Annyeonghaseyo Korea : Day 3 - Jeju Island (Seongsan Ilchulbong)

viii) Seongsan Ilchulbong - Sunrise Peak

Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak rose from under the sea in a volcanic eruption over 100,000 years ago. Located on the eastern end of Jeju Island, there is a huge crater at the top of Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. The crater is about 600m in diameter and 90m high. With the 99 sharp rocks surrounding the crater, it looks like a gigantic crown. While the southeast and north sides are cliffs, the northwest side is a verdant grassy hill that is connected to the Seongsan Village. The ridge provides an ideal spot for walks and for horse riding as well.


Admission Fee :
Adult : 2000 Won
Children : 1000 Won

Opening hours:
From 1 hour before sunrise until 20:00 (winter) and 21:00 (summer). Closed during inclement weather.


This was the last attraction and hightlight of our trip for today. People normally came here for sunrise as it was known for, but we were here to watch the sunset instead. I beleive both will reward a great experience and spectacular view to the viewer. As we reached here almost at sunset around 5pm, Vincent quickly handed us the admission tickets. To watch the sunset from the peak, obviously we had to hike (well actually climb a few stairs). Trekking from the main entrance to the top will take you approximately 30 mins to 1 hour but still depends on individual stamina also, and that's why Vincent leave it to us either we decided to climb or not. He didn't follow us, so he allocated around 2 hours for us to climb or explore this area for those who decided not to. He waited for us at the entrance.


At the entrance, we were distracted by this good looking chap making a traditional Korean snacks...

We were interested when he made a demo of the snacks making, only to be distracted again when Vincent called us!

So back to our main objective here... To catch the sunset view at the peak.

Lots of visitors already started their hiking.

There are two hiking trails to reach the peak of Seongsan Ilchulbong as shown in the map below. Take the white path uphill and the orange path downhill.

Besides the sunrise/sunset, there are another attractions at the park too. You can get a horse riding or more interesting, there’s a small bay where groups of elderly women dive for shellfish, seaweed, abalone and octopus. These women called "Haenyeo" can hold their breath for up to 3 minutes. It’s been a female activity in Jeju since the 17th century when men were required to fish at sea or serve on warships. The women put on daily shows at 1.30pm and 3.30pm. We already missed this show and somemore, we needed to catch the sunset so we skipped this one.

You can spot the woman divers from the far.

This is where the show took place.


A mandatory photo at the signage of Jeju as a New 7 Wonders of Nature and also as UNESCO World Historic Site.

And we started our climb.

The first part of the hike up is quite easy. I strongly recommend wearing covered sports shoes as there are slightly rocky/bumpy pathways. Since I was hiking during autumn, I would suggest to wear jackets or pullovers as it gets colder and windy as you walk uphill. Talking based on experience as I had made a wrong decision by leaving my jacket behind. I thought I might sweat a lot on the climb up but actually I was not!

Bertabahlah cuaca sejuk, angin kencang and no jacket!


Then you will meet the stairs.

The rest of the path uphill to Seongsan Ilchulbong comprises steps of varying steepness.

At different vintage points along the trail, the view differs.

Catching breath. Don't forget to bring along filled water bottles to hydrate yourself during the tiring climb.



Hiking up Seongsan Ilchulbong was surprisingly quite manageable though. Theoretically, it takes 20 minutes to walk up the Sunrise Peak trail, which is possible if you do it without resting. We took about 40 minutes to walk up which is not that bad, considering that we rested at a few stops along the trail. The trail is well marked and well maintained. There are proper steps along the trail so you won’t be negotiating muddy, rocky paths however the final stretch of the hike up the Sunrise Peak gets very steep and there wasn’t a lot of railings along the trail.

I took a few breaks in between to catch my breath.


We met this unique shape of rock during our climb to the peak. It is called Deung Gyeong Dol (Lamp Rock).

Doesn't this look like a dog's side view?

Information of the Deung Gyeong Dol.

It wasn't who will be the first to reach the top competition so we just took an easy climb, slowly and enjoyed the view.

Beside few older persons who were surprisingly faster and energetic than me, this was also my motivation. Carrying a baby while hiking. Bravo man!!



The views while I took a break..

The view gets better as you go higher.

Hang on a little more!

And yesh!!! Finally, we reached at the peak!!!

A full panoramic view of the sea and the eastern coastline at the peak. Gorgeous!

The sunrise from the crater is magnificent. Also the Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak surrounded by colourfull trees of Autumn is truly a sight to behold.

The crater

Yes, Malaysia Boleh!!

Seongsan Ilchulbong is a perfect spot to catch sunrise. That is why it earns the name "Sunrise Peak". But in our case, we came here to witness the sunset. What a wonderfull view!

The wooden platform where you can sit to enjoy the view of sunrise/sunset and also a spot for photographer to capture a great moment of the two occasions.

Fully indulged in the fresh air and spectacular view. Although the steps are tiring, it was definitely worthy!
After spending about 20 minutes at the peak... Slowly... we make our way back to the foot of the hill.

Now have to get down. Just follow the sign to the descending trail.

The staircase is well built, not too steep or slippery. This makes it accessible to a wide age group.

It's getting dark but I still didn't get enough with this place. Took more photo along the way down.

You can see how strong the wind blew by looking at my scarf and blouse. Serabut dah!!

Finally we reached back to the bottom of the hill.

The place getting deserted by the time we met our tour group and boarded to our bus. It's already dark so obviously nothing interesting that people could see anymore. As for us, we leave this place with unforgettable memories behind our goodbye!


Read next post for my last blog on Day-3. Stay tuned peeps!!