Cool Places to go #11 JEJU ISLAND!

Our journey to Jeju Island from Daejeon took 4 days (as we did a rather scenic tour of the east and west corners of South Korea) finally to land in Mokpo where we caught the ferry.
We had 4 days on the Island, including the time taken to get there and back...so here are some tips of the magical places to go and see:

Getting to Jeju:
There are various ways to get to the "Hawaii of Korea", you can fly (click here) from Incheon, Seoul. Or you can take a ferry. With the ferries, there are various options. You can get there from Busan, Incheon and Mokpo (click here for schedule and ferry types). We went from Mokpo on the Queen Mary Ferry which costs us each W60 000 for a one way ticket. If you'd like to book the Ferry,
here is the number to call:
Sea World Express Ferry – 064 758 4234/5 
Ferry – 8221330
(it's in English, and you will be issued with a reservation number. Then you arrive at the Ferry Terminal, quote your reservation number and pay on the day~easy!)
The ferry took +/- 5 hours, so just make sure you show up early enough to get in line for the best seats...well there are no seats really, so get there early to get the best place to park your bum on the floor:

There are 2 cities on Jeju Island; Jeju City & Seougwipo. We stayed in Seogwipo at an interesting backpackers called Hiking Inn. It was very, very basic but cheap and centrally located, and only cost W120 000 for 3 of us for 3 nights.

As the ferry arrives at Jeju city, and we needed to get to Seogwipo, the best way is by City Bus. Taxi's will rip you off, and stand like sharks outside the ferry gate, so don't let them get their claws into you. But you do need to taxi to the Bus Terminal (which should only cost you about W6000). The you need to go inside and book the bus to Seogwipo (its bus no#516, costs W3000 per person and takes 1 hour).

Once we had arrived in Seogwipo, it was a very quick ride (by taxi) to Hiking Inn (which luckily all the taxi's know about).

Our first day we headed to the gorgeous waterfalls of Cheonjiyeon and Jeongbang, each walking distance from Hiking Inn (Cheonjiyeon took us 5 mins to walk to and then Jeongbang Falls were 20 mins away from there, just following the coastal road). Each waterfall has an entrance fee of about W2000. At Cheonjiyeon Falls there is a Tourist Information with a very friendly English speaking lady, who can tell you exactly which buses you need to catch to get there you want to go)

The we bought a picnic lunch from the nearest mart and headed by Taxi to Donako Resort (it cost W6000 to get there from Jeongbang Waterfalls, just tell the taxi driver Donako Trekking) and you will get dropped off a the site for the hiking trail. This must be one of the highlights of our trip. Picnicking in the crystal clear waters and rock pools of Donako. Just follow the blue signs and the wooden boardwalk, and then go off exploring!

After a refreshing swim in the crystal clear waters, we headed back to Hiking Inn, but not before stopping at a charming Cafe up the main side streets above Hiking Inn, for delicious grilled cheese panini's and yummy iced hot chocolate! The owner was so friendly and has the cutest little puppy there, a lovely atmosphere, and the perfect place for an afternoon glass of sangria!

Then it was off to check out the famous Jungman Beach. To get there, you have to get another city bus (number 600 which stops all over the Island). We caught the bus outside The New Kyungnam Tourist Hotel (which is a 2 min walk up the hill from Hiking Inn) and costs W3000 per person. Take this bus all the way to Jungman Tourist Resort (about a 45 min drive). *Tickets can be bought at this bus stop, as well as tickets for the airport limousine*

The beach was packed to full capacity, but we still managed a lovely swim:

On our second day, we woke up early and headed for Udo Island. The absolute best part of our trip! To get there, you first have to catch a bus to Seongsan (W3000). You can either walk, or taxi to the Seogwipo Bus Terminal, where you catch the bus to Seongsan (which is opposite the Paris Baguette):

The bus ride took about 45 minutes, and the finally arrived at the Ferry Terminal. The ferry tickets costs us W5 000 each for a return ticket. Just make sure you have your passport numbers handy to fill in the ticket forms to get on the ferry!

Once we arrived on Udo Island (only a 25 minute ride) we were able to hire scooters (also available were four wheelers and bicycles) which costs W30 000 a scooter for 4 hours! And they only needed our alien cards as a deposit *no license required*. From there it was off to explore, jump off the pier into sparkling clear sea, snorkel around and have a fabulous picnic lunch *bring your own food as there is not much to buy on the Island ~which itself only took us 40 mins to drive around the whole place*

Then it was back onto the mainland, and we headed for Sunrise Peak, which was a a short walk from the ferry terminal. It cost us each W2 000 entrance, and was a grueling 20 minute *steep* climb all the way to the top ~ but the view was breathtaking! Sunrise Peak is actually a Volcano crater, and definitely worth a visit!

Then it was another bus ride back to Seogwipo (W3000 each) and then back for a stroll around Seogwipo.

Finally, on our 3rd day, it was another taxi ride to the Bus Terminal, another hour long ride back to Jeju City, another taxi to the right Ferry Terminal to book our tickets, and then another 5 hour ferry ride back to Mokpo, where we had a 3 hour train ride back to Daejeon.

All in all, the trip to Jeju Island (from Mokpo) and back to Daejeon costs us each W225 000, including all transport costs, accommodation, food and entrance fee's. So it was definitely worth it! But there is so much to see, you actually need at least 10 days to get a decent feel for this magical place.

*If you have any questions about the trip please feel free to email us at farmboyandcitygirl@gmail.com*