Exploring Jeju Island: A Natural Wonder of The World

I met a nice man from Korea while I was traveling through the Philippines, and he told me if I ever made it to his homeland, I would be a fool to skip Jeju. I saved a little note in my phone, “Jeju Island, South Korea.”

A few weeks later, I was in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, and my tour guide started listing off the other natural wonders of the world: “The Amazon in Brazil, Komodo Island in Indonesia, Jeju island in South Korea..”. It seemed this place kept popping up, so I began doing some research. It looked beautiful, but South Korea was not on my radar.

A few weeks after that, I was in Cambodia and searching for cheap one ways to decide where to go next, and South Korea was third on the list on Skyscanner. I was ready to get out of Southeast Asia at that point, so with no hesitation, I booked the flight. South Korea, here I come! But the flight was into Seoul, not Jeju.

I quickly fell in love with Korea: the food, the people, the nightlife, the culture, the cafes, the fashion. I asked around in Seoul if Jeju was all it was hyped up to be, and everyone assured me, it was. Back on Skyscanner, I found a $12 flight (Yes, 12 freaking dollars!). Ok, Jeju! I’m coming for you! Traveling with loose itineraries is fun for that very reason; I hadn’t even heard of Jeju until maybe a month prior, and next thing I knew, I was on the cheapest flight I had ever booked headed there.

The flight alone was beautiful; I got lucky going through the fluffiest clouds, and right at the end was treated to the sights of a beautiful island in Korea, of all places.

Where To Stay

Here are my top picks for where to stay when visiting Jeju.

• For Affordable Hostels: SLOW Citi Hostel
• For Budget Hotels: Shin Shin Hotel Jeju Worldcup
• For Mid-Range Hotels: Seogwipo KAL Hotel
• For Luxury Hotels: Lotte Hotel Jeju

The Logistics Of Getting Around

I would only have about two and a half days there which is obviously short, but I had to get to Japan by a certain date so it was all my time allowed for. The island is small so I figured I could make two days work. I decided to stay in Seogwipo which is on the south end of the island. It seemed like it was closer to more major sights, but having done little to no research and hardly knowing what this place even was, I just winged it and found a hostel there.

From Jeju international airport, I had to take a two-hour bus ride to get to Seogwipo, which quickly brings me to my first point. If you plan to go to Jeju, I can tell you it’s almost pointless if you don’t rent a car. RENT A CAR.  I am all about spontaneous trips and going somewhere unknown and winging it, but if I had done research, I would at least know that, and it would’ve saved me a few headaches.

The bus ride was fine, they announced stops in both English and Korean, but I realized, getting around this island would be difficult. The busses only ran so often, and because most major attractions are so spread out, I would have to severely limit what I wanted to see. I ideally wanted to hike Hallasan, see Jeju Stone Park, go to Oedolgae, visit Jeju Love Land, and maybe even go to the Teddy Bear Museum. While on a map, it looks like these places may be close together, if you are strictly depending on busses, good luck my friends. In my two days, I saw Oedolgae, Jeju Stone Park, ate some black pork, and found a waterfall that unfortunately was barricaded off!

Visiting Oedolgae

From my hostel in Seogwipo, Oedolgae was about a twenty minute walk. It was my favorite thing I did while in Jeju. Oedolgae is giant rock formations in the middle of these beautiful pristine blue waters. I was there during off-season so I basically had the entire place to myself. I remember sitting on one of the rocks and just watching the waves crash into them for at least an hour. Little moments like that throughout a hectic travel schedule can really make or break a trip.

Afterward, I got some fresh tangerine juice which I highly recommend you also do if you’re ever in Jeju. The island is home to tons of fresh amazing produce, and that tangerine juice was the best I ever had.

Visiting Jeju Stone Park

Getting to Jeju Stone Park from Seogwipo was a bit of a nightmare without a car, but I was hellbent on seeing it, and it was well worth the headache. I had to take three different busses totaling over 2 hours of public transport. Once I got there, though, I felt like I was in Easter Island. Who knew these large jutting stones existed in Korea, of all places?

I learned some history about these giant rock formations while there. The park is dedicated to the myth of Seoulmundae Halmang. She was a giant goddess (literally giant, they say her body was the size of Jeju) who, one day while her sons were out hunting, prepared a cauldron of hot soup, but accidentally fell in it. The sons returned from hunting and ate the soup, not knowing their mother was the main ingredient until they reached the bottom of the bowl and saw her bones. It’s said that from there on out, they turned into stones out of sadness.

While it was interesting and beautiful, there is absolutely nothing else around there, and the commute to and from almost ate up my entire day. Once again, rent a damn car. I splurged and took a taxi back.

The Food of Jeju

As I mentioned, trying tangerines or tangerine juice is a must, but aside from that, Jeju is known for “black pork.” It is a special pig that is native to the island of Jeju, and it is pretty damn delicious if I do say so myself. I was not able to afford a proper black pork sit-down meal (the ones I found were for at least two people and I was by myself, and they started around $50 USD), but I did find a black pork-filled pancake at Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market. This market was awesome; filled with tons of street snacks, fresh produce, fresh seafood, and a lot of Jeju specialities. Some stalls even sold vin chaud (mulled wine) and beer. I highly recommend swinging by, especially if you are staying in Seogwipo.

The Waterfalls Of Jeju

Jeju is home to several waterfalls, and I thought I’d try to see at least one in my short time there. I walked to Cheoniyeon Falls, about a twenty minute walk from where I was staying in Seogwipo, and unfortunately, while I could just barely see it, most of it was blocked off for reasons I am not sure of (the signs were all in Korean!). However, I heard Jeongbang Waterfall is the place to be, but there is an entrance fee, and I only chose the other because I’m on a tight budget.

Overall

All in all, Jeju was still 100% worth going to, even if I ended up missing a lot of things. It’s a place I would go back to in a heartbeat. It was so unique from anything else I’ve ever seen and it’s no wonder this tiny random little island ended up on a natural world wonder list.

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