Must Do: Hiking/Walking Trails in Jeju Korea

Jeju is well-known to be a summer island. An island Koreans flood to during the summer for its awesome weather and wonderful beaches.

But what is the most popular and famous in Jeju isn't just the beaches but also its stunning coastal views and amazing walks.

From hiking up Mt. Hallasan or the hundreds of other volcanos in Jeju to the walking trails around the island. Walking or hiking in Jeju is definitely a must do. And trust me, the view is stunning!

Getting Around Jeju

Jeju is 4x the size of Singapore and 3 to 4 times the size of Seoul. IT IS HUGE. Since it isn't a metropolitan area, there aren't subways or trains, so driving is definitely the best way to get around.

During our stay in Jeju, we went on the Yeha Tour which brought us to 6 or 7 different destinations around Jejeu in a day and gave us time to explore freely at these destinations. This free and easy our is best for such a huge island like Jeju especially if you aren't driving.

One other way to get around Jeju and enjoy the view of the island at the same time is through walking.

Eoseungsaengak Trail

Most people who go to Jeju to hike will hike up the famous Hallasan mountain. However that takes  couple of hours and if you were only there for a few days (like I was) you wouldn't have that kind of time.  On the Yeha tour, we were given the option to hike up a smaller mountain trail near the Hallasan Mountain. It is about 1.3 km high and took about 50 mins up and down. Definitely a decent work out, not to  mention, being 1.3km above ground gives you a stunning view!

Mt. Sanbang

This is another vertical hike we went up. Instead of a mountain / volcano type terrain, it was a paved one with proper steps and would lead to a resting area mid way (you can stop there if you've had enough!) and a temple at the top of the hike. For the hiking adverse, the midway view and rest stop definitely boasts a good enough view.

Olle Trails

These are the most famous walking trails that go around the perimeter of the island. They have a total of 26 routes with varying difficulty.
Depending on which part of the island you start your trail, get a really different experience.
We were on the Olle trail on 2 different days on 2 different routes, one was beside the sea with people drying squids, and you also get a view of the sea, the vast sky and the view of Chuja-do, a smaller island beside Jeju.
The west course of the Yeha tour allowed us to take  30 min walk along 2km of the Suweolbong Trail which was a more paved pathway with really interesting rock structures and a lot of greenery.

The Olle trails were Korean journalist who travelled to Spain was inspired by the fact that they had a lot of fascinating walks and trails. She realised Jeju had an equally stunning natural beauty and scenic locations and so when she came back began introducing such trails all around the island. Apparently to walk around the whole perimeter of the Jeju Island through the Olle trails will take one about... 12 days without stopping. Crazy.

I wished I had more time spent in Jeju to enjoy more of its walks. If you ever do find yourself in Jeju, do carve out more time to explore the coast by foot. It makes for an amazing experience, and stunning pictures!