Well, I should amend that title by saying these are my favorite spots from my first visit to Jeju… I’m sure future visits will introduce me to other places that are equally awesome. My recent Jeju trip was over the Lunar New Year holiday, which was a four-day weekend. The end of January isn’t ideal Jeju weather, but it didn’t stop us from touring all over the island and thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Here’s the best of what I saw…The tour itself was a whirlwind of activities, so here are my favorites:
Olle Trail
Jeju’s 13 Olle Walking Trails are a big attraction on the island. We only walked along this one, but it was beautifully scenic and I was impressed with the sights we saw. Plus, it was a spring-like, sunny day and it was just really nice to stroll along the seaside.
Hallasan
Possibly one of the coolest things to see along this trail are the Jusangjeolli Rock Column Formations. Jeju Island is a product of the volcanic eruptions of Hallasan, so all over the island, you’ll see crazy lava formations. In this case, the lava formed hexagonal columns that don’t at all look natural.
Yongmeori Coast
This was possibly my favorite part of the whole weekend. Not only was it a stunning location, but we had a lot of fun trekking around and taking photos. Yongmeori Coast, also known as Dragon Head Coast, is right next to Mt. Sanbangsan.
Orange picking
Jeju is quite famous for a few things, and from my experience in Korea, it seems as though their oranges hold the number one spot. I was really excited to see that our tour included a stop for all-you-can-pick-and-eat at an orange orchard! We only had ten minutes to stuff ourselves (and possibly our bags…) with these sweet little oranges, but it was definitely worth it. Pruning shears were passed out, a timer was set, and we went crazy.
Kimnyoung Maze Park
If you’ve ever wanted to reenact Harry Potter or Labyrinth, I’ve found the place to go. This giant hedge maze was a rather whimsical part of our tour, but I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, this part of the tour was during the day when the weather decided to be rainy, making the maze less enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. We did, however, still laugh hysterically as we got completely lost. Also, because our umbrellas were too wide for the maze and we kept getting stuck.
Manjanggul Lava Tube
As I discovered last fall when I explored Hwanseongul on Korea’s east coast, I love caves. They fascinate me. Getting to walk inside the massive Manjanggul Lava Tube was no exception. Designated as a natural monument and UNESCO World Heritage site, it was created by the lava flow from several volcanic eruptions. It’s actually part of an entire system of lava tubes that are at least 100,000 years old.
Next time I visit Jeju, I’ll definitely be ready to tackle more of the island. Warmer weather will call for more time spent on Jeju’s beaches, checking out the waterfalls, and maybe even escaping the heat in museums. There’s just so much to do!
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