae Ondajung.
Trip report: Aewol Handam Coastal Trail from Gwakji Beach to Aewol Cafe Street.
Trip report: Glamping at Starlight Glamping
This is the list of restaurants that we went to.
1. Gogi Guksu and Bibim Guksu at Guksu Madang.
Address: 65 Samseong-ro, Jeju-si, Jeju-do.
https://naver.me/5gKJETH6
2. Black Pork BBQ at Neulbom Heukdwaeji in Jeju City.
Address: 12, Halla Daehak-ro, Jeju-si, Jeju-do.
https://naver.me/5ZwQP6qc
3. Black Pork BBQ at Haengun Charcoal Grilled Short Ribs in Seogwipo.
Address: 12 Bubu-ro, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.
https://naver.me/GgeP85Ks
4. Abalone and seafood lunch at Galchi Gongjang (갈치공장) Restaurant.
Address: 1296 Haemajihaean-ro, Gujwa-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do.
https://naver.me/xv7iVBFU
5. Samgyetang (Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup) at Tophyang Health Soup (탑향보양탕). Be careful what you order. This restaurant also has dog meat in the menu!
Address: 16, Jungang-ro 1-gil, Jeju-si.
https://naver.me/FctoYmdy
6. Grilled cutlass fish or Galchi at Galchi Wang (갈치왕) or King of Cutlass Fish.
Address: 1146 Iljuseo-ro, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.
https://naver.me/GFGGp3Kg
7. Live fish sashimi and Seafood Stew (Haemultang) at Horim Restaurant in Seogwipo.
Address: 45 Budu-ro, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do.
https://naver.me/5infxKT8
8. Black Pork Gomtang Lunch at Hyeopjae Ondajung.
Address: 381-4, Hallim-ro, Hallim-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do.
https://naver.me/FMxJfI7R
In addition, we also ate street food at the traditional markets and also had Korean Fried Chicken at Kyochon Chicken, BHC Chicken and Mexicana Chicken.
This is the list of cafes that we went to.
1. Delmoondo Cafe at Hamdeok Beach.
2. Oreuba Cafe along Olle Trail Route #6.
3. Honeymoon House along Olle Trail Route #6.
4. One and Only Cafe along Olle Trail Route #10.
5. Mega Coffee at Songaksan.
6. Cafe at Innisfree Jeju House.
7. A Twosome Place at Aewol.
8. Monsant Cafe at Aewol.
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