THE STORY
It didn't seem I could find enough information and details that settle all my questions about hiking on Jeju Island, South Korea. The more I arrived at one part of an anwer, another question sprung up. And it didn't help that most of the official information was foreign - in Korean language.
I was satisfying my curiosity on the Jejeu Olle.
"Olle" is a word in Jeju language which originally means the pathway from the streets leading to the house. But today the term refers to a series of hiking trails connecting different areas of Jeju Island together.
The trails form a loop along the coastline of Jeju, which itself is a volcanic island formed by an underwater volcanic eruption millions of years ago. Mount Halla or Hallasan rises in the middle of Jeju Island.
The Jeju Olle consists of 21 main routes and 6 subsidiary ones, and the total distance covered would be 437 KM in total. The Jeju Olle was founded by ex-journalist Suh Myung-Suk. She was so impressed after having hiked the Camino de Santiago (a pilgrimage network of trails that run through Spain, France and Portugal, leading to the sacred site of the Cathedral where it is believed that the apostle Saint James was buried) in Spain, that she created a similar series of hikable trails around Jeju island, and the first trail was opened in September 2007.
This all started when Fern suggested we climb Hallasan in Jeju while we were hiking on the Southern Ridges. I had never heard of this mountain before so I went to check it out.
That's when Olle Trails became known to me. It sounded so exciting and intriguing, hence I decided to plan for a hiking holiday combining Hallsan climb and parts of the Olle hiking.
It was hard to get much information on Olle Hiking in Jeju. Much information was in Korean and to find a guide usually would mean going to the companies that offer tours and experiences. These are usually commercialised ones requiring you to choose a package, and the costs are high. I would prefer to get more personalised and customised experiences from a real local who can share more authentic and personal insights and experiences with us.
After some relentless searching, I finally found someone who could offer more localised insights and recommended trips -- Jeju Island Travel - and the founder - Pippi!
With much discussion on the experiences, accomodation and budget, we're set on our trip!
In contrast with our previous hiking trips, we would be provided with daily transport to the trailhead of each section of the trail we would walk that day, and be fetched to our accomodation for the evening. Except for needing to walk long distances, our daily needs would actually be kinda "luxuriously met". 😋
And so trip booked and prepared (including discplined training over some weeks), we flew to Jeju one night in May 2024 to reach it the next morning after a wee hour morning transit in Shanghai.
Day One ~ Arrival
We finally reached Jeju Airport, and like what our guide Pippi said, there was really free and strong wifi at the Airport for me to use to inform her of our arrival.
After meeting up, we travelled to have a sumptuous lunch in an interesting restored area of historical significance. This place is known as Kim Mandeok Inn - a site that has the replica thatched housing and rooms of the Korean Merchant and Businesswoman named Kim Man Deok in the Joseon Dynsasty. She contributed and donated all the rice she bought on land to feed the starving common-folk, when a severe famine hit Jeju island then.
I believe it was at this restaurant that I had the best Korean Pancake ever, and it was my first time trying Acorn Jelly - a dish made from acorn starch. I liked the taste!
Replicas at Kim Mandeok Inn
Acorn Jelly!
Most delicious Korean Pancake I have ever eaten!
Next on the itinerary was to some beaches to take some beautiful photos. These were coastal Olle trails too but we did not plan to hike on these routes.
After what seemed like an hour's drive we reached our B&B for our first two nights --
Baendigareum B&B and I really loved this place!
We had traditional Ondol style rooms. Korean Ondol beds are similar to Japanese Tatami with underfloor hearing system. I really love the homely design, decor and feel of this guesthouse. The only drawback was that we needed to carry out luggages two storeys up on narrow wooden staircases to reach our rooms.
The quaint but lovely wooden staircase we needed to climb up to or rooms
After looking at our rooms and settling down, we walked to the nearby local mall Seongsan Sunrise Peak Nonghyup (NH), and settled for some noodles for dinner. The girls also bought some fruits and drinks from the supermart.
First night's dinner of noodles
As we were all tired, we retired to our rooms, washed up and rested early. I had a difficult time settling down to sleep, as usual in a new enviroment, on the first night......
Day Two ~ Olle Route 1 ( And a little 2... )
A sumptuous home-made "buffet" style breakfast awaited us the next morning. The lady host's sincere and homely touches to the food she prepared for us really warmed the cold morning and our stomachs! We had another guest - a male German hiker - with us for breakfast. Our chit-chatty auntie banters contrasted greatly to his shy and quiet demeanour. He seemed to have hurt his foot and as we chatted, he shared that he had climbed Hallasan some days back - it was strenuous flights of steps - but not too bad and definitely doable. We questioned our capabilities in comparison. I jokingly and half anxiously asked if he sprained his ankle doing Hallasan and he said no, it was the biking that he did that got him a little limpy.
Phew...
Breakfast Spread!
The tall German guy back facing the camera.
After breakfast, we set off on Route 1.
I really liked Route 1!
Though it was the first walking day, and I was still getting used to the pace and distance, there were really many interesting sights and experiences belonging to each vicinity that we passed through.
We began our walk passing rows of buckwheat flower fields near the school. The first task was to check in at the Olle Information Centre to get our Olle Passports, so that we could collect stamps at the ink stations along the routes. Some of us bought souvenirs then off we went up to the Malmi Oreum & Al Oreum. Oreum is a Jeju word that means small volcanic cones.
"Checking into" the Olle Information Centre
Fields of Buckwheat Flowers
A wooden signboard read “始兴理” (Siheung Ri in Korean) meaning the beginning of the Village as we started climbing up a flight of steps leading to the Oreum.
We learnt that "Ganse" means horse and it is the symbol of Olle which means - lazy - translated to relax - meaning relaxing walk --- however, the walks during our Olle hiking were actually quite speedy!
I also thought it quite contradictory that the horse is used as symbol for Olle hiking - as horses are known to work really hard!
Along Olle trails, one could always see markers that are the trademarks of Olle - the blue and red ribbons and blue and orange arrows - as well as signboards along the way that tell us each point of interest along the routes.
The views from the top of the Oreum were wonderful! We could see the houses and layers of agricultural fields in the distance. The weather was cool and fantastic with gentle rays of sunshine warming us up :)
As we descended from the oreum and walked further on the road ahead, we reached a rock erection that read “终达理” which means the end village. So we have walked from the start point and reached the end point of a village. Pippi had planned for a "buffet style" local lunch - however as we were not hungry we decided to go for something lighter in a later while. We walked through a very artsy section near an elementary school. This place had a lot of cafes, a small library and souvenir shops that all looked so cute and inviting. One could really spend an afternoon here just browsing through the shops and enjoying reading at one of the quaint-looking cafes!
We decided to just have something light to eat at one of the cafes. Ended up the owners are the ex classmates of Pippi in University. We had Kaya Toast (which was our very own loal food!) and coffee, and shared some fried rice. After that we went on to walk along the coastline and finally reached the Seongsan Ilchulbong peak, after what seemed like more than an hour's time!
Our own local food! The garlic was excellently made
Our next destination in the distance.
Needed to climb up to the peak.
It was hot and humid and touristy as we climbed our way up. But the view was worthily fantastic!
We then climbed down to enjoy more natural sights before Pippi led us walking to Gwangchigi Beach to get our stamp on the passport. As Route 2 also begins on Gwangchigi Beach, we stamped the beginning of Route 2 on our Olle Passports as well. Next Pippi led us all the way back to our B&B.
Boy! we really walked quite a bit! I wasn't used to the pace and distance yet, and felt tired by the end of the day.
Pippi made fresh orange juice for us and carried it the whole day! We should have rested along the way and savoured them so that she didn't have to lug the jugful of juice in her bag!
For dinner, we decided to get some stuff from the hypermart (Seongsan Sunrise Peak NH) to take back to our B&B and share this trove for dinner. We had cup noodles, fruits, Haddeok, etc.
Our last night here and I really cherished the last moments in this wonderful homely guesthouse.
Our Dinner!
Wonderfully-made orange juice by Pippi!
Day Three ~ Route - Udo Island
Exciting day as we were to take a ferry to Udo Island to walk the Route 1-1.
Pippi gotten 2 taxis that drove us to the ferry terminal to wait for our ferry.
It was such a cold morning, and the ferry to Udo Island was also cool! There were no seats, only a flat wooden platform for the passengers to be seated on the floor and rest.
Though only about 20 minutes or so, the shared platform in the interior of the ferry was cosy and we could have a good rest, and even nap!
Outside, the cold winds beckoned as we admired some scenery and snapped some photos.
We finally reached Udo island! First thing was to ... make a stamp on our Olle Passports! I really loved all these stamping booths -- so quaint, adorable and blue!
After that it was to queue at the Ladies...
Udo means Cow Island (牛岛）as the island is shaped like a cow.
Pippi led us through the roads which passed through peanuts-growing fields. We passed by some agricultrual villages and found some wall murals in the village. The Hub spotted a snake in the bushes which quickly slided away before the rest of us could further observe it. Next we came close to some handsome horses and posed for some photos. The walk finally broke into the main street that was the touristy section, along the coast. Rows of instagram-worthy cafes and souvenir shops lined the streets. The scenery of the sea was beautiful, but the hordes of tourists were not! Tourists could either walk, or rent bikes and cute, little eco-friendly two-passengers cars.
Farmers at their Peanut growing Fields
We went to the Peanut ice-cream shop recommended by our B&B host. The cafe setting was so mesmerizing both inside and outside. In fact many of these shops and cafes were designed to be Instagrammable which explains the lot of tourists flocking to Udo island. The ice-cream was indeed delicious. The parlour owners heard that we were recommended to their cafe and made us some churros to share around. Much friendliness!
As our aim was to walk, we got into action and further crossed a bridge-like link on the road to the adjoining island called Biyangdo. Along the way we saw Haenyos (sea-women) in real action - not a show!
We toured more around the other part of the island before turning back. Saw some charcoal-grilled oysters that looked yummy, but it was still too early for lunch. Besides, we just had ice-cream!
We rounded back and turned to the other direction of the island. We walked past some memorial monuments in remembrance of the victims involved in the ferry disaster which killed hundreds of passengers, of which 250 were adolescent students.
A Haenyo hard at work, bringing in her haul.
Barbecued Shells
As we walked on, we came into another village that housed the homes of Haenyos. In fact they sell fresh catch in their compounds -- oysters, abalone, etc.
We had been walking for a while, and felt a little peckish. Some of us took out chocolates we bought, and snacks that Pippi had contributed in a snack pack for all of us.
It seemed like a never-ending walk on this island! I was still "aclimatizing" to the distance to cover everyday! We climbed a hill on steps and saw more horses on the vast green field surrounding us. The scenery was mesmerizing! We climbed up to the highest spot on Udo Island known as Udobong. There was a lighthouse in the distance. We didn't walk on to visit it, as it seemed late already.
We forgoed our lunch, and only subsisted on energy bars and snacks. After we came down from the hill, we went to admire a water cave located near a beach known as Geommeolle. This was not part of Route 1-1 but Pippi took us here to show us its natural sight. Apparently the thrill was to take a speedboat that goes through a cliff in speed. We took some photos and resumed walking. Rows of cafes and souvenir shops dotted along the road on this part of Udo Island as well.
A further walk led us past the most luxurious resort on Udo island. After that it was a short break in a pavillion - not for too long - as we would be too lazy after that to restart walking!
Pippi next brought us to the beach known as Sanho (Coral) or Seobinbaeksa Beach. We could see Hallasan that we were to conquer in two days' time in the horizon!
The waters of the beach is famous for its layers of hues. Unfortunately, that day it did not reveal the full potential of its beauty. Nevertheless, it was still lovely. After some frolicking and photos, we continued walking along the coast, till we reached the other end of where we had started in the morning.
Here we reached the exiting bridge with a goodbye message. We stamped our passports again before returning to the pier to wait for the next ferry to take us back to mainland. Pippi promised a sashimi feast as dinner for us. Yes! we were all famished!
Back in the ferry, some of them, as usual napped again while Nemo, Ping & I shared our photos that we took, and took more selfies!
We were back in Seogwipo for some Jeju sashimi. Pippi ordered a set for us but did not join us as it was late. Here began our adventure!
Back in Singapore, Bean Vermicelli is a much favoured food, cooked in soups or together in stews, vegetables etc. So we decided to not waste these vermicelli which were served together with the sashimi. Hub started to put them into the boiling pot of soup to cook them and served them to all. We were happily eating when the lady who served us earlier gestured wildly outside the glass panel of our private room. We weren't quite sure why and what she was trying to tell us.
Finally she came into our room and told us in Mandarin that these vermicelli were merely for decoration and couldn't be eaten. We were alarmed and wondered if it were poisonous -- we had actually started eating and drank a lot of the soup that was used to cook them!
After having our meal, walked back to our hotel - the Bridge Hotel - in the cold...
By the way, we survived. 😅
Day Four ~ Challenging Route - TEST!
So today was supposed to be the test day, to see if we were fit and good to climb the summit of Hallasan the next day.
I love today's Olle route the most. The trails today were filled with nature, hills, history, caves, and heritage values -- all my favourite topics! It was another tiring walk however.
We first started at the Daepyeongpogu Port. The stamp station first of course. The natural landscape formation around Baksugijeong - Spring water Cliff - was fantastic! We took many photos here before starting our climb.
But first we had to spray some insect repellant as Jeju is known to have ticks, and other insects.
Spraying insecticide
It was a lovely walk up the slopes on this hilly route named Moljil before we finally reached the hill top where we could see some views. However we were not done. This was only the beginning and first of many parts of the trail. There was another more interesting hill to cross over! Before that we rested along the roads of some homes growing big tangerines! Pippi said this was not the season, so they were not pretty.
The next hill promised more adventures, with historical sites and "top of the world" views to conquer. Gunsan Oreum it was! And the stamp station was just right at the top of Gunsan! What a picturesque setup!
We explored some of the military caves hand-dugged by the villagers on Gunsan before making our way down, seeing some graves along the way. This trail had undergone the ravages of the Japanese War.
We made our way down and along the meandering road of the Andeok Valley and went to our lunch stop. We had sumptuous kimchi soup served with fish and rice. It was here that Pippi shared the "heartbreaking news" that we were not up to standard for Hallasan summit climb, as our speeds of walking was deemed too slow...
This was met with much protest from some of us as we had been training consistently. We didn't know we had to walk fast in the morning hike, and we couldn't possibly give up without a fight! And so we agreed we would start the trail earlier tomorrow morning to give it a try!
After lunch, we walked along the Andeok Valley next to the river. It was cooling and we saw interesting natural formations. We continued walking till we crossed a bridge and more rugged paths before descending onto the main streets again. We cut through a playground/ park and reached a beautiful Olle information centre. Next Pippi took us to have a foot bath in cold water. It was empty and only our group enjoying the really cold soak! Surprisingly, after the numbing cold experience, our feet became more refreshed and powerful as we continued trodding on! The end point would be Hwasun Gold Sand Beach. Today we walked for a distance of 11.8km.
Pippi's led us to her Secret Beach. We climbed up a hill and down to the beach! It was really quiet!
After spending some relaxing time, we walked back to the carpark and were picked up to return to Seogwipo market. Here it's our free time for dinner. We walked around and bought a black pork bun to share amongst the six of us. After that we checked into a small eatery to enjoy some noodles. The cold soy noodles was fantastic. The broth was fresh and refreshingly fragrant with soy and sesame taste.
Along our walk back to our hotel, we went to the nearby convenience store CU mart to get breakfast for the next morning, as our set off time would not all allow us to enjoy the breakfast buffet served in the hotel.
Day Five ~ Hallasan Climb
Did we manage to climb and summit Hallasan?
We were told we were not up to it the day before!
Find out more about our adventure HERE! 😁
Day Six~ After-Climb Relaxing (Really?) Walk
Woke up with ouch! legs...
We were still feeling the adrenaline of the Hallasan climbing experience the day before!
A sumptuous breakfast of rice and soup awaited us, and the agenda for the day was: relaxing walk, and some sightseeing.
Delicious Breakfast!
Songaksan was our first stop as we walked along the picturesque coast on a well-paved trail suitable for tourists. We visited yet another cave, took more photos and tasted the tangerines sold in a stall as we came down. The scenery was so lovely along the coastline!
Next stop was at Sanbangsan to visit the temple. We didn't climb up to the cave temple though, as many of us struggled with super robotically-painful limbs. We learnt that the Yeongmeori Coast was closed due to high waves and safety reasons. Too bad.....
As no coffee was served at breakfast, I was super craving it and we went to the cafe with a superb view next to the temple. It felt so good and relaxing sitting at the terrace overlooking the picturesque surrounding view!
At Sanbangsan
We then drove to have lunch of Bomal Noodles - Noodle Soup with Topshell. It was our first time trying it and it tasted special.
Our Olle walking continued in the afternoon...
The highlight was the Route 14-1 Gotjawal Forest which I liked too. We saw a pair of horses at the entrance of the forest and were careful not to disturb them. There were also many historical caves found in the Gotjawal Forest. The temperature was cooling and Pippi explained the unique feature of the forest.
Summarised information about Jeju's Gotjawal Forests could be accessed from the links below:
We saw a couple doing barefoot walking and forest bathing.
After some walking, we emerged from the forest route and entered the Osulloc part of the Olle Route.
Osulloc, being famous for its tea, has got rows of tea plantations that formed the background of our snapshot of this spot.
We went to the cafe to taste some of their drinks and desserts. Decadence allowed after days of expending much energy!
Eat again!!!
Spotted this bird
Some walkabout at the shop and at the adjoining Innisfree shop, before we hopped onto our car again and proceeded for .... Hypermart Shopping!
Then it was time for our last dinner on Jeju island.
Fishy Business? Interesting restaurant for our last night's dinner.
Night Scenery
Dinner was a set of special fish menu. Fish dishes done in three flavours and styles. Very delicious!
As the restaurant was near our B&B, we walked down the street back to our guesthouse, while admiring the night scenery along the coast.
We decided to have another massage - and for some of us the first, after Hallasan Climb.
The girls managed to all get their female masseuse and as usual I was the last to enter the room after the need to visit the loo. I was only left with the male masseur. I was ok, though a little awkward. He was professional however. He told me to imagine that he was a lady as he wore a ponytail! 🤣
In contrast to the condition the night before just after Hallasan climb, my muscle aches this evening were much more intense. Every unknotting massage from the masseur was met with my thighs, legs, calves etc screaming in pain. He knew it from the muscle tightness and kept rubbing them to relax the knots.
Back in the guesthouse, we relished our last night in Jeju before falling asleep.
Our Guesthouse for the last two nights
Day Seven ~ Goodbye!
Our last half-a-day on Jeju island!
We still had a visit left - but first, a sumptuous breakfast of pancakes, seafood, abalone porridge etc!
This was a restaurant near the coast and a beach next to the road. After relishing a hearty meal of abalone porridge, pancakes, soup and .... a spread, we walked across the restaurant to see the natural formation along the coast.
After that it was time to really bid farewell to this lovely island.
Another excellent breakfast!
Abalone Porridge
As we were driven to the airport, we passed an Olle route along the coast that looked fantastic! Pippi said we could walk on this one the next time!
Finally, it was time to say goodbye. We really appreciated Pippi and her husband's company, guidance and help over the week-long stay in Jeju. We promised we would be back to walk the other Olle trails and have more stamps on our passports! Not forgetting trying the other Hallasan trails in different seasons as well!
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