South Korea 2014: Day 6 - Jeju Island (Sunrise Peak, Seopjikoji and Sangumburi Crater)

June 11, 2014
Day 6 in South Korea (Day 2 in Jeju Island)

Our first stop is Jeju Island's Sunrise Peak, I asked again our very helpful receptionist on how to get there.

From You and I Guesthouse we walked to the bus station and waited for bus no. 700 going to Seongsan Ilchulbong.


SEONGSAN ILCHULBONG SUNRISE PEAK 

Address
284-12, Ilchul-ro, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do
제주특별자치도 서귀포시 성산읍 일출로 284-12

How to go here:
At Jeju Intercity Bus Terminal, 
Take a Direct Bus (Dongilju bus bound for Seongsan) and get off at Seongsalliipgu bus stop. (Travel time : 2 hrs)

At Seogwipo Intercity Bus Terminal, 
Take a Direct Bus (Dongilju bus bound for Seongsan) and get off at Seongsalliipgu bus stop (Travel time: 2 hr 30 min)

At Seongsalliipgu bus stop, you will see Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. Walk to the peak (about 1km).

One of the famous landmarks in Jeju Island is the Sunrise Peak and should not be missed!

The cliff ahead provides a view of the whole processes of eruption, deposition and post-eruption erosion of the tuff cone.

Numerous pinnacles and gullies were carved by erosion around the crater rim after the eruption. 

This place is so picturesque!

One of the famous and crowded tourist spot in Jeju Island, packed with tourist and locals.

The Crowd!

When we came here I've never thought that we will climb to see the peak, hahaha guess that I didn't do lot of research. I even say to Tina (my sister) "Hindi tayo aakyat dun, dito lang tayo chill lang tayo". But to see the crater you need to climb 130m. OMG! I'm not used to climbing, a big big BIG challenge for me :(

CHILL ^_^

We had an amazing view on our way to the peak, the beautiful landscape of Sunrise Peak is really really REALLY worth the climb, even we are tired, out of breath and thirsty, we still keep on going to see the peak!

 Aja! Aja!!! Fighting! ^^

After being exhausted... finally.... finally.... FINALLY!!!!!

The name Seongsan, meaning "castle hill'' in Korean, comes from its sloping form resembling a grand castle. It is the perfect spot to watch the sunrise!

Amazing view! I'm so thankful for the chance to see this beautiful creation! It was a breathtaking experience! It is really worth the climb!

The route up and down were separated so you wouldn't have climbers coming on the opposite direction.

More stunning view of Jeju Island!

If you head over to Jeju Island, NEVER miss this iconic place, truly a mother nature's beautiful creation!

After the good exercise we had on climbing Sunrise Peak, we took our lunch at the nearest Lotteria, then after that we take back to the bus stop and ride bus No. 700 to Seopjikoji. 

Note: From Sunrise Peak just ride a taxi to Seopjikoji, because the bus No. 700 will only drop you at the bus stop and you need to take a taxi to reach Seopjikoji, you can walk but it will take 30 to 40 minutes. 

At Seopjikoji bus stop, we met a Korean guy, his name is Shin and he is also going to Seopjikoji, then he tagged along. He says that there is no taxi that stop in the bus station so we can walk and be lucky to get a taxi. After more than 5 minutes, finally a taxi has arrived. Funny moment with this taxi driver, he asked us where are we from, we say Philippines, then he browse his CDs and put on his player and played "Freddie Aguilar's ANAK"! Oh AJUSHI knows that song, hehehe cool! Shin becomes our instant translator while ajushi is mumbling about the song he's playing. ^_^ 

Reaching Seopjikoji, we decided to parted ways exploring the place and Shin hopes that we could finish the tour together, so he can join us >.< 

SEOPJIKOJI

Address

261, Seopjikoji-ro, Seongsan-eup, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do 

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How to get here:

From Seogwipo Intercity Bus Terminal, take an intercity bus that runs on Il-ju Road to the east and get off at Seongsan-eup Goseong-ri (first bus 6:30 / last bus 20:30 / 20 min interval / 1 hour and 20 min ride). Then take a taxi for about 5-10 min.

Admission Fee: FREE

Seopjikoji is located at the end of the eastern shore of Jeju-do Island. "Seopji" is the old name for the area, and "Koji" is Jeju dialect meaning a sudden bump on land. 

There are stonewalls along the road to block the wind on the way to the lighthouse at the end of Seopjikoji.

For Korean Drama Fans, this is the filming location of 2003 drama series "All In" by Lee Byung-Hun and Song Hye -Kyo.

The "All In' House

Apparently the "All In" house is under construction and replaced by "Dalcom House", I'm not sure if this is some kind of museum, it looks like a candy house.

The Seopjikoji Lighthouse

You can view here the whole seashore.

great background!

Bumped again with Shin who doesn't even know where his next destination, he asked if he can join us, well he looks nice and cute, we really don't mind if he tagged along, we got an instant translator ^_^, but not a tour guide >.<

Instant chingu!

Off to our next destination with Shin at San-gumburi Crater, we took a cab from Seopjikoji to the nearest bus station. Ajushi (taxi driver) tells a lot about San-gumburi that Shin was so amazed that he didn't even bother to translate because he says it is a lot of information. At the bus station we waited for Bus 720, after 45 minutes we reached San-gumburi Crater.

SAN-GUMBURI CRATER

Address

768, Bijarim-ro, Jocheon-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do 

제주특별자치도 제주시 조천읍 비자림로 768

How to get here: 
From Jeju Intercity Bus Terminal
Take an Intercity Bus bound for Beonnyeong-ro and get off at ‘Sangumburi‘ (Bus schedule: 1hr intervals, Travel time: 30-40min)

From Seogwipo Intercity Bus Terminal

Take an Intercity Bus bound for Dongilju. Get off at ‘Pyoseon-ri samuso(office, 표선리사무소)’. (Travel time: 1hr 40min.) 

Walk straight towards the intersection and turn left and walk straight to bus stop. Transfer to bus bound for Beonnyeong-ro and get off at ‘Sangumburi‘ (Travel time: 1hr 30min.)

From Seojikoji:

Take a cab to the nearest bus station going to San-gumburi, ride bus no 720. (45 minutes travel time)

Admission Fee:

6000 KRW

San-gumburi is a crater with a circumference of over 2 km, and has been designated as a Natural Monument.

View of the Crater

This place is very nice for relaxation, a great stroll here to enjoy the beautiful scenery, it is also not crowded compared to Sunrise Peak. The thing is the admission fee is so pricey (6000 KRW), but if you want some leisurely walk, you'll surely enjoy this place despite of the pricey admission fee.

For Korean Drama fans, ‘’Love Wind, Love Song” and “Goddess of Marriage” was filmed here.

♥ I LOVE JEJU ♥

with chingu Shin 

Back to Jeju-Si.

To go back at You and I Guesthouse we waited bus # 720 at the station just in front of Sangumburi, chingu Shin waited at the other side bus station on his way back to Seongsan. The disadvantage of doing DIY Tour by bus is you have to wait for the bus, we almost waited almost an hour before the bus for Jeju-si arrived. 

Overall I had fun touring Jeju Island and I'll make sure to come back as soon as possible (next year? hahaha). There's so much to see in this beautiful island, two days is not enough to explore. I LOVE JEJU ISLAND! ♥♥♥♥♥