Photo credit: eu.ironman.com
Many Asian countries have a must-visit island for visitors and locals– Singapore has Sentosa, Thailand has Phuket, and Indonesia has Bali. For South Korea, the best island destination is undoubtedly the picturesque Jeju Island. It’s a hot spot for honeymooners, beach lovers or outdoor enthusiasts, and it only takes one hour flight from Seoul, Jeju island should be on every Korean travelers’ bucket list. Here are must-do things on Jeju Island for you!
Climb the highest mountain in South Korea
Photo credit: visitjeju.net
The dormant volcano Hallasan stands 1,950 meters above sea level, but you can hike up and down in a day if you start early. Avoid the rain clouds of summer in favor of springtime azaleas, autumn colors or winter snow.
Hallasan is a UNESCO Biosphere reserve containing a crater lake, alpine plants, woodpeckers, chipmunks, butterflies, and beetles. Hiking clubs regularly take to these slopes and those of 368 parasitic volcanoes.
Watch the sunrise over a volcano
Photo credit: On The Go Tours
Go to Sunrise Peak (Seongsan Ilchulbong), the 182-meter-high cone rising from the sea with a wide, green crater on the island’s eastern edge.
Now reached by a bridge, the approach is dominated by a shopping arcade and coach park, while sing-song American voice pipes through loudspeakers, “Refrain from throwing garbage!” ignored by crowds jostling for scenic photo spots.
Explore the underworld in a cave -Lava tubes
Photo credit: Wondermondo
Another UNESCO Geopark, the Manjang cave is more than eight kilometers long and you can walk one kilometer of its eerie passageway.
Formed by cooling lava, the cave’s dark, cold, often narrow and slippery with water, and you know there are bats up in its murky corners: not somewhere for the claustrophobic.
Visit Loveland with your lover
Photo credit: grrrltraveler.com
If any of Jeju’s honeymooners need to get in the mood, this is one blatant way to go about it.
This hilarious over-the-top adult theme park is dedicated to sex. Grotesque oversized casts of Western-looking nudes are locked in embraces or caught in the throes of ecstasy.
It’s no place for prudery. The handle on the door to the ladies’ toilets has an extremely distinctive shape, and interactive displays include a pleasure-giving exercise bike. Souvenirs? Don’t ask.
Walk Olle
Photo credit: sijangnews.tistory.com
Olle in the local dialect means a winding path to your front door, and Olle coastal trails now wind around much of the island.
From a lush, ambling south coast route overlooking craggy islands, clamber down to the sea over strange rock formations and see the caves that islanders were forced to dig by Japanese occupiers to hide weapons.
The massively popular historical drama “Jewel in the Palace” was filmed here, so you can pose as one of the stars, should you want. The route near Oedolgae has the views made famous in “Dae Jang Geum” (“Jewel in the Palace”).
Relax for a day at the beach
Photo credit: Justgola
Jungmun beach: a sweep of pale sand, blue sea, green creepers trailing over dunes. Just behind is the Lotte World mega-hotel complex’s Vegas-style pool area complete with fake cliffs, swan-shaped pedal boats and a Dutch windmill.
The beautiful beach is empty outside of summer. Other top beaches for swimming and surfing are Emerald Bay, Gwakji, Hamdoek and Shinyang.
Article source: CNN.travel written by Jennifer Barclay
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