Cultural Immersion: Walking the Olle Trail in Jeju Island (제주올레길), South Korea
Jeju Island is often referred to as the “Korean Hawaii”, with its palm trees, tropical fruits, white and black sandy beaches, and vast turquoise waters perfect for scuba diving, kite surfing, snorkeling, and sailing. Like Kona, there’s even an international Ironman competition!
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It has all the beauty of Hawaii… and so much more! Jeju Island sits further north, giving it four distinct seasons and an ever-changing floral landscape. While tourism is growing along the southern coast, there are still plenty of authentic, colorful towns with local attractions and individual appeal.
We had been to Jeju Island (also called Jeju-Do) several times over the years to hike Hallasan — Jeju’s iconic volcano peak — and do all the touristy things one does in the resort zone: hit the beach, eat seafood, ogle K-drama spots, snap photos at Sunrise Peak, take a ferry ride, etc. In March of 2024, though, we decided to invest a little more time (and energy) in Jeju by walking the majority of the Olle Trail, a 437 kilometer (270 miles) walking path that circumnavigates the island.
Map image credit: Jeju Island official Olle Trail organization site
As of 2024, the trail is divided into 21 routes, plus a few off-shoot island sections. Over 17 days, we did routes 1-14 plus 20-21. We were blown away by the culturally-rich, immersive experience — and my husband is Korean! We both learned a ton about the people, traditions, art, cuisine, and historical struggles of this beautiful island that was, until only recently, a backwater place of exile. In the posts below, I provide a summary of our budget and logistical details (accommodations, transportation, bag forwarding). I also post my digital daily logbook to give you a sense of life on the trail, regional cuisine, and some of the “special interest” highlights that made the trip so much more than a long, windy walk!
Budget Breakdown and Logistics
Daily Log Book: Life on the Trail
