We spent 5 days (would’ve been 7 if we remembered our passports… lol) biking the 147-mile path around Jeju Island and it was the trip of a lifetime! This was our first bikepacking trip and we highly recommend this method of travel. Bikepacking is the term for a multi-day backpacking trip on bikes and Jeju is a great place to start due to it’s moderately flat terrain and easy-to-navigate “blue path” that wraps around the whole island. The path leads travelers through many popular tourist spots, offers many food options, cafes, convenience stores, and restrooms along the way, and, most importantly, offers unparalleled views of the island and an experience to see the culture at it’s finest!
Trip Goals
- Push our comfort zone with a new, minimalist type of travel
- Explore the SW corner of South Korea (especially since we can’t leave due to Covid-19 travel restrictions)
- Be active! (But find rest and relaxation on the beach)
- Slow down our life by choosing a more peaceful form of travel and transportation
Preparation
Resources & Inspiration
Check out these blogs & videos:
- CAMPING THE JEJU OLLE TRAIL from Going the Whole Hogg
- 5 REASONS TO EXPLORE JEJU BY BIKE from Wee Gypsy Girl
- See the autumn island on two wheels: Jeju by bicycle from Visit Jeju
Packing list
Food (Light breakfast, snack packs, and dinner each day)
- Oatmeal Packets with Yogurt Bites for Breakfast
- Snacks (beef jerky, nuts, energy bars, tuna/chicken packets, crackers)
- Dinner Packs (Mac and Cheese + Bacon Bits + Chicken, Ramen Noodles + Tuna, Instant Mashed Potatoes + Bacon Bits + Chicken)
- Napkins and Utensils
Notes on packing from Natalie: I am a classic overpacker. I want to be prepared for any and every circumstance, but I honestly wish I would’ve packed less clothing. We didn’t always have a place to shower, so I felt okay rewearing a few items (kinda gross, I know), but we laundry on our 3rd day of biking and there were plenty of sinks to rinse clothes out if needed… Just make sure to bring lots of body wipes if the showers will be closed and give your clothes enough time to dry if you do wash them in the sink! I also would’ve brought a little less food because there were plenty of places to eat along the way, but it does save a lot of money to bring your own. One last thought: when packing, put the heavier stuff in the saddlebags and handlebar bags. It is really tough to wear a heavy backpack and cycle. Your center of gravity will be off and you will expend more energy trying to balance on top than if it were just attached to your bike.
Itinerary
We had 7 days available (Saturday to Saturday), and based on our calculations we needed to ride approximately 25 miles per day counterclockwise to circumnavigate the entire island.
Below is our updated itinerary and map with red markers as planned stopover points. Note that we planned 6 days of biking with 1 rest day available to still catch the ferry back on Saturday, 27 June, but ended up leaving on Friday evening due to ferry times.
***Note on Navigation: Maps.Me has a great Guides function. For Jeju camp guide, search and download “Jeju Camp Spots // GTWH” by Kim and Del Hogg. In the picture below, all yellow markers are possible camp spots, and all green markers are definite camp spots. Maps.Me is also a great app for travel because it works only on GPS if you pre-download maps, which is awesome if you don’t have cell phone coverage, as well as operating in airplane mode saves a lot of battery power.
Saturday, 20 June
Depart Osan at 0800 and arrive at Wando Island no later than 1330 (Estimated 5 hour drive from Osan with 2 fifteen minute stops) in order to get on the 1500 ferry to Jeju City. There is a ferry that leaves at 1400, but it takes about 5 hours and arrives at 1900.
We arrived and there was no ferry on Saturday as depicted online, likely due to Covid-19. Lesson learned: book your ticket ahead of time on their website to ensure you will get on. You will need a Korean credit card, but if you can find a local to help you out, it will give you peace of mind. We decided to drive to Mokpo and catch the ferry out at 0900 the following morning. We ended up camping out at the F1 Korea International Circuit track campground so that we would be near the port.
Sunday 21 June
Pack up camp and arrive at Mokpo Port Passenger terminal at 0800. Note that foreigners need passports (we didn’t bring them because we figured it was a domestic ferry and unnecessary) and the workers said it was “absolutely essential” to be able to travel via ferry. So after weighing our options, we drove 4 hours back to Osan to pick up passports and 4 hours back to Mokpo to camp for the night before catching the ferry on Monday at 0900. BUT, we did find a pretty sweet camp site called Pado Mokjang Camp Site which overlooked the western sea! It was on a dairy farmer’s land and we ended up paying 20,000won for the night to camp. It was a Sunday night and we were literally the only ones there. The farmer brought us fresh cow’s milk and was overall very nice and accommodating despite the fact that we could barely communicate, except through the Google Translate app.
Monday 22 June
We showed up early at the Mokpo Port Passenger Terminal early and FINALLY got on a ferry. Note: if you’re putting a motorcycle or car on the ferry you have to register them in advance. The ferry ride was beautiful and relaxing! They had a convenience store, coffee shop, and cafeteria available during the ferry ride. In total it was 4.5 hours from port to port.
From the port we set off and rode 26 miles for day 1 and ended up camping at Geumneung Beach. There is a blue line around the entire island that you can follow – but fair warning that it can be elusive at times and turns can sneak up on you. The ride was beautiful and the camp spot was near the beach. The campsite was more on the crowded side, but definitely worth it, especially for the beachfront spots. It’s a first-come, first-serve style campsite and the showers weren’t open in late June but we heard they open up during peak tourism season in July and August.
Tuesday 23 June
On day 2 we awoke to the forecast still showing rain on Wednesday and Thursday, so we decided to cover some serious ground and reward ourselves by staying at GoldOne Resort 42.8 miles away, which we booked same morning. This ride was quite tough due to an eastern headwind and lots of elevation change, but we were thankful to get so many miles under our belts before the weather started. Some of our recommended stopovers included: Chagwido Port, Song-Aksan, the Sex and Health museum/park (quite entertaining). Definitely recommend taking a hammock to set up in the many pagodas during breaks! Great way to end the day in the heated pool at GoldOne Resort and walk down to a pizza/pasta place for dinner and drinks.
Wednesay 24 June
To start off day 3, we had breakfast at GoldOne and left around 0800. 5 minutes from the hotel we got caught in a downpour. We had packed all our electronics, clothes, and sleep gear in dry bags which was a lifesaver!
We didn’t have any lodging booked because we wanted to see how far we could make it before storms rolled in in the afternoon. The rain ended up lightening up and we pushed out 38.5 miles because it was cool with fairly flat terrain and a crosswind/tailwind throughout the day. We were already pretty drenched, so going a little further in the rain wasn’t going to slow us down. We ended up booking an AirBnB last minute near Seongsan Ilchulbong. They were gracious and allowed us an early check in with our arrival being one hour after we booked. We spent the evening hanging out at a cafe overlooking the ocean and ate dinner at a jazz-themed restaurant called Vibe230.
Thursday 25 June
We were expecting some pockets of rain for day 4, but by the time we woke up, the forecast was calling for rain through the evening. We had two short pockets of light mist/off & on showers between 0830-1000 and 1030-1200, so we decided to make a break for it.
Hoping to not get as soaked as Wednesday, we pulled off under a pavilion when the rain picked up. When the rain let up, we pushed on and totaled 25 miles for the day, arriving at our goal destination of Hamdeok Beach. There are a few camping areas along this beach and bathrooms, however, the showers were still out of season. It’s a unique setup for camping with beach camping near a lot of cafés and restaurants. We set up the tent despite the rain and hung out in our hammock overlooking the beach while the rain came down. After getting a little chilly we hopped over to a lounge for some coffee, beer, and wine (just like the sign advertised!). Thankfully everything along the street at this beach overlooks the ocean and there are no bad views! We were thankful that we brought our hammock as there are plenty of pagodas we to relax in.
Friday 26 June
We woke up to the sound of waves on Hamdeok beach and went for a nice morning walk up to Seowoo-bong Peak. We ended up spending about an hour watching the sunrise as it was very peaceful.
We came back to our campsite for breakfast before heading to the beach for the day.
We ate lunch at a great burger restaurant called Burger 307 before taking on the last 13 miles to Jeju Port Passenger Terminal. By this point in the trip we were pretty tired and this last section was pretty hilly (although not as bad as our 2nd day of biking). We had great visibility and were able to see Hallasan Peak. There were some really great views on this portion of the ride, but we were thankful it was a shorter one. We got to the port about an hour early to catch the 1700 ferry back to Mokpo and pick up the car by 2130. We ended up staying in Mokpo rather than driving back to Osan late.
Saturday 27 June
Sad that our bikepacking adventure was over, we departed Mokpo by 0830 and drive back to Osan with a stopover in Kunsan to say hi to friends.
Lessons Learned/Recommendations
- Winds were out of the east the whole trip. The headwind made a big difference during eastbound legs.
- Bring a hammock! There are lots of pagodas/shelters along the route that are great for resting. We also met lots of locals in the pagodas.
- Public shower facilities on the island campgrounds are only open during peak tourism season in July and August. We “showered” in the ocean/with wet wipes a couple nights.
- Most beautiful spots on the island: northwest corner was a beautiful ride, Song-aksan stopover, Seongsan Ilchulbung, and both beaches
- Best places we ate: Burger 307, Vibe230
Overall, this was an AWESOME trip- one of our favorites since moving to Korea- and this method of travel allowed us to see so much more of the island than simply renting a car. While it does take more planning, bikepacking was very manageable and a very memorable way to spend our vacation. We HIGHLY recommend. Thanks for reading and please feel free to contact us if you have any questions in planning your own trip/advice for our future trips!
