Things to do
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Cheonjiyeon Waterfall
Seogwipo's other cascade sits at the end of a lit garden walk, dropping 22 metres into a deep pool where marbled eels breed. The path is flat and short, so the visit runs to less than an hour. Evening opening is the draw: floodlights come on after dark and the walk stays open into the night.
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Jeongbang Waterfall
Water falls 23 metres straight onto a boulder beach at Seogwipo, close enough to the sea that spray carries on the wind. A stepped path leads down from the entrance and back up again, which is the steepest part of the visit. An old inscription on the cliff ties the site to a legend of Qin emissaries sent to find herbs of long life.
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Jusangjeolli Cliff
Hexagonal basalt columns stand in ranks along the Jungmun coast, formed when lava from Hallasan met the sea and cooled. Some rise close to 20 metres out of the water, and swell breaking against them is part of the attraction. A short boardwalk runs the length of the site, ticketed and busy in the middle of the day.
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Lee Jung-seop Art Museum
Paintings by Lee Jung-seop make up the collection of this municipal museum on the street named after him. The painter's restored residence stands beside it, and the pedestrian street carries murals of his work on its walls. A visit runs from the house to the gallery, then along the street outside.
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Oedolgae
A single rock pillar about 20 metres tall stands just off the shore at Seoheung-dong, worn by waves out of old lava and known locally as Grandmother Rock. Sea cliffs and caves line the coast behind it. Cheonjiyeon Waterfall is a walk away along the coast, while buses on to Jusangjeolli are convoluted enough that a taxi is simpler.
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Saeyeon Bridge
The bridge to Saeseom, an uninhabited islet just south of Seogwipo harbour, is a 169 metre cable-stayed walkway shaped after the teu, Jeju's traditional raft. The islet itself sometimes closes for the day, and then the walk across the bridge and back is all that is open.
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Sanbangsan
Sanbanggulsa, a Buddhist temple set inside a cave about 150 metres up the south face, is the reason to climb this 395 metre lava dome. The upper slopes are closed to protect the environment and the summit is off limits, so the staircase to the cave is the whole climb. It is a long run of steps, and the site is reached by bus.
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Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market
Seogwipo's working market doubles as the town's dinner stop, with black pork, hot cheese bread and mochi at stalls where the longest queue usually marks the best one. Benches run the length of the busier end for eating on the spot. The lanes close at 9 pm in summer and 8 pm in winter, and many stalls shut sooner.
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Seongsan Ilchulbong
A hydrovolcanic eruption roughly 6,700 years ago threw up this tuff cone on Jeju's eastern tip, leaving a grassy crater ringed by cliffs. The climb to the rim takes about half an hour on wooden stairs, and the summit stands 182 metres above the sea. Sunrise is the reason for the name and for the queue at the gate.
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Udo
Ferries run from Seongsan every half hour and cross to this small island in about fifteen minutes. Bicycles, electric bikes and a circular bus cover the ring road, since outside vehicles are restricted on the island. The draw is the coastline: a beach of white coral sand, black volcanic shingle at Geommeolle, and haenyeo divers working the shallows. Half a day is enough.
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Yongmeori Coast
Sea cliffs worn into the shape of a dragon's head give this stretch of coast at Sagye its name. The path runs along the foot of the cliffs and can only be walked at low tide, so visiting times change from day to day. Check the day's hours with the site's inquiry line, 064-760-6321, before going.
