Walking Trails in South Korea, #6

I couldn't resist.

Olleh Walking Trails are 26 (21 trails, 5 sub-trails) walking paths that cover the entire 2,713 meter circumference of Jeju Island (and neighboring Udo, Chujado and Gapado Islands) with sub-trails that go slightly inland; a whopping total of 422 km.

Just recenlty, I decided to do my very first Olleh Walking Trail.  And of the many things to do on Jeju-do, this is probably the only one that will require the most endurance, as each walking path can range from 14 km to 20 km in length.  You can bet on walking for at least 4 hours should you decide on doing an Olleh path. They range in difficulty as Jeju-do is known for it's mountainous terrain.

If you plan on doing all 26 paths, be sure to pick up an Olleh passport, so you can collect the stamp at the beginning of each trail.

This past weekend, I opted for the least difficult of the 26 trails, Olleh Trail Number 6.

Together with 3 hiking buddies, we made it through tired, but feeling accomplished.

Here's how the day went:

My neighbor, Meka double checking bus routes and time tables.

At Jeju City Bus Terminal waiting for bus 730.  Am I happy?  Yes, yes I am.

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day.

A calm river. on the way to the starting point.

...and some fall foliage

and flowers

Starting point, Olleh Trail #6--Let's do this!! 

Some cool guy selling trinkets.

Ajusshi's (married men) lounging lazily in the rock.

Spiders!

So many spiders!

One of many beautiful views

Big spiders, little spiders, medium spiders... 

...silently going about their day, these spiders.

Spiders taking in the sun!  :)

Taking in several view of the far off coast

A place to rest


Guardians carved in stone?

We walked through this area filled with brush all around, for about 2 km.  It included a steep hike which did seem to go on forever.  Luckily it was mostly steps to climb up and up and up and up.  Until finally, we met with this view.

We are heading in that direction

The views make it worth it!

Olleh Trail souvenirs, Olleh Ponies

Crowded, but not over-crowded, Jeongbang Falls

Hiking on the street?  Street hiking??  Is that a thing?

And through a market?  Oh, Korea!

We go lost...Coffee break anyone?

We were about 12 km through this 14 km trail when we got a little lost on our way through the Seogwipo Market.  The ribbons were much less conspicuous in a market setting.  We wandered around for a bit and luckily, we found another Olleh Trail pit stop and an older lady pointed us in the right direction.

What I enjoyed most on the very long walk was the experience of differing scenery, sometimes from one kilometer to the next.  At one point, we were hiking (well climbing stairs) up and up and up and then an incredible view.  Other times, we were walking through what seemed to be a small village and the on the busy street in downtown Seogwipo.  It sure kept the long walk interesting.  

Oh, and the spiders!!  

What have been your experiences hiking in Korea?  Have you done a Jeju Olleh Trail?