7 things to do on jeju island

jeju island is a semi-tropical oasis off of the coast of the southern tip of south korea. it is now known as one of the 7 new natural wonders of the world.

i made a small list of things to do in jeju. of the 7 things on the list, we did 5 but were told by many korean friends that the other two were a must, we just didn't have time to do them.

1. lava caves

it is a very exciting and eerie feeling all at once.  to know that these caves were formed by rushing lava that flowed through the earth burning a cave underground is enough for me to get past my

claustrophobia and lace up my shoes.

2. hike sunrise peak

it is a short and easy hike to summit the top of this interesting cliff.  along the way to the top are many picturesque view points to capture the city, water and wonderful shades of green all at once.

at the top of the cliff is a natural green "bowl" in the land.  it is beautiful to see the bright colors of green and blue alike.

3.  waterfall swimming

at most of the waterfalls it is "looked-down-upon" to swim, but our group took the plunge and it was one of the highlights of our trip.  all we had to do was play the "i'm a foreigner and i didn't know" card.

4. jungmun beach

this beach is beautiful.  it is draped in white, black and orange sand, the softest sand i have ever walked on.  it is made up of sand, salt and lava.  the waves are fairly large, and if you're lucky like we were, you will be able to catch a surfing competition.  we were able to watch kelly slater surf nearly 30 feet from us while we were playing in the waves.

5. eat hallabong and black pork

unfortunately we didn't get a chance to try the black pork that everyone is talking about, but we did eat plenty of hallabong, (or jeju oranges.)  it is said that these oranges are unable to grow anywhere else.  koreans even tried to harvest them on korea's mainland but they were unable to survive.  they are as unique and delicious as everyone says they are.

6. hike halla mountain.

we weren't able to hike this mountain because it is a four hour hike up and 3-4 hour hike down and we were only able to visit jeju for 36 hours.  it is still on my to-do list because at the top there is a beautiful lake resting in the center of the peak.

7. bike around the island

there is a trail that traces the outside of the island along the coast where you are able to rent bikes for the day and explore.  jeju has several beaches and cliffs to view along this trail.