Jeju Island Travel Guide: Hallasan, Volcanic Coast and Getting There

Jeju Island is South Korea's volcanic island off the southern coast, and the one place on most first trips where you'll want a car. It's built around Hallasan, the country's highest mountain at 1,950 meters (6,398 feet), with lava tubes, sea cliffs, black basalt walls and beaches around the edge. UNESCO inscribed Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes as a World Natural Heritage site in 2007.

The Korea Tourism Organization puts six Jeju spots on its 2025 to 2026 must-visit list: Hallasan National Park, Seongsan Ilchulbong, Udo Island, the Jeju Olle Trail, Bijarim Forest and the Meochewatsup forest trail. That's a good skeleton. Below is how to do them, starting with the one that needs planning a month out.

Hiking Hallasan: trail reservation rules as of October 2026

You can hike Hallasan without a booking on several trails, but the two routes that reach the summit crater lake, Baengnokdam, need a reservation: Seongpanak and Gwaneumsa. Both reservation systems were operating normally as of October 2026, per the Hallasan trail reservation site. The rules:

• Bookings for the following month open at 9:00 Korea time on the first business day of each month. If the 1st is a weekend or holiday, they open the next business day. Popular dates can sell out quickly and there's a queue on opening day.
• The booking form asks for each hiker's details and a phone number, because the entry QR code is sent to it. You can't add companions after the booking is complete.
• Bring ID; the official site asks every hiker to carry it. You can enter only during your reserved time slot.
• Book the trail you go up. You can climb Seongpanak and come down Gwaneumsa on one booking.
• Cancel before your time slot ends if plans change. One no-show blocks you from booking for 3 months; a second blocks you for a year.
• There's no waitlist, and the park can close trails in bad weather. Check the site on the morning of your hike.

Seongpanak is the gentler of the two summit routes: 9.6 km (6 miles) each way, about 4 hours 30 minutes up. Under the winter schedule that runs from October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027, the Seongpanak and Gwaneumsa trailheads close to new hikers at 11:30, the Jindallaebat and Samgakbong checkpoints stop hikers heading for the summit from 11:30, and you must start down from the summit by 13:30, according to the Hallasan National Park office as reported by Financial News. Summer cutoffs are an hour or more later. Gwaneumsa's upper section (Samgakbong to the summit) was closed from August 1 to September 30, 2026 for rockfall repairs, and the park posted a reopening notice on September 18, 2026. Confirm on the reservation site before you go.

Top things to do in Jeju

Seongsan Ilchulbong

The tuff cone that rose from the sea on the east coast, and Jeju's sunrise spot. Per VisitJeju, it opens 5:00 to 19:00 in March, April, September and October, 6:00 to 18:00 from November to February, and 4:30 to 20:00 from May to August, with ticket sales ending an hour before close. It's closed the first Monday of each month (the next day if that Monday is a holiday). The summit trail is a paid section.

Udo Island

A small island just off the east coast near Seongsan, reached by ferry. Pair it with Seongsan Ilchulbong on the same day and check ferry times locally, since sailings depend on weather.

Manjanggul Lava Tube

Part of the UNESCO-listed lava tube system on the northeast side of the island. KTO describes stalactites, stalagmites and a lava formation inside. Confirm it's open before you drive out; opening sections change.

Jeju Olle Trail and forest walks

The Olle is a network of numbered walking routes around the coast. Pick one section rather than trying to do a lot. For shade on hot days, Bijarim Forest and the Meochewatsup forest trail are both on the KTO list.

Beaches and the haenyeo

Hamdeok on the northeast coast is open year-round; during the 2026 swimming season (June 24 to September 6), swimming was allowed 10:00 to 19:00. Watch for Jeju's haenyeo, the women free divers who gather shellfish without breathing equipment. UNESCO added the culture of Jeju haenyeo to its intangible heritage list in 2016.

Jeju Island at a glance

How to get to Jeju Island, South Korea

Fly. Most travelers leave from Gimpo Airport in Seoul or Gimhae Airport in Busan, and KTO notes the Gimpo to Jeju route has been ranked the busiest air route in the world. Carriers on Gimpo routes include Korean Air, Asiana, Jeju Air, Jin Air, T'way, Air Busan, Air Seoul and Eastar Jet, so there are flights all day. Book a few weeks out for school holidays. If you arrive in Korea at Incheon, you'll usually transfer to Gimpo for the domestic flight; our flights to South Korea guide explains the airports.

Ferries exist (overnight from Incheon, and shorter crossings from Mokpo, Wando and other southern ports), but schedules change, so treat them as an adventure rather than the default. See our getting around South Korea guide for train connections to those ports.

Renting a car on Jeju

Jeju's sights are spread around a big island, and a car makes a three-day visit far easier. Per the Korea Tourism Organization driving guide, short-term visitors can rent with an international driving permit, must be over 21, must show a passport, and pay by credit card in the driver's name. Bring your US license too, because some companies ask for it. Get your permit in the US before you fly.

Where to stay and when to go

Split your stay if you can. Jeju City in the north is near the airport and Seongpanak. Seogwipo on the south coast puts you on the other side of the mountain, handy for south-coast Olle sections. The east (Seongsan, Hamdeok) is the base for sunrise and Udo. Our where to stay guide covers hotel types. Spring and fall are the best hiking months; summer is beach season and typhoon season. Check our best time to visit South Korea guide for month-by-month detail, and the South Korea itinerary for how many days to give Jeju.