Entering into the last full day of our Jeju road trip itinerary, we geared up for a relaxing day at the island. As if Jeju Island is not small enough of an island, we dedicated our final day here to an even smaller island within it – Udo.
Deemed as the happiest place on earth by some, the name “Udo” was given because the shape of the island mirrors a cow lying down. Well, we also did see some real cows at Udo, but what fascinated us more were the turquoise waters and breathtaking views – more on that later!
While we were just exploring the Eastern part of Jeju yesterday, a complete tour of Udo Island requires a full day. Thus, we had no choice but to take the same route to Seongsan Harbour, which is really just a mere 5 minutes drive away from Seongsan Ilchulbong.
Perhaps what I’d suggest is for you to stay in the East of Jeju for a couple of nights if you are definitely visiting Seongsan Ilchulbong and Udo island. After all, there are quite a few other attractions that are worth your time in the East too!
Seongsan Harbour
Anyhow, we took a scenic drive to Seongsan Harbour (also known as Seongsan Port), where we could take a ferry over to Udo Island. Upon arrival, it’s necessary to head into the ferry terminal, fill in your declaration form, show them your photo ID and purchase your ferry tickets.
As we already had the car, we decided that it would be much easier to travel around Udo Island if we drove it over as well. For that, we paid 26,000 KRW for the car, inclusive of admission fees for passengers, which would cost 5,500 KRW for an adult. (Note: It seems like rented cars are no longer allowed onboard the ferry, from Aug 2017).
Ferry timings change depending on seasons and weather conditions, but generally, one ferry departs every 30 minutes.
As city dwellers, being able to drive up and down a ferry is also exciting. Even for myself who have experienced being on board a car ferry at Bruny Island, such “cheap” thrills never get old.
It was also quite funny that the ahjussi (uncle) had to help us turn the steering wheel to park the car well on the car ferry. Maybe it’s because he saw 4 girls in this huge car, or that L just looked new on the wheel with this whole parking on a ferry thing (who knows?).
When in Udo, know what to eat. The first thing we did when we reached Udo Island was to look for food. Not just any food, but specifically the famous Hallasan Fried Rice.
Pungwon Restaurant
To have that, head to Pungwon Restaurant, which is only a 10-minute walk from the east of the Udo Island harbour.
We began by ordering some meat and other side dishes first. When we were about done, the staff would bring the fried rice items, and cook it in front of us with our leftover meat in the pan.
As she cooked the rice, she explained the story of Mount Hallasan (the highest mountain in Jeju and South Korea) using visual illustrations from the fried rice. The rice is like the mountain, and the egg represents the volcanic lava.
We loved the story and we loved the food. Don’t forget to order the fried rice when you’re here!
Seobinbaeksa Beach
After filling our tummies, it was time for some adventure! Driving along the coast down south, we arrived at Seobinbaeksa Beach (also known as Sanho Beach). The waters had varying colour tones, depending on its depth, and the sand was so fine and white.
While it was summer, the water was cold, and we certainly weren’t dressed for the beach. Nevertheless, since it wasn’t too crowded, we took our time and enjoyed the serenity.
Having had our fair share of chill and fun at the beach, we moved ahead, only to stop again in another few metres. This time round, we parked at a small path by the road, got down and began snapping photos with the rocks against the sea – a true reflection of our “Jeju Rocks” theme.
Honestly, the view was much better in real life. These photos don’t do it justice.
With time catching up on us, we headed for one of the highlights of Udo Island – Udobong Peak.
Udobong Peak
As much as we’ve seen such hilly greenery over the past 3 days – at Songaksan Mountain, Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak and Seopjikoji – we never got sick of it. Instead, check out our smiles!
Over around Udobong peak, the wild grass and lalang fields captivated our souls so much.
Singaporeans would travel all the way to the west end of Singapore to take photos with lalang fields. We, however, would much prefer Jeju!
There were quite a few paths to take around Udobong Peak, but there were no clear directions as to where each goes. We went with our gut feel, following the seemingly most scenic path, and boy, it was kind of tiring! From the bottom, these hills didn’t seem so daunting, but in the midst of the climb, it reminded us of our hike just yesterday at Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak.
Yet, as we finally reached the top, it was kind of underwhelming. We had initially thought that this climb would lead us to the lighthouse, but we were met with a dead end. We could see the lighthouse from here, but could not get there.
Well, the view was still amazing, with clouds hovering around, and we just had to take that picture!
As we descended, we did discover another path leading to the lighthouse, but were too exhausted to go for another hike. Rather, we all agreed that it was time for some peanut ice-cream!
Peanut Ice-Cream
Everyone who comes to Udo Island raves about its peanut ice-cream. Initially, we were all puzzled by this random dessert that we never had before, but after trying it, we understood why. Not only was the ice-cream (strangely) fragrant, it was really unique!
Most cafes in udo Island sell some sort of peanut ice-cream. To us, they should all be quite similar, so we just went to a cafe with a nice view, order some peanut ice-cream and cotton candy drink. Definitely try the peanut ice-cream while you’re in Udo Island, but you can skip those other gimmicky drinks and desserts.
Oh, and did I mention, you can rent these cute little electric bikes or scooters to bring you around Udo Island, if you took the ferry over by foot. Each can sit 2 people, and costs around 10,000 KRW to 20,000 KRW. They seem really popular among tourists! We would probably have tried them if we didn’t have the car.
Geommeolle Beach
Walking out from the cafe, we were faced with Udo Island’s black sand beach. This is another must-visit in Udo Island, because of its cave-like structure and black sand. The beach itself is comparatively really small, but you can ride the speedboat for some thrills!
We’d love to have stayed on longer in Udo Island, but the downside is there’s always the last ferry to catch back to Seongsan Harbour. We completed our anti-clockwise drive around Udo Island, arriving back at the port just in time for us to take the ferry back.
It was a great day trip at the (Udo) Island in the (Jeju) Island, with new experiences and most of all, the best company.
Next up: Day 5: Reflections: Goodbye Jeju; Hello Busan!
