One Month in Jeju Island, South Korea
- Kate Carlin
- Jul 20
- 6 min read
When Mike and I knew we’d be living in my home country, South Korea, for two years, he told me he wanted to visit Jeju Island — or even better, live there for a month with the sea breeze. No surprise — he’s a Jersey shore guy at heart.
Jeju is South Korea’s largest island, located off the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula. It’s about the same size as Maui, Hawaii- an easy way to picture it if you’re from the U.S. When people heard we’d be there for a whole month, the travel tips poured in. Top five things to do? Walk the Olle Trail, hike Mt. Halla, relax on the beaches, take ferry trips to nearby islands, and eat. Perfect - we can do that!
When to go? Family and friends recommended May: not too hot or humid, and before the peak season crowds. Got it.
Where to stay? We wanted a central place because we’d be traveling by bus and on foot — no car. I found a two-bedroom rental house near Jeju Airport, the hub for the island’s bus network. Check.
Travel with Cat or Without Cat?
We didn’t want to leave our cat, Abby, alone for a whole month, so she flew with us. When we booked our Asiana flight, I called the reservation center about traveling with a pet. They told me the in-cabin weight limit was 7 kg (about 15 lbs). Abby had flown from Michigan to South Korea without a problem, so we didn’t think twice.
But at Seoul Gimpo Airport, the airline staff weighed Abby and her carrier — 7.5 kg. Too heavy. I froze for a second, hearing every Korean who’d ever met her say, “Wow, she’s big!” I’d always reply, “She just has a long tail!”
Desperate not to miss our flight, I asked, “What can we do?” The staff offered two choices: check her as cargo in a hard cage, or remove some weight. Before he’d finished, I’d unzipped her carrier and pulled out the two soft towels I’d packed just in case.
I didn’t think two towels could weigh half a kilo — but they did. Back on the scale: 7.0 kg, approved. As we walked to our gate, I told Mike, “Abby is on a diet now.”
Olle Trail: Walking Jeju
The Jeju Olle Trail was created by Suh Myoung-Sook, a native of Jeju and a former journalist who quit her career at 50 and walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain. That Spanish influence lives on here.
The Olle Trail is a 437-kilometer (271.5-mile) network of 27 routes circling the island. Choosing how far to walk was one of the few travel decisions Mike and I made with zero disagreement: we just wanted to experience Jeju — no ego here.
We ended up walking more than half the entire trail — along the coast, into the mountains, through villages and farm fields. We even got lost once or twice! (I usually jog 2–3 times a week, but I didn’t run at all in Jeju — wonder why.) Whoever said walking is the best way to travel was right. Our feet were sore, but the views were worth it.
Mt. Halla
Hallasan (Mt. Halla — san means mountain in Korean) is a shield volcano and the highest peak in South Korea at 1,947 meters (6,388 ft). We had to reserve our hike to the summit on the Seongpanak Trail: May 7, 2024, 8:30 AM. We caught bus #181 from Jeju Airport at 7:20 AM and got off at the Seongpanak Trail Entrance.
It was a clear, sunny Tuesday — perfect weather for the 9.6 km (6-mile) hike up the eastern ridge. Mike and I hadn’t hiked to a summit in years — the last was Mt. Washington (6,288 ft) in New Hampshire, back in July 2016. After COVID-19, we were probably more emotionally ready than physically. At least for me, I kept saying, “It can’t be worse than Mt. Washington!”
The Seongpanak Trail started gently — a pleasant warm-up. But with a 10-hour round trip ahead, we kept moving. After passing Sara Oreum, the terrain changed, and suddenly all my Mt. Washington memories came rushing back. The weather shifted fast — high winds, dropping temperatures, and low visibility. We saw baseball hats flying off hikers’ heads.
As we neared the summit, there were fewer hikers — some must have turned back. We kept going, barely talking because the wind was so cold it made my teeth ache. It was too cloudy to see the crater lake until we were standing right there, looking at hikers huddled on the cold ground. That’s when we learned the National Park Service had closed the Sara Oreum entrance right after we passed because of the weather. We were lucky — if we’d arrived later, we’d have had to turn back halfway.
There was a 15–20 minute wait for a summit photo, but I was determined. For me, it felt symbolic — we’d come through a pandemic, retirement, moving across an ocean, and Mike’s cancer in 2023. Too emotional? Maybe. But standing there, freezing on Baengnokdam’s edge, I wanted that photo with Mike. We made it.
Beaches, Volcanic Views & Other Small Islands
Seogwipo Jeongbang Waterfall
Volunteer & Local Community
During our stay, I volunteered as an interpreter at the Jeju Immigration and Foreigners Service. It gave me a chance to meet residents, help new arrivals, and see a side of Jeju most travelers never do.
Family & Friends
One of the best parts of our month in Jeju was that we didn’t spend it all alone. My older sister, HyunSook, came to visit, and we joined her on a three-day package tour — charter bus, five island ferries, and every meal included. She even treated us to the whole trip for Mike’s birthday.
Three couples — friends from Seoul — also came all the way to Jeju just to see us. One couple even flew business class because that was the only seat left! The other two couples rented a big van so all six of us could travel comfortably together. With them, we explored the Saryeoni Forest Trail, took island tours, and lingered over drinks and stories that stretched late into the night.
When it’s just Mike and me, our dinners are usually quiet — sometimes quieter than I’d like. But when family and friends visited, there was endless talking, laughing, and clinking of glasses. I loved every minute of it — and I miss that warmth and noise when it’s just the two of us again.
Food
Mike had never tasted Korean food until he met me. For his first Korean meal, I took him to a Korean BBQ restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan — table-grilled meat and all the banchan (side dishes). He said he liked it, but I wasn’t sure if he really liked it or said he liked it to be polite. Turns out, he really likes Korean food!
At home we usually cook, but Jeju was an exception. We found so many delicious local restaurants for seafood stews, grilled black pork, potato noodles, oyster soondubu jjigae (spicy soft tofu stew), shabu-shabu, and fresh grilled fish — mackerel and sea bream. Some places were so good we went back more than once.
There was only one letdown: an overrated abalone bibimbap at Hamdeok Beach — a popular spot we found online, but it didn’t live up to the hype or price. Other than that, every meal was a treat.
It’s been over a year since we spent that month in Jeju. When I look back, I don’t just see the hikes, the seafood, or the ocean views — I remember the sore feet on the Olle Trails, the freezing summit of Hallasan, Abby’s check-in drama, and all the laughter with family and friends who came so far to be with us. I’d do it all again — towels, winds, bibimbap and all.
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