Our next stop was Jeju Island, just off the southern coast of Korea and famous for its natural beauty. The island is crisscrossed by a series of scenic walking routes known as the Olle Trails, which together form a circular path around the entire island. The hostel owner recommended sections 6 and 7 as her favourites, so we decided to tackle those first.
She was absolutely right—they were stunning. The trails took us along dramatic coastlines, through peaceful forests, past pretty houses and hidden waterfalls. At one point we stopped for a homemade lemonade and sat down to enjoy the view… only to realise we’d chosen metal chairs that had just been painted. So we spent the second half of the hike with fresh chair imprints on our bums. Not the most fashionable look, but it made us laugh, and it didn’t spoil the walk at all. The weather was lovely—bright and a little warmer than Busan, though still breezy.
As usual, we shared the trail with lots of elderly Korean hikers, who all greeted us cheerfully as they passed. At one point, two older ladies stopped us and, to our confusion, began showing us some drawings they had done. We told them the pictures were lovely and tried to hand them back, but they insisted we keep them as a gift. We’re still not entirely sure what it was all about, but it was a very sweet interaction and definitely a highlight of the day.
That evening we treated ourselves to another Korean BBQ, this time trying Jeju’s famous black pork. We weren’t quite sure what made it special, but apparently it comes from a breed of black-haired pigs unique to the island. Taste-wise it was pretty similar to other BBQ pork we’d had, but still absolutely delicious.
On our second day in Jeju, we visited a “wellness forest,” a kind of peaceful woodland area designed to promote mental and physical wellbeing. There were scenic walking paths, quiet spots for meditation, and even beds for “forest bathing” (which basically just means lying on sun loungers and soaking up the sounds of nature). It was incredibly relaxing—until we realised the trail gradually led us uphill to the top of a surprisingly steep mound. After the long hike the day before, we were definitely feeling it in our legs! But the forest was beautiful, and we enjoyed following the trail, which was marked by colourful ribbons tied to trees. It turned into a bit of a game, spotting the next ribbon and making sure we hadn’t lost the path—especially since there were warning signs everywhere about the dangers of wandering off-trail due to wild animals. Thankfully the only wildlife we saw were a few deer.
In the afternoon, I attempted a mission to the local post office to send home some clothes I wouldn’t need for the rest of the trip—shorts, dresses and swimwear mostly. It ended up being a much more stressful experience than expected. Between the language barrier and some very confusing paperwork, it took over two hours of miming, pointing, and hopeful smiling before I finally handed over the box. I *think* it’s now on its way home, though there’s a slight chance I just paid £35 to lose a random box of clothes somewhere in Korea.
The rest of the evening we spent relaxing—chatting with other travellers at the hostel and turning in early ahead of our flight to Gyeongju the next morning.
More soon! Love, Alice x