Ever heard about Jeju Olle Trails? It’s a connection of 20 over walking paths, covering most of the beautiful attractions in Jeju Island. For travellers who want something different, this is definitely one great way to explore Jeju on foot.
I did the Olle Trail 15-B when I was there, didn’t manage to complete the entire route but was a fun experience! This is mainly a coastal trail which starts at Hallim Port, extends to the stunning coastal areas and ends at Gonae Port. Highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys some outdoor walking while travelling!
Olle Trail 15-B
Distance: 13.5km
Duration: 4-5 hours
Trail: Long but not strenuous, mostly flat terrains
I’ve ended my walk at Aewol area and made a visit to the famous Aewol Monsant Café by G-Dragon!
JEJU INTERCITY BUS TERMINAL → HALLIM PORT (starting point) → GWAKJI GWAMUL BEACH → HANDAM COASTAL WALK → CAFÉ AEWOL MONSANT
getting to the Starting Point
Take bus #102 from Jeju Intercity Bus Terminal to Hallim-ri.
T-Money card can be used to board the bus and journey takes approximately 50 minutes.
This is the schedule for buses #102 leaving from Jeju Intercity Bus Terminal.
Do note that this was from November 2017, so please check again for the latest schedule.
To avoid missing your stop, you can ask the bus driver to kindly inform you when it’s time to get off the bus.
From the bus stop, walk on a little and you will see a 7-11 convenience store on your left.
At the first junction, turn right and you’ll see some houses.
Keep walking and then turn left into Mun-Hwa-gil. You will need to go through the housing area until finally seeing some shops.
Take a right turn here and keep walking until you reach the main road. From there, take a left turn and cross at the zebra crossing.
You will see blue marker lines on the roads as you walk. Keep following them and that will lead you to the starting point of Olle Trail 15.
olle trail 15 Starting Point
Now we’re good to go!
Along the trail, there are blue ribbons and arrows which are markers of the trail. Seeing them along your route means that you are on the right track.
The beginning part of the trail mainly passes through houses and lots of vegetable farms. When I was there in autumn, most farms were filled with cabbages ready to be harvested. I’ve never seen a cabbage farm before, so I thought that was a pretty amazing sight!
After about 30 minutes of walking, the trail will split into two routes: 15-A and 15-B. Follow the direction of trail 15-B and that will bring you to the coastal trail.
From here, the trail becomes quite easy to follow. Just walk along the coastal trail, follow the Olle markers/ribbons and you will not get lost. It was a very relaxing experience to me – just listening to the waves and enjoying the sea view at the same time.
You will eventually arrive at the beautiful Gwakji Beach which is a really popular spot in summer for some beach fun. Walk on a little more and you’ll arrive at the Handam Coastal Walking Path.
There are a few nice cafe and restaurants in this area which are highly recommended online, such as Bonmal Cafe and Aewol Monsant Cafe. When I was planning my Jeju trip, I was actually really excited to visit Aewol Monsant Cafe after seeing pictures of this amazing architecture. I’m glad that I’ve managed fit this into my trip and have a break here after hours of walking.
Apparently, this area is also one of the best spots to catch the sunset view in Jeju! Do arrange your trip accordingly if you want to catch the sunset here.
My first Olle trail experience was a pleasant one and I’d really love to try out the other trails in the future.
Here are some additional safety information if you’re thinking of doing the Olle trail:
- Always follow the trail markers. If you ever get lost, turn back to the last checkpoint.
- Mind the cars when walking on the side of the driveway.
- It’s not recommended to do this trail when the weather is bad.
- There are taxis available near the cafes to bring you back, or you can proceed to complete the final part of the trail and arrive at Gonae Port.
- Last but not least, don’t forget your sunscreen and sunnies!
Hopefully this will be useful to you if you’re planning your Jeju holiday! Feel free to contact me if you need more information.
Till next time 🙂