I am so fortunate to call this beautiful island home for the next year and as such have made a serious effort to explore this tourist town through the eyes of a local.
And as a ‘local’, there is one glowing recommendation I will make for anyone coming to visit “The Hawaii of South Korea”. Whether you are coming for a month, a week or a weekend, you must hike an Olle trail while on Jeju Island.
The Olle trails are my absolute favorite thing about Jeju Island so far. They are a series of 26 trails that span the entire perimeter of the main island and several of the satellite islands as well. The trails are varying lengths from 7km to a whopping 20km and they range in difficulty from “Am I even exercising?” to “Holy cow… I can’t breathe rn.”
Whenever I start out on an Olle trail, I am always so excited because I have no idea what is in store for me. Ok… that’s not totally true, I usually have a v general idea of how long the trail is and what the main attractions are along the way. But I don’t do much other research because I love being surprised and delighted along the way.
Embarking on an Olle trail is the best feeling in the world because I don’t know what is about to happen, but I know its going to be good.
Ok, enough gushing. Let me back this up with cold hard facts. Here are all of the reasons that Olle Trails are the best thing since sliced rainbow bread:
#1 You don’t have to plan anything
Planning out vacations can be stressful. There is such pressure to see ALL the sites, find the perfect restaurants and take the most insta worthy pictures. I totally get it.
But with the Olle trails, you can throw all those worries right out. You don’t have to worry about setting an itinerary or researching for hours to find the best places to eat, drink and play.
You literally can just set foot on the trail and take in all of the fun surprises it has to offer. Trust me, if you are someone who wants to “just explore” a place- this is the way to do it.
While hiking these trails you will pass by beautiful cafes, hidden temples, artisan markets, local seafood and Korean barbecue restaurants and stunning beaches.
When you pass by a cute waterfront cafe you can just pop in and grab some coffee or tea. When you weave through a Lee Jung Seop street you can do some souvenir shopping. When you happen upon Yakcheon-sa temple, you can snap that perfect selfie.
Just trust the trail. You will not be disappointed.
#2 You can see all of the main tourist attractions (and then some)
By and large, all of the main tourist attractions you’ve been dying to see can be found on these Olle Trails. Mt. Hallasan is the only notable exception to this.
Route 1 takes you up to Seongsan Ilchul-bong (Sunrise Peak) where you can also pop in and see the Haenyeo (women divers). Udo island, home of the famous peanut ice cream, is its own Olle trail, Route 1-1.
Jeongbang waterfall is on the last few km of Route 6. Daepo Joosang Jeolli, the spectacular lava cliffs, are smack dab in the middle of Route 8. The O’ Sulloc Tea Fields are at the end of Route 14-1. You get the idea.
Essentially, anything you want to see on the island is likely part of the Olle trail system, so why not hike the trail as a part of your experience?
#3 It is never crowded.
Aside from the parts of the trail that pass through the above mentioned tourist attractions, Olle trails are rarely ever crowded.
Usually, I can go for hours at a time and only see one or two other hikers. There are plenty of stretches where I am completely alone as far the eye can see. I get entire beaches, rock cliffs and ocean fronts entirely to myself.
It is unreal and allows me to sit back and revel in nature’s beauty in a way that crowded tourist attractions don’t allow. I get that “ahhh” feeling of unplugging and being at one with nature.
#4 You see beautiful viewpoints of the island.
Almost every Olle trail takes you up at least one oreum, which is a small, inactive volcano, or basically a hill. These are the most difficult parts of the otherwise easily walk-able trails.
At the tops of these oreums there are stunning, 360 degree views of the island. Usually you can see some combination of Mt. Hallasan, the ocean and whatever city skyline is closest. I mean…. who isn’t a sucker for a panoramic view?
#5 You get a close up view of all the real and rural parts of Jeju
Jeju has several big cities, Unesco World Heritage sites, and famous tourist attractions, but the majority of the island is rural and agrarian. The Olle trails show you those parts of the island you normally wouldn’t find in a guidebook. IMHO these are the parts most worth visiting.
The trails wind through hallabong groves and turnip fields. You see farmers hard at work harvesting their crops. You see lone fisherman standing on the seaside rocks trying to bring in the days catch.
You see the lesser known clans of Haenyeo, women freedivers, walking around with their orange flotation devices. You pass through tiny villages and worn down homes with laundry hanging out to dry on a clothesline.
You get to know the island by foot which feels so much more intimate and real. You get to see all of the behind the scenes parts of Jeju that you can’t find at the main tourist attractions. Walking the Olle trails- feels like you are truly getting to know the island.
Because they are fairly long (15km on average), hiking an Olle trail can take up the better part of a day. But believe me, it is the most worthwhile way to spend a day on Jeju island.
You will get to do all the things you want to do on the island anyways: hang out on the beaches, explore the landscape, see beautiful views, take that perfect shot for instagram, shop at local markets, and eat at delicious restaurants. It can just happen in a more spontaneous and flowy way if you just trust in the magic of the trail.
If this sounds like your jam and you are saying YES PLEASE TAKE ME TO THE TRAILS, thenwelcome friend, because you are truly my people.
If you have only one day to dedicate to the trails I would start with route 7, that has been my absolute favorite so far. The other runners up are route 6 and route 8.
Stay tuned for a practical guide on how to hike the Olle trails.
Are you planning a trip to Jeju island? What else would you like to know about the Olle trails? What other questions do you have in general? I would love to create content that helps you get the most out of your experience here.
