4D3N Jeju Trip

October 11, 2010

4D3N Jeju Trip

Before I went to Jeju last summer, I'd been searching for info on the Net and all the info was so scattered! So, to commemorate our 101010 ROM anniversary, I shall write a travel guide on our honeymoon trip to Jeju island!

The ubiquitous Jeju hareubang, or "stone grandfather" statue

Jeju-do, or Jeju Island, is the largest island in South Korea. It is a volcanic island created from volcanic eruptions approximately 2 million years ago. The highest mountain in South Korea, Mount Halla, is situated here. (The highest mountain in Korea - both North and South - is located in North Korea.)

If Bali could be compared with the sunset, then Jeju would be the sunrise. Both are volcanic islands, are equally romantic and are a popular spot for honeymooners, but are as different as night and day. In Bali the popular things to do are temple visiting and clubbing the night away, but in Jeju it's all about getting up early and setting off on that eco trail!

We flew in by Air Busan from Busan to Jeju. Round trip tickets for two of us cost 267,000won. Jeju island is divided into 2 parts: north (Jeju-si) and south (Jungmun and Seogwipo-si). There's more attractions at the south so we stayed there. In the middle of the island is Mount Halla, whereas on the east side there's Seongsan Ilchubong (Sunrise Peak) and Manjanggul Lava Tubes. On the less visited west of the island are the Tea Plantation and Glass Castle. Here's our itinerary:

Day 1
Jeju Airport -> Mysterious Road -> Loveland -> Jungmun(中文观光区) -> Teddy Bear Museum -> Lotte hotel volcano show (8.30pm sharp)

Day 2
Manjanggul Lava Tubes (万丈窟) -> Gimnyeong Maze -> Seongsan Ilchubong （城山日出峰）

Day 3 - Olle Trail
Oedolgae (Lonely Rock) -> Cheonjiyeon waterfalls （天地渊） -> Jeongbang waterfalls （正房瀑布） -> Sambangsan Lava Dome -> Glass Castle （琉璃之城）　

Day 4
Jungmun Daepo Columnar Joints -> Airport

Getting around the island
Before going to Jeju we actually intended to rent a car and drive around the island. But after going there, I do not recommend driving yourself because a) Jeju-do is a large island, takes a long time to get around b) taking the bus is so easy! c) taxi is cheap d) easy to get confused with the signage e) but the most important thing was renting a car is expensive (from 65,000won per day exclusive of petrol, insurance etc) and they had rented out all their small cars (eg Matiz) and foreigners were not allowed to book beforehand!

For Day 1, we dumped our luggage at the airport locker room and took a taxi to Loveland/Mysterious Road (6000-7000won). Make sure you have marked down the Korean name of your destination because most taxi drivers can't understand English! As an alternative you can give the phone no. of the place to the taxi driver cos they can enter it in their GPS and get the location! Get the taxi driver to demonstrate driving on the Mysterious Road. After that, take a taxi back to the airport (6000-7000won) then take the airport limo to Jungmun (3000won) where the Teddybear Museum is located.

For Day 2, we took a bus from Jungmun to Seogwipo Bus Terminal and changed to another bus to Manjanggul Lava Tubes (not recommended, very long ride @_@ about 2 hours! Best is to spend a night in Jeju-si and take a bus from there to Manjanggul, it's nearer...) Then from Manjanggul, we walked 20 mins to the Gimnyeong maze. Get a discount at the maze if you reached there on foot! Then we took a taxi to Seongsan Ilchubong and spent a whole afternoon there. Then took the bus back to Seogwipo/Jungmun.

For Day 3, it was so easy to get around because everything was so nearby (around Seogwipo area). Took the bus from Jungmun to Oedolgae then taxi to both the waterfalls. After that, taxi back to Seogwipo Bus Terminal and took a bus to the west part of the island to see the Glass Castle. However we were captivated on the way by the Sambangsan lava dome so we got off the bus. Wait for a taxi to get to Glass castle (15,000won) but don't stay there for too long because you can hardly get a taxi back in the late afternoon! Luckily we managed to hitchhike our way back to Jungmun area.

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