The 16-day Escapade to South Korea! – Itinerary, Travel Report and Tips

Having traveled to South Korea in 16 days, I couldn't really say we have been all over the country. Frankly, 16 days really isn't enough! There are just to many things to see and places to explore. Given this limited time though, I still managed to squeeze in all places and activities recommended by local and foreign tourists alike and make an itinerary me and my friend was able to enjoy.

We did not really plan to go during autumn when we booked our flight, it just happened so, which was wonderful timing, as for me this is the perfect season to travel. Not just because it's cold and you wouldn't really worry about sweating all over the place (lol mental image) and the heat of the sun clashes with the cool wind so it's just perfect. The colors of fall is just fantastic, every picture you take would look amazing!

lovely ginko leaves

One cold night at N Seoul Tower – Day 15 in South Korea

After a tiring walkathon around Ewha U and Myeongdong, we decided to visit N Seoul tower which was also just around the area. I just realized why most of Koreans are wearing rubber shoes all the time. Them Koreans just love walkin'! I was wearing flat boots throughout the day but foot blisters can't be helped. I feel sad for women who are wearing heels walking on Seoul's sloped and inclined roads (for Filipinos, tiis-ganda lang! lol).

A view of Sunset in Seoul

Window Shopping at Myeongdong and Ewha university – Day 15 in South Korea

It is said that the cheapest places to go shopping in Korea are the area nearby the universities as the items are catered to a student's budget. Thus for our third day, we decided to visit one of Seoul's most prestigious university which is not only famous for its quality education, but also as a shopping haven for women.

A look of Seoul's rapid trains

Changdeokgung and Gyeongbokgung Palace, Bukchon Village: Strolling around Seoul like royalty – Day 14 in South Korea

We were supposed to meet up with our host for lunch, but due to some miscommunication, it never happened on that day so we had lunch by ourselves on a restaurant near the dormitory. It was a sumptuous meal of Samgyupsal, which by now you should know that I absolutely love! The plan for the day was to visit the palaces around Seoul and we were fully energized thanks to our most loved Korean meat.

killing some time to wait this be cooked. yummmm!

Couchsurfing in Korea (my experience and tips for newbies) – Day 13 in South Korea

For those who have followed my posts on South Korea, you must have noticed that I always mention the word ‘host’ and ‘couchsurfing’ and must have wondered what this is.

Couchsurfing.org is a hospitality website/community that enables travelers from all over the world to find hosts from the countries they'd be visiting that would let them to crash their couches for a couple of days, for free. What's the catch? Absolutely nothing! The concept of the site is to experience culture exchange with both the guest and host. The site also hosts different events wherein you could meet up other members in the area.

Couchsurfing Homepage

Flying with T'way Airlines (Review) - Day 13 in South Korea

As soon as we got out of Yongduam Health Land for an overnight stay, we immediately took a taxi to the airport which was almost just 5 minutes away from the jjimjilbang. We were an hour early for our flight and I was pretty positive that nothing could go wrong, just like our flight with Jeju Air.

T'way Airlines (티웨이항공) is a low-cost airline based in Seoul that offers scheduled flights between Jeju to Seoul and vice versa. They also have international flights going to and from Thailand, Japan, and Taiwan.

T'way Airlines

How I survived inside a Jjimjilbang at Jeju - Day 12 in South Korea

We were pretty tired when we went to our host's place at Woljeongni, coming from Manjanggul Cave and Gimnyeong Maze Park. However, I was pretty surprised when he asked us to move out already. In my request through Couchsurfing, I told him we will be staying until the morning but then he said that there will be someone staying in our room. Of course we had no option but to leave. I'll probably talk about this on another post. We took a taxi to the airport that night for our 7AM flight with T'way Airlines the next morning but unfortunately, we had to move again as Jeju's airport closes by 10:30 PM! How unexpected! Anyway, the only option that night was to stay at a jjimjilbang. Left with no other choice, we took another taxi to Yongduam Health Land, a jjimjilbang nearby Yongduam Rock, to stay for one night.

Jjimjilbang is a large gender-segregated Korean bathhouse. They have enormous facilities like jacuzzi spas, hot/cold sauna, massage services, sleeping rooms, and they also allow customers to stay overnight, making them very popular with Koreans and foreign tourists to their country. The very unique feature of jjimjilbang is that no bathing suits are allowed when using the wet sauna, thus you have to be naked inside.

The view near the famous jjimjilbang of Yongduam

Manjanggul Cave and Gimnyeong Maze Park, Jeju - Day 12 in South Korea

As we bid our taxi driver goodbye, we headed to Jeju's intercity bus terminal to take a ride to Manjanggul. The place where we were staying at, Woljeongni, is quite near from the famous tourist attraction, so  why not make this our last stop before we retire for the day. Just ask around the terminal which bus number takes you to Manjanggul, it's the same bus to Woljeongni so we didn't have problems on that. The bus ride to our destination took about 40-50 minutes. From there you can either take a taxi, walk or ride a bus (that we didn't even have a glimpse of!) We reached the bus stop by around 4:30 PM and the walk from there took us 30 minutes or so.

Located some 30 km east of Jeju City, Manjanggul Cave (만장굴) is one of Earth's finest and largest lava tubes. This geological jewel stretches for about 13 kilometers and was formed underwater more than 200,000 years ago. It has not only been designated as a National Treasure, but a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well. While only 1km of the total length is open to visitors, you'll still be amazed by the interesting structures such as lava stalagmites and stone pillars.

Cool lights at Manjanggul Cave

Sangamburi Crater and Hallasan, Jeju - Day 12 in South Korea

Jeju has been amazing so far. The untouched nature that surrounds the island was just impeccable and the people here were very friendly and helpful. The visit to Seongeup Folk Village has definitely thought me more about Jeju's beginnings and culture. It was past noon but we still wanted to explore and learn more. I have told our driver to go to Sangamburi Crater and Mt. Halla for remaining time of our tour.

Sangumburi (산굼부리) is a crater in Jeju designated as a Natural Monument. The name is derived from "Gumburi" that means volcanic crater in the local dialect, and "san" for mountain. The flat crater's flat circumference is 2km and is about 650 meters wide and 100 meters deep. There is a plethora of unique plant-life in the crater such as magnolia trees, rare winter strawberries, Ondaerim vegetation and other more interesting kind of species of plants as well that has continued to attract different researchers.

Seongeup Folk Village and Black Pig Meal at Jeju - Day 12 in South Korea

Our next stop after Trick Art Museum was a traditional Korean folk village called Seongeup. There was folk village museum that is more touristy but I decided to go here because we haven't been to an authentic folk village yet. The one that we went to in Yongin was established last 1970s that was made for tourism so native Koreans did not really live there. We were not able to go to Andong in Gyeongju as well as I have told in this post. So technically, this is our first experience on the real deal.

Seongeup Folk Village (성읍민속마을), located at the foot of Mr. Halla in Jeju, is a small town that displays unique culture of the island such as the abundance of black lava rocks scatered on the ground and are even used in their houses, the abundant display of stone grandfather statues called harubangs, the distinctive conventional "restrooms" and the local black-haired pigs. The trees that stand in the center of the vllage are also said to be more than hundreds of years old.

Seongeup Folk Village

Trick Art Museum, Jeju - Day 12 in South Korea

It was almost nine in the morning when we reached our third destination, Jeju's Trick Art Museum, coming from Seopjikoji. Our driver was able to get us discounts which was pretty awesome. Not only has he been reliable at giving tips, he made an effort so that we can save some money too! :)

Trick Art Museum can be found at three cities in Korea; Seoul, Busan and of course, at Jeju. The one in Jeju is located in Seogwipo City nearby the Seongeup Folk Village. The entrance here is 8.000 won for aduls and 6,000 won for children.

Behind bars... or not!

All in Seopjikoji, Jeju - Day 12 in South Korea

After a cup of coffee to warm our body (courtesy of our driver), we headed to our next destination which was a ten to fifteen minute drive from Sunrise Peak/Seongsan Ilchubong, which we have visited beforehand.

Seopjikoji is also located at the eastern shore of Jeju Island. The name came of the place was derived from the dialect of the Jeju, "Seopji" meaning a narrow piece of land, and "koji" for cape or peninsula. The shoreline was striking, showcasing volcanic rocks in different shapes, some of these were preserved and even had an observation deck.

The view at Seopjikoji

Jeju's Sunrise Peak (Seongsan Ilchubong) - Day 12 in South Korea

We woke up quite early for a jam-packed exploration I have planned for our second day in Jeju. We visited the Dragon Rock, Jusangjeolli Cliff, Teddy Bear Museum and The Seaes Resort for the first part of our stay here and it was pretty tiring so we dozed off after we got home. I told our driver to meet us up at Weoljeongni by 4:30 AM, and yes, he was on the dot, well, all Koreans are! Now maybe you are wondering why we were up this time? This is because we wanted to see the sunrise at Seongsan Ilchubong, also commonly known as "Sunrise Peak".

Seongsan Ilchubong is one of Jeju's many tourist sites that is UNESCO World Natural Heritage monument. It is said to have risen from under the sea due to a volcanic eruption about thousand of years ago, forming a tuff cone in the eastern side of the island. It is over 180 meter high and has preserved a noted crater which is a subject to lots of pictures, not only because of it shape, but also because this is a great spot for taking sunrise photos.

Morning cloudy view at Seongsan Ilchubong

K-Drama Fever at The Seaes Resort, Jeju - Day 11 in South Korea

The previous trip to the Teddy Bear Museum is the first part of our “Korean Drama Fever” series in Jungmun, Jeju. I did not really mean to put on a K-Drama themed itinerary, as you may have noticed since Day 1, we have not planned for a visit to any shooting locations. We just knew on the spot that the same tourist sites that we’ve been to were settings to some of famous Korean shows: Nami Island (Winter Sonata), Suwon Hwaseong and Korean Folk Village (Sungkyunkwan Scandal, Dae Jang Geum, etc) and Igidae Park (Haeundae Lovers) to name a few. Jeju is no exception. There have been numerous of soap operas and variety shows that were shot here as well. My friend requested that we drop by at The Seaes Hotel & Resort which was a 5-minute away by taxi from Jeju’s Teddy Bear Museum.

The Seaes Hotel & Resort ((씨에스 호텔& 리조트) is one of Jeju’s luxury hotels accommodations located at the Jungmun District that offers 26 private villas wherein you can choose if you’d like a Korean or western style room. The resort is widely known as filming locations for TV shows such as ‘Princess Hours’ and ‘Boys Over Flowers’. Jungmun Complex can be reached by taking the Airport Limousine Bus 600. The cheapest room, Deluxe, is priced at 260,000 won, Garden Suite for 500,000 won and Godang, the Korean Traditional room style is for 1,000,000 won.

K-Drama Fever at Teddy Bear Museum, Jeju - Day 11 in South Korea

It was almost dark after we have visited Jusangjeolli cliff to see the columnar points of Jungmun Coast. We opted to go to Yeomiji Botanical Garden afterwards, but they were already closing when we arrived. I didn’t know if it was a good thing we weren’t able to go inside as the admission fee was quite steep for a garden visit. As the Teddy Bear Museum was just a 5-minute walk from Yeomiji, we decided we could head here instead.

The Teddy Bear Museum boasts a showcase of these toys ranging from those that came from different countries, antique collections, and even imitating popular people from different eras. It is said that this is the world’s largest teddy bear display. You can reach Jeju’s Teddy Bear Museum by riding the Airport Limousine Bus 600.

Jeju’s Sunset at Jusangjeolli Cliff - Day 11 in South Korea

The previous trip to Yongduam Rock has enabled us to have a quick trip to the airport to inquire on taxi rentals. We were able to get a taxi driver who was available the next day, which was a relief. We have then decided to explore the Jungmun Resort Area for the rest of the dat. It was very easy to commute to the resort, one must just take Limousine Bus 600 from the airport and will take 50 minutes of traveling time. For the first part, we had planned to go to Jungmun Daepo Coast, also commonly known as Jusangjeolli Cliff.

The columnar joints at Jungmun Daepo Coast is Jeju's Natural Monument No. 443. This rocky cliff run for about 2 km in the coastline of Seogwipo and were formed from the basalt flows when Nokhajiak volcano erupted 14,000-25,000 years ago. The lava that has flowed to the coast of Jungmun and through the years has formed these rock pillars shaped like cubes or hexagons.

Dragon Rock, Yongduam, Jeju – Day 11 in South Korea

After we finished a bowl of al-tang for lunch, we hailed a cab to take us to Yongduam rock which was pretty close to the airport. En route, the taxi driver made a small talk with me. Aside from asking the basic stuff like where we came from and how long we were staying in Korea, he also gave some tips on how we can explore Jeju more and enjoy our stay to the fullest. It’s so amazing to feel you are surrounded with very nice and friendly people. I have felt this way ever since our first day in this wonderful country. The distance to our destination was very short though and we have soon arrived at Yongduam.

Yongduam Rock

Our first taste of Altang at Jeju – Day 11 in South Korea

It was certainly refreshing to wake up the next day knowing we were already in Jeju! Yes, just after that trip to Haedong Yonggungsa at Busan, we took a flight the same night via Jeju Air to Jeju! During the flight, me and my friend were busy stalking making friends with Korean kids. They were just too adorable and cute! I wish I had a cute Korean baby for a cousin!

Anyway, enough of the blabbering. We stayed at Woljeongni which was VERY far from the city, but quite close to some tourist spots. We woke up and left early the next day, however we had no idea that our place was 20-minute from the bus stop (since we took a taxi when we arrived from the airport) and that buses RARELY come!!! I thought it was same with Gyeongju wherein there was at least 15-minute duration when buses arrive but na-ah! We were at the bus stop by 9AM and was only able to see a bus to Jeju City after an hour! Imagine how bored we were then! I was tempted to talk to the old Korean couple sitting beside us, but decided to keep my mouth shut as the two of them were taking a nap (or maybe they were just closing their eyes?)

a picture of the bus schedule that I took out of boredom. I did not even bother to “decipher” this as I had no idea yet of the names of the places in Jeju

A review of our flight with Jeju Air – Day 10 in South Korea

After our visit to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, we took a bus back to where we were staying near Dongeui University station. It was quite a long trip so we had to take a taxi to the airport so that we won’t be late for our flight. As I have shared in this post, we had to cancel our earlier booking of Busan-Jeju with Air Busan as the firework festival was cancelled so we had to make changes with our schedule. We then booked another ticket with Jeju Air. There were other airlines offering flights to Jeju such as Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Eastar Jet, Jeju Air, Jin Air and T'way Airlines. We needed a flight from Busan and we were on a budget so the only options were Air Busan and Jeju Air. In fairness to Air Busan, the flights were averagely-priced and we were able to cancel it with only 1000 Won penalty fee, not bad!

Jeju Air (제주항공) is a budget airline based in Jeju City that offers domestic flights between Jeju to Seoul, Busan, and Cheongju. They also offer flights to Jeju from other countries such as Thailand, Philippines, Guam, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan and China.

Jeju Air's check-in counter at Gimhae Airport

The temple by the ocean – Haedong Yonggungsa, Busan – Day 10 in South Korea

We overslept the next day due to our “hangover” with the fireworks festival last night, we were supposed to leave for the temple by 9AM but apparently were not able to, so we started our adventure by mid-noon. Our only plan for the day was to visit Haedong Yonggungsa as it was also quite far from where we are staying and our flight to Jeju was 7PM, so we had to go back early. We took a train to Haeundae station and from there, Bus 181 will be able to take you to the temple.

Haedong Yonggungsa is one of the famous temples in Busan located at the north-eastern part of the city. The name translates to “Korean Dragon Palace Temple” in English. One of the most unique points of this temple is that it is situated near the ocean, which is quite rare in South Korea as most temples in the country are found in the mountains.

Haedong Yonggungsa