Exploring Jeju Island: The Ultimate West Tour Guide

Intro

Jeju Island, known as Korea’s crown jewel and a member of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, is a destination filled with extraordinary landscapes, cultural treasures, and hidden gems. As part of my Round the World Trip 2024, I couldn’t miss the chance to explore this magical island.

In this post, I dive into the highlights of the Jeju Island West UNESCO Day Tour, a journey that showcases the beauty of the island’s western wonders. From serene beaches and lush parks to historic tea fields and majestic waterfalls, this tour offered a glimpse into why Jeju holds such a special place in travelers’ hearts.

Join me as I recount the day’s adventures, complete with stunning views, fascinating stories, and the perfect blend of nature and culture. Let’s uncover what makes Jeju’s west side so unforgettable!

The start of the tour

In the last post I explored a little bit of Jeju, as a part of my Round the World Trip 2024. Korea was my second country of this trip, and as always, it was a good time. But will Jeju be the magical place I was promised, which is also part of the New 7 Wonders of Nature?

I was about to find out, as I booked this tour on Viator: Jeju Island West UNESCO Day Tour.

It was only the west of Jeju, with a lot to do in the east side, like Seongsan Ilchulbong, Manjanggul Cave, or Udo Island. But I think the west was good enough for this trip, and you will soon see why.

The tour started early, and Elin was our tour guide. Se was awesome the entire time.

In other tours, I have had a smaller van picking us up, but I was glad that it was a full comfortable bus this time. Bigger crowd but the bus was not full anyways.

We passed fist by some wind turbines in the horizon, and the view of a beautiful tropical water was incredible and amazing to see up north like here.

Hyeopjae Beach

Our first destination was the closest one: Hyeopjae Beach. With a view of Biyangdo Island, the scenery was just beautiful. Now I understand why Koreans come here to spend their vacations. The water was crystalline, and the weather felt really nice.

We were able to explore for a few minutes, but I wish we could have stayed here longer to at least feel the water.

I adventured to the little path on the side, connecting to the other beach, and it was really cute, the colors were really giving today.

Hallim Park

Back on the bus, but we were literally going just right upfront to the Hallim Park. This is a vast, beautifully landscaped park on Jeju’s western coast, featuring a mix of natural and cultural attractions. It includes subtropical botanical gardens, unique lava caves, a traditional folk village, and serene ponds. Visitors can also explore themed areas such as the bonsai garden and bird aviary.

First, we went into the lava caves.

The Hyeopjae Cave was created as part of the volcanic activity in the area, which basically created most of the landscape of Jeju. The temperature drops a lot as soon as we get down. It is cool to see these caves and wonder what secrets they have from past inhabitants.

There is a light gap in between the caves, letting all the air coming in and out.

The second cave was Ssangyong Cave, also very beautiful and full of history.

Still in Hallim Park, the next thing was the Bonsai Garden, really serene and cute in this beautiful day.

The tour guide gave us a lot of information, she was excellent the whole time.

Next up, we walked through the Subtropical garden, and saw some animals like these peacocks and even emus.

There were tanks everywhere will different species of plants and lotus especially.

Rounding up the park, we passed by these beautiful falls, not the only ones we would see on this tour.

Finishing the park, we passed by and saw some animals including snakes, and these cute tortoises.

Korean Buffet Menu

Time for lunch already, and we went to get it at a close by restaurant. The buffet was very Korean and I had a bite of many different items.

Of course I had to try the fish lol, I mean I was by the beach.

Osulloc Tea Museum and Innisfree

Lunch was amazing, I got to know more of my fellow travelers, and now we were going more south to a typical tea farm and the Osulluc Tea Museum, where we got a tea taste.

This kinda fell like the typical tourist trap some tours take you too to buy stuff, but I enjoyed walking around and seeing for example the tea field.

Next door, there was a coffee store, Innisfree, where I got a really good coffee and a chocolate pastry to pick me up after the heavy lunch, and the few hours left on this tour.

Songaksan

Our next destination was to the very south west of Jeju Island. Here is where I realized why it’s called the Hawaii of Korea.

The views were just amazing.

The Sanbang Mountain looked surreal in the distance. The volcanic formations give this island this je-ne-sais-quoi that attracts so many people from around the world.

Meanwhile, we started the longest hike on this trip, which would be reminded a lot during my future stay in Zipolite, Mexico.

The trail was really cute. The heat really took a toll on me, but I was decided to go the furthest we could go.

And after walking and walking to reached a point where it would get late if we did not return by now. % min before boarding I found this Starbucks randomly located in the parking lot, and got myself another cold brew lol, and some water. The hike killed me.

Cheonjeyeon Waterfalls

The last spot was Cheonjeyeon Waterfalls, which is formed by 3 different cascades on this vast park on the furthest spot of the tour.

“The Pond of God,” is a stunning three-tiered waterfall on Jeju Island. Surrounded by lush vegetation, it features crystal-clear water flowing into serene pools. The area is rich in mythology, with legends of nymphs bathing in its waters. Visitors can explore nearby walking paths, bridges, and observation decks for breathtaking views of the falls and their surroundings.

The Fountain of 5 Blessings, symbolizes longevity (tortoise), wealth (boar), honor (dragon), love (mandarin duck) and sons (carp). We were given some coins to throw at the fountain to whatever we felt we needed luck with. I was able to reach longevity.

Next, we crossed the Seonim Bridge, and the views from it where amazing.

The bridge itself is a piece of art.

Last but not least on this tour was to see the waterfalls, only 2 since the other one was further way.

The landscape was really beautiful.

We got on the bus and went back to Jeju City. I was dropped off close to the hotel, and was able to enjoy a little bit of the rest of the evening. In the previous post I showed how I already left Jeju, and now I am going back to Seoul, but that would be in the next post.