About Jeju island

Jeju island is really famous vacation spot for stunning mother nature. It is an island made from volcanic eruption so you can see unique landscapes like lava tubes, mini volcanic hillls, and basalt rock. And there’re lots of beach which have special color and fresh water. Also, I can’t help talking about tasty food like black pork BBQ, abalone hot pot, and mackerel Sashimi. So Jeju island is often called as “Hawaii of Korea”.

The Charm of Jeju Island

1. Beaches, all unique in their own way

All the beaches in Jeju island have its own unique charm. Colors, waves, sands, and water depth are all different. About Woljeongri Beach, you can enjoy clear water, wind turbines, and black basalt rock. And as the water is calm and shallow, it’s a good place for paddle boating. As for Seobinbaeksa Beach, white sand made from crushed coral which makes the shore creamy and soft color that is the big difference from others. And it’s one of my favorite beaches! About Hamdeok Beach, it’s known for enjoying water sports like paddleboarding, kayaking, and other activities because it has also calm and shallow water. You can rent gear or join beginner from nearby rental shops. And as it’s very wide open area, you can enjoy those without being disrupted by many people. What I really liked about this beach is the color of water. It has a stunning emerald color because of crystal-clear water.

2. Volcanic hills and mountain

You can see lots of mini volcanic hills “Oreum” created by mother nature in Jeju island. As they are made from volcanic eruptions, the shape for each is so unique and it is literally mother nature. As it’s not steep, you can hike easily and it’ll take about 20-30 mins to climb to the summit. What I like most is I can enjoy stunning panoramic views of coastline, fields, and villages stretching out in all directions. And I can’t forget the beautiful sunset and starts I saw at the summit. Among many Oreums, my favorite one is “Geum Oreum”. In summer, you’ll be able to see a crater lake and it’s especially beautiful when it reflects the sky. I went there in Fall, I could enjoy beautiful sunset and reed.

Beside Oreum, I wanna talk about Halla mountain, which is the highest mountain in South Korea and part of UNESCO world heritage sites. When I hiked in the fall, it was so fun to see landscape transform from the bottom to the top. Also, there’re several hiking trails, you can choose according to your level. I chose 8 hours course and it was so hard but absolutely worth it. At the summit, I could see big “Baengnokdam” crater (though it was dry) and I was above clouds! It felt like my heart opened widely and so refreshing. One things you shouldn’t miss is to bring instant ramen and hot water. It was crazy to eat it at the summit.

3. Lots of tasty food

Of course landscape is so nice, my favorite one is food! I even went to same restaurants many times because they were crazy delicious. The first food you should eat as soon as arriving in Jeju is black pork BBQ. And all the restaurants selling it were perfect. No matter where you go, it will be delicious. However, I wanna recommend a restaurant named “Sukseongdo”. Workers grilled the meat for us at the table and served it with pickled wild garlic leaves and dipping sauce. And when I took a bite, the harmony between meat, leaves and sauce was literally crazy. I couldn’t stop eating.

The second one that I’d like to introduce is “Tteokhani” where you can have Tteokbokki (spicy rice cake) with a big octopus. The spice and saltiness were perfectly balanced. As the seafood was added, the taste of broth was rich. All the rice cake was soft to eat and the tempura was perfect because it was crispy on the outside, but even better when soaked in the Tteokbokki sauce. The killing part was fried rice! They used the leftover broth and added rice, dried seaweed, and corn. It was the perfect harmony and I couldn’t stop eating it while I was full. As a Tteokbokki lover, It’s my favorite restaurant that I went more than 3 times.

Last but not least, mackerel is incredibly fresh and flavorful in Jeju. I think many of you haven’t tried mackerel sasimi because it should be eaten almost right after it’s caught. There’re full of restaurant selling it especially near Hamdeok Beach. I recommend you to eat after enjoying the beach. It will be a perfect schedule.

If I travel again, I will do…

I will definitely go to Jeju again to eat the food that I mentioned above. And I really wanna see Baengnokdam of Halla mountain filled with water. Additionally, as I traveled mostly eastern part, I wanna go to other side. I hope you enjoy beautiful mother nature in Jeju and this post is helpful for your trip.

If you want more travel spots to enjoy Mother Nature besides Jeju Island Click here