Jeju Olle Trail: Daily Log Book Courses 1 - 2 and Udo Island
We hiked South Korea’s Jeju Olle Trail in March of 2024. To give you a sense of “life on the trail”, I’ve published my digital logbook here with minimal edits. This post covers days 4-7, courses 1, 1-1, and 2. Scenic landmarks include: Seongsan Ilchubong, Udo Island, vast yellow canola fields, and a calm estuary and bird sanctuary.
Day 4: Course 1 - Siheung to Seongsan Ilchubong, 12 miles, sunny windy and chilly, became colder in the afternoon
Quiet sleep last night - quietest in a long long time! We got up around 7:00, had coffee and breakfast snack, showered and then left around 9:30 am. At the beginning of course 1 is an official trail information center, so we went inside and browsed around, chatting with the host inside. We each bought a blue ganse horse pin symbolizing the trail for our packs. “Ganse” means “lazy” or “idle” in the Jeju dialect; the ganse horse is a reminder to slow down, take it easy, and enjoy the stroll.
The trail for Course 1 proceeded promptly and steeply to the top of an oreum (small volcanic hilltop), providing a terrific overlook of the fields and sea, with Seongsan Ilchubong in the hazy distance. Trail continued down through a peaceful pine forest, then up again, across a dried grassland. Arm-width bundles of dried grass lay neatly stacked along the hillside. A little further, we watched a family cutting and making more bundles. Another 360 view at the top of the next oreum, with Jimi Hill in the distance. Then back down through farm fields of radish, carrots, and rapeseed. Windy, but not too cold; peaceful sound of just the wind and birds.
After a restroom break at the base of the hill, it was a pavement walk through the colorful town of Jondalli (존달리), with pretty painted walls of sunflowers, camellias, and bucolic scenes of salt farming, for which the area was known until the 20th century.
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After a hefty lunch of grilled mackerel and tile fish, along with rice and delicious farm-fresh side dishes, a short walk brought us out to the seaside road we had walked yesterday. Although the wind was picking up and the air was getting colder, the walk along this section was stunning! The sea here is a vivid pallet of marine blue, turquoise, sandy beige, black lava rocks, white sand, and bright / dark green seaweed. Lots of colorful ducks, loons, white seagulls sitting on the black lava fields, facing the wind. Every once in a while, they would take flight, swooping and dipping in unison to their next hang-out spot.
Looking across the bay to Udo Island
The road wound along the bay, across a bridge and into the Seongsan port area. Lots of tourists here, many Chinese! We walked up a dirt path towards Seongsan Ilchubong, a huge tuft volcano that is the dramatic feature of the landscape here. It presents as a huge cliff on the ocean side, with a broad skirt of low grassland on the opposite side. Our approach to the hill was a grassy trail along the cliff; we spied several haenyeo working in the sea below, their yellow flippers pointed to the sky as they dove down for their next catch. Colorful orange buoys marked their presence when they were below water. The average age of the lady divers is 70+ years old. It’s a dying profession and we are lucky to see the last of them in action. They are short, stout, rugged and tough - these aren’t K-pop beauty queens! But tough as nails 🙂
Seongsan Ilchubong
We stowed our bags in a locker at the tourist center, bought a 5,000 won entry ticket, and walked up to the top of Seongsan Ilchubong; fantastic landscape views on the way up; gradients of blue and green sea, black soil, fresh bright green spring fields, colorful village rooftops. At the top, a view of the crater, now covered in vegetation, with the dark blue sea beyond.
Headed down, grabbed our bags; it was 4:30 and time to find a place to stay. The temperature had dropped, probably in the high 30’s (~3 degrees celsius). We checked around at a few places; waiting on a minbak owner (할머니) to return from the grocery store, we popped into a shop selling oranges. We bought two fresh-squeezed OJs from the owner - OMG! Worth every penny of the 14,000 won we spent on those juices! That was the most delicious, sweet, full-flavored orange juice I have ever had in my life! The owner was very talkative and friendly, telling us all about her family (the orange farmers) and her kids, particularly her baby son, who she had late in life and was the apple of their life 😄. The shop is named after the son. About 30 minutes later, we got a call from the grandma; went to see the minbak room. For 35,000 won (about USD$30), it was a typical open room, heated floor and mats to sleep. It had a private bathroom, small fridge, and TV. Perfect!
Then I realized i had lost my sunglasses! We backtracked to the restroom at Seongsan Ilchulbong and then to the first guesthouse we had looked at. Unbelievably, with great luck, we found them still in the floor of the guesthouse entry 😎 where I had apparently dropped them.
We returned to the minbak and relaxed a bit on the heated blanket she brought in as the floor was warming up, then went for dinner at 7:00. We had 갈치 조림 and 갈치귀 (grilled belt fish dishes). Another hearty meal to end the day! Went back to our room, had a final dessert snack and some makoli (a type of beer made with rice), then dropped into sleep. Super warm and cozy!!
Day 5: Course 1.1 Udo, 13 miles, very windy and a little chilly but sunny and clear
C went for an early morning sunrise stroll, alongside the haenyeo commuting to work. When he returned, we gathered our things and headed out the door at 9:30. Breakfast of noodle soup and seafood pancake (국수과 해물파전). Then 11:00 ferry to Udo Island. So many Chinese people!! On the 15 minute ferry ride, when entering the cabin, everyone has to remove their shoes and sit on the floor (no seats).
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We followed the orange Jeju Olle Trail arrows today, going counter-clockwise around the island. This meant starting with a climb to the highest point on Udo, a cliff with a lighthouse overlooking the mainland and with a good view of Seongsan Ilchubong. We followed the cliff path, with the sea to our right and a broad grassy field to our left. Saw a couple of horses grazing in the sunshine. With our packs, the hike up was rather steep, but less than a mile. Visited the Udo lighthouse before descending back to the farmlands that comprise most of the island.
I was in Udo 12 years ago and the transformation to a resort destination is quite remarkable. When I visited the first time, it was a rugged, undeveloped part of Korea. A few Korean tourists might do a day trip to the beaches in Udo and spend the day riding a bike around the island on dusty dirt roads. Today, the beautiful little villages are almost gone, replaced by modern pensions, theme restaurants, and souvenir shops. The beaches are cleaner and more beautiful, but the rest of the island has lost its original feel (in my opinion). No place is immune to change, especially when the tourists descend. Udo is still a fun place to spend the day, but the experience is different. Today, the flock of Chinese tourists and Korean vacationers rent e-bikes or little electric two-seat cars, buzz around the island taking Instagram photos at the beautiful beaches, buy the kitschy souvenirs and sip over-priced coffee while eating burgers and french fries (instead of peanut makoli and cold noodles with abalone and seaweed - traditional staple foods).
The beauty of the island is still there, though. The wind ripples across the dark green barley fields hemmed in by walls of black lava rocks. You can still spot haenyeo diving offshore. The water is a gorgeous pallet of blues, greens, and sandy whites, beige. The Olle Trail is still there and accessible to hikers / walkers. We did enjoy the pretty little seaside coffee shop we stopped at for a restroom and snack break. The peanut and buckwheat cookies, along with the freshly roasted and ground coffee were the perfect pick-me-up along our windy trek.
We arrived back at the port at 3:30, just in time to catch the ferry back to Jeju. C made a reservation at Just Inn again, so we rode a bus back to the quiet little place we stayed two nights ago. After dropping our bags, we went out for a low-key, healthy dinner at 지은의 네 밥송 - 비빔밥 (mixed rice), 김치 찌개 (kimchi stew) with mackerel, 된장 찌개 (bean paste stew), 뭉 미역국 (seaweed soup). It was so satisfying! Then we stopped by a supermarket for fruit and roasted sweet potatoes for breakfast; called a taxi and went back for an evening of peanuts, peanut makoli, and relaxing.
Day 6: Rest Day in Seongsan Ilchubong
Leisurely walk to Seongsan Ilchubong Town area (about 3 miles) this morning, where we checked into a nice pension overlooking the sea. Gorgeous, breezy day! After nearly a week on the trail, we opted for a day of relaxation. We did our laundry, napped, and enjoyed the beautiful sea and cliff view from our pension room window. In the late afternoon, we rode a local bus to a small salt spa to soothe aching muscles. After a hearty dinner, we fell asleep back at the pension watching Top Gun 2 on Netflix.
Day 7: Course 2 Seongsan Ilchubong to Onpyongpogu (언평포구), 11 miles, mild weather - warmer, less windy
Awoke to a beautiful sunrise outside the windows of the pension! Fruit, bakery pastry, and coffee for breakfast and then a relatively early start for us at 8:30. The path heading out of Seongsan Ilchubong wound along the beach past a memorial to the 400 Jeju people killed in a 1948 protest. It was a tumultuous time in Korea, just after Japanese Occupation and the end of World War II, when various political factions across the peninsula vied for power and legitimacy.
We passed thru explosive yellow fields of canola, then meandered through the backwaters of an estuary and remnants of fish farms from the 1970s. The estuary was particularly peaceful, with calm smooth flowing water, variety of birds, ducks, loons, and gulls. We climbed the small hill overlooking the estuary, Shiksan 식산, and then made our way slowly inland in a southward direction, passing an old outdoor public bath and winding through the narrow streets of a small, colorful village.
Jeju Island, South Korea - canola fields
Jeju Island, South Korea Olle Trail
Nearing lunchtime, we walked through a larger town and towards the next small ascent of the day, Daesusanbong 대수산봉. Before heading up the hill, we stopped at a legit haenyeo restaurant for abalone porridge (전복죽). The restaurant was decorated with photos of the owner / haenyeo and her haenyeo crew working the sea. She was friendly, as were the two guests dining at the next table. As we were leaving, they gave us some freshly picked oranges 젼여감귤.
The hike up the hill was a little steep, but short. In 15 minutes, we were at the top and admiring the expansive 360 degree views that included all the highlights thus far: Jimibong, Udo, Seongsan Ilchubong, Seopjikoji (peninsula), and on the opposite side a nice view of snow-dusted Halla San.
Coming down, we could hear a mass of dogs barking in the near-distance. Sounded like a huge kennel — or something else?! Maybe a dog farm?! It was a frightful sound, but we never did learn what it was.
In the next small town, we walked into a spacious grassy area with several large, red-painted traditional buildings. Hon-Inji is a popular wedding location - riffing off the theme of a nearby cave and legend. The underground cave has 3 chambers and legend tells that 3 brothers rescued 3 princesses who washed up on the shores of Jeju in a “box”. They married the princesses and spent their honeymoons in the cave chambers. They are the “founders” of the Tamna Kingdom, which existed from unknown (before 500 AD) until it was absorbed into the Joseon kingdom in 1404.
Cute place, lots of Instagram spots 🙃. The clouds had moved in from the sea and blackened, so it was time to start looking for a minbak. C called around a bit and we settled on a 30,000 won one room minbak just up the road. We had just finished Course 2 for the day when the rain drops started. We ducked into a market, grabbed a makolli and some snacks, and settled into a seat for a bit, joined shortly by two older men chilling outside. We joined snacks, exchanged pleasantries and then they chatted with the owner lady a bit.
We settled into the minbak about 3:45. I went right to sleep in the heated bed, not even realizing how tired I was. After a long nap, we went for dinner at a local restaurant nearby - pork pot and a spanish mackerel. The owner lady also gave us a platter of 3 fried eggs as “service” LOL! It was a ton of food!! It was still raining when we returned to the minbak; rain projected over night but should clear.
We decided to take advantage of baggage services here. We over packed a LOT! We combined our extra shoes, computers, books, and extra clothing into my pack to be forwarded. C is going to carry one change of clothing for me in his pack. I put most of my toiletries and such in my red side bag purse. We are going to walk with just one bag and my side bag; our other pack is going to be forwarded (hopefully) to a hostel in Seogwipo, where we will stay the weekend🤞🏻!
