Ten Things to Do on Jeju Island, Korea


Jeju Island, Korea's largest island, lies off the southern coast of Korea in the Korean Strait. Known as the "Hawaii of Korea", Jeju is known for it's beaches, it's volcanic craters and it's lava tubes. Popular as a honeymoon destination and ranked as a number one place to visit for Koreans,  Jeju has the distinction of having a triple crown of UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Mount Halla, the highest peak in Korea, Seongsan Ilchulbong peak, created from a volcanic eruption and Geomunoreum, regarded as the finest lava tube system of caves anywhere. I'll admit that until my youngest daughter studied in Seoul for a semester and went to Jeju, I had never heard of it. She raved about her visit there so when we headed to Korea to visit her, we decided to get out of the city and visit Jeju-do. 



We hopped a one hour Korean Air flight to the island from Seoul - seriously, I think it took us longer to get to the airport than it did to fly there - and picked up a rental car to drive to our Air BnB. We stayed in a two-bedroom condo on the coast about 25 miles outside of the capital city of Jeju City. We then enjoyed three days on this most interesting island.
Flying into Jeju


Where we stayed:
We stayed at an Air BnB rental located on the coast, about 30 minutes outside of Jeju City. It was a two bedroom condo that also included a kitchen, bath and washer and dryer. It also included a great view and was just perfect for the three of us. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to be included in the rental listings anymore. 
The view from our rental condo


The kitchen at our rental



What we did:
The Mongolian Horse Show
The Ma Park bills itself as the world's largest horse-themed park. It offers horse riding facilities for all levels along with an indoor and outdoor race track. We were there for the Mongolian Horse Show - my daughter's find - which features 60 riders, all hailing from Mongolia, and four acts over 50 minutes. The show is performed three times per day in an outdoor amphitheatre which holds about 1,500 people - of which I am sure we were the only westerners - and is a history of the Goguryeo Kingdom. We didn't understand a word of the program but the horse riding was magnificent with lots of trick riding and some humor. It was my daughter's favorite thing we did on the island - and I think it was in my top 3. Very entertaining. (If you go, go early. It is an extremely popular show with lots of bus tours attending)





Jeju Stone Park
Legend has it that  the geographical features of Jeju were created by Grandmother Seolmundae, the giant goddess of Jeju island who supposedly had 500 sons,  at the beginning of time. Jeju's Stone Park was inspired by this myth of stone and spirit. It's a collection of natural and man made stone that you can walk through along with a water feature and an indoor museum. Mt. Halla makes an interesting backdrop as you walk around and learn the significance of stone on Jeju. All over the island you will see Dol hareubang, or Stone Grandfather, statues that are the symbol of the island and it's protectors. This was by far my favorite thing that we did on the island. We spent about two hours here but we could easily have spent more. Be prepared though - this park sits at a higher elevation and the weather was much cooler and it is difficult to get here without a car though supposedly you can get here by the public bus system.






Jeju Loveland
Jeju Loveland is a theme sculpture park that is home to over 140 sculptures dedicated to the theme of sensuality and eroticism. Started by twenty artists from Hongik University in 2004, it was the first of it's kind in Korea. It's been called the world's kinkiest sculpture park and where "love oriented art and eroticism meet." We spent about 45 minutes walking around here and enjoying it's uniqueness. I know I've never been anywhere like it before! It's very famous in Korea and most Koreans would not miss visiting here on a trip to Jeju. Due to the nature of Love Land, it's not suitable for children.


One of the few "tamer" photos that I could publish

Daepo Jusangjieoli Cliffs
When Hallasan Mountain erupted into the sea, these basalt cliffs were formed. Located on the Jisatgae Coast, these basalt pillars are hexagon or cube shaped and look as if they were hand carved. The cliffs are a designated cultural monument of Jeju and it's a popular tourist spot. There are food stalls - Mr. UR enjoyed some octopus while I tried the famous Jeju ice cream covered in peanuts - and women selling their wares. 







Yeomiji Botanical Garden
Billed as one of the best botanical gardens in Asia, Jeju's has over 2,000 rare  tropical or sub-tropical plants. There is an indoor garden with an Observation Tower that you may climb to see the surrounding area. The outdoor garden offers  Korean, Japanese, Italian and French gardens along with a garden native to Jeju. It took us about an hour to wander around but unfortunately it started raining when we were outside so we decided it was time to move on.









Manjanggul Lava Cave
Designated a natural monument, Manjanggul Cave is one of the finest lava tunnels in the world. Only 1 kilometer of the cave is open to tourists which amazes me because this place is huge. You descend steps down into the cave and there are actually floor lights so you can sort of see where you are walking. And again, it's overwhelmingly large. We walked almost to the end before we turned around - and I think it took us about an hour total. It's really quite cool to walk inside a lava tube if you've never done it - I'd recommend doing it at least once.


Eat Korean Barbeque
Jeju is known for it's black pork - it's unique to the island and people have been known to travel here from all over the world to try it. We ate it twice - once at a newly-opened more modern spot and once at a traditional restaurant. You sit at a table with a grill in the center and then you grill your small pieces of meat while other dishes are brought out to you. Both places we tried were excellent - and the employees were nice enough to help us foreigners with grilling our meat. If you go to Jeju, just look for the black pig signs to try their famous black pork.



Visit Cheonjeyeon Falls
Seonimgyo, or Seven Nymphs, Bridge is an arch bridge that spans Cheonjeyon Falls. We walked the bridge to view the falls and then we walked down to the falls. A very quick and cold fog came in on our way back and we could see nothing. But if you enjoy short walks, and waterfalls, and bridges with views (usually) then you should visit Seven Nymphs Bridge and Cheonjeyeon Falls. (It's only about a 5 minute walk to the Botanical Garden and we combined these for our visit)






Visit a Craft Brewery
Korea seems a little late to the Craft Brewery scene, but Jeju has an outpost of Korea's most famous brewery, in Jeju City - Magpie Brewing. They also serve food so we stopped in for snacks and an adult beverage. ( Note: They don't open until 4pm ) And Jeju Brewing Company is one of Brooklyn Breweries International locations - a sister brewery that uses Brooklyn's know how and technology to produce Jeju Wit-Ale. 










Go to the Beach
We couldn't visit an island without going to the beach, could we? One of Jeju's most famous beach areas is Hyeopjae - think a boardwalk, pizza, ice cream and an airstream bar with adirondack chairs - it's so very California like. But there is something at Hyeopjae Beach that I've never seen before - or since. A tarp over the beach. That's right - a canvas tarp over the beach! Apparently, Koreans don't like the beach, and especially the sand, so they cover it so you don't get messy. It definitely ranks up there with one of my weirdest visits to a beach ever. The water, however, was gorgeous. Beautiful turquoise blue, even at dusk. You'd think you were in Greece or the Florida Panhandle. 















And if visit Hyeopjae Beach, and if you've had enough Korean Barbecue to last a lifetime, and you just want some pizza - head over to Donato's Pizza (just like the chain in the US!) and get some delicious pizza cooked in a real wood-fired pizza oven and enjoy it at an outdoor table. Great food and wonderful ambiance. 






How about you? Have you been to Jeju? Or even heard of it?



Linking up with: WATW at Communal Global,The Weekly Postcard at Travel Notes and Beyond, The Weekend Wanderlust Weekend Travel Blog Party and Travel Photo Thursday at Budget Travelers Sandbox!









Comments

  1. I have never been to Korea but hubby has a couple of times. He said that Jeju was well known for fresh sushi and honeymoons (this is his recollection from 20-30 years ago). The island definitely has a lot to offer. The stone park looks intriguing ad I'd really like to see it. I guess that being a volcanic island gave the people a lot to work with when it came to making the stone sculptures. The Mongolian horse show also looks like a fun thing to see. I'll have to try Korean BBQ one of these days as hubby says it is fantastic.

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    1. Your hubby is right - Korean BBQ is fantastic. All of the places in Korea, and not just Jeju, that I tried it were delicious. Jeju was quite an interesting place - like none I've been to before. I'd highly recommend it. Thanks for visiting, Rhonda!

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  2. The stone park definitely looks interesting! Reminds me of the Easter Islands! The horse show looks pretty cool, but I hope that the horses are treated nicely! Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard!
    (www.caliglobetrotter.com)

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    1. I loved both the Stone Park and the Horse show - and from what I could tell the horses were treated very humanely. I could see some of the behind the scenes because we were seated on the side, and the performers were petting and talking to the horses so I think that's a good sign. Thanks for visiting, Lori!

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  3. I've never been to Korea! Daepo Jusangjieoli Cliffs look amazing - I´d love to see this unusual landscape in person! #TheWeeklyPostcard

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    1. The cliffs are very unique - I think it looks like Northern Ireland's Giants Causeway. Thanks for visiting, Anna!

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  4. I meant to visit Jeju when I was in Korea, but then I developed a hernia in my neck and had to stay in Seoul for a series of doctor's appointments. I wanted to see Jeju Loveland, eat some black pork, and go to the beach.Oh well, maybe sometime I'll get back there. Funny that the sand is covered up!

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    1. I'm sorry to hear about your troubles in Korea - hope it all worked out. And I hope you make it to Jeju someday! Isn't that covered up sand a hoot? I've never seen it anywhere else. Thanks for visiting, Rachel!

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  5. Beaches, botanic gardens, and ice cream. This looks like a fantastic place. Hopefully I'll get to Korea someday. #WeekendWanderlust

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    1. It was a very interesting- and fun - place to visit. Hope you make it to Korea someday, too! Thanks for visiting The Unpaved Road!

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  6. Jeju looks really beautiful, especially the beaches. I have some Korean friends who told me about this island. I hope to see it someday. #TheWeeklyPostcard

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    1. I hope you make it to Jeju someday, too - it's a very interesting place. Thanks for the link-up - and for visiting, Anda!

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  7. Great post Jill. In my 17 years in Korea, I never made it to Jeju. I heard mixed reviews, and Koreans always shouting at me that I had to go. The Koreans shouting at me about it all the time really got tiring (laughing here). I'm glad you enjoyed your visit. Your photos are great. Thanks for linking up. #TPThursday

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    1. Thanks Nancie! It was a very unique experience. Most of the places I've been have been the top touristy sites - Paris, National Parks, Walt Disney World - so it was cool for me to head to a place, though touristy for Koreans, that wasn't very touristy for Westerners. It was fun going somewhere "undiscovered" to most from North America, if that makes sense? Thanks for visiting - and thanks for the link-up!

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