Jeju – Travel World Heritage

28Jun202207Aug2022

The Definite Top 5 Olle Trails: Hiking on Jeju Island

Jeju Olle Trails have been the highlight of my last two years. With international travel being limited, I looked inwards to get my travel fix and was not disappointed. The Olle Trails quickly became hands down my favorite thing to do in Korea. Now having finished all 26 trails, I can finally compare them to each other and tell you which are the best. I’ll try to say enough to get you interested but not give away too much. And of course, this is just my opinion, and yours may differ.

#5 – Olle Trail 2

Olle Trail 2 is really the one that set the tone to what I love about the Jeju Olle. You start in Gwangchigi Beach, one of the most crowded spots in all of Jeju. 10 minutes into your hike and you’re in an abandoned fish farm without a soul in sight. The calm lake reflects like a perfect mirror which leads to stunning pictures. There are plenty of surprises from view points to nice villages along the way. Make sure not to miss the fantastic Vietnamese restaurant “Tot Tot” at the end.

02Jul202127Jun2022

Hiking in Jeju: The Ultimate Guide

Julio Moreno South Korea, Top 10 Style Lists hiking, Jeju, korea 1 Comment

If Korea is known for something other than kpop, it is hiking. That begs the question, “Where is the best place to hike in Korea?” Sure, everyone may have their opinions, but if that opinion isn’t “Jeju,” they are just wrong. Jeju Island is the best place to hike, case closed. You may have heard of the Olle Trails, but Jeju has a ton more hikes to satisfy niche preferences. Here are 10 sets of trails ready to be explored.

1) The Oreums (제주오름)

04Oct201904Oct2019

The Great Korean Road Trip – Day 18 – Jeju Puzzle Museum

Julio Moreno South Korea, Uncategorized Jeju, jeju island, korea, maze land, maze park, road trip, saryeoni forest, UNESCO 0 Comment

Maze Land

Puzzles aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Jeju Island. Naturally, you think of the beaches, the mountains, and the hikes. However, one of the best features of this island is that it has something for every one. One of my favorite memories from my first two trips to Jeju was the Maze Park. I wasn’t planning to visit a 3rd time but jumped on the chance when I learned about a second Maze “Land” nearby. Read more →

27Aug201904Oct2019

The Great Korean Road Trip – Day 17 – Jeju Geumneung Beach

Julio Moreno South Korea, UNESCO World Heritage Site Beach, geumneung, Jeju, korea, road trip 2 Comments

What makes something “World Class?” If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’d know it isn’t a term I like to throw around. To me, it means it is something you can confidently recommend to someone who is well traveled. The beaches of the Maldives are world class. Angkor is a world class destination. Kyoto is a world class city. Haeundae beach in Busan, meh…not so much. Read more →

21Oct201302Jan2014

UNESCO Monday #4: Jeju Island’s Volcano

Julio Moreno South Korea, UNESCO Picture of the Week halla, hiking, Jeju, natural unesco sites 1 Comment

Jeju Island - Hallasan — Although it looks like a pond, it is actually quite large.

Officially: Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes

Taken: July, 2011

Place: Jeju Island, South Korea

“Yeah yeah yeah, just take us here,” we continued to tell the cab driver, pointing at a wrinkled map (yeah, we still used physical maps). My friend and I felt a little impatient as we knew we had to start this hike early in the morning to get to the top. The volcano that sits in the middle of Jeju Island, Mt. Halla (or “Hallasan”), stands at 1950 meters. It is no behemoth, but nothing to scoff at. The cab driver continued in his vain attempt to dissuade us from taking our chosen trail, but we thought he just wanted to drop us off farther to charge more.

We began our climb at around 9 am and continued for about 4 hours. The trails were awfully empty for such a popular mountain in Korea. Something seemed off. As we edged towards the top, we realized why. This trail Read more →