Jeju Olle Trail Course 5: A Beautiful Coastal Walk

2021-12-26 · Updated: 2026-08-11 · Original (Korean)

This article was translated from the original Korean post with AI assistance. Read the original Korean post →

I've been spending my weekends just cleaning the house or hanging around the neighborhood, so I bought a Jeju Olle Passport to force myself to get outdoors. Today was day one, and I walked Olle Trail Course 5, which passes right in front of my house. Dawdling in the morning and starting in the afternoon was a mistake, though.

Jeju Olle Passport stamped with the Olle Trail Route 5 stamp

Rock marking the start of Olle Route 5 and a blue stamp box

Tangerines filling yellow and green plastic boxes with the ocean in the background

Squids lined up to dry on a seawall next to a coastal road, along with colorful pinwheels

Black basalt coast and ocean landscape with sunlight shining through the clouds

After a warm-up walk past drying squid with the ocean keeping pace beside me, the Keuneong (coastal cliff) section begins. As you walk the Keuneong path, it starts out nicely paved with well-maintained stairs. It feels like a forest trail, but then the ocean suddenly appears, alternating back and forth. In the middle of the Keuneong path, there are spots to rest and sightsee, like Hoduam (Walnut Rock) and Yongduam (Dragon Head Rock).

The most crowded spot where you have to line up for photos is definitely the "Korean Peninsula." The trees form the shape of the Korean peninsula when you take a picture of the forest path, so people strike all sorts of poses here. I figured I'd waste too much time waiting, so I gave up on taking a photo, which left me feeling a little disappointed.

Blue Olle Trail sign with the name and description of Keuneong (coastal cliff)

Stone-paved coastal promenade with a view of the ocean through pine trees

Information board explaining the origins of Hoduam and Yuduam (coastal rocks) in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese

Scenic coastal view of black basalt cliffs and the ocean

Once the Keuneong path ends, you walk right next to the sea. It's a path lined with beautifully stacked stone towers, giving you a strange feeling of experiencing both religion and nature at the same time when walking alone. However, from this point on, it's hard to tell if it's even a trail or not. It's that rugged.

"The person who made this trail needs to get their head checked!"

Listening to everyone passing by mutter something like this made me keep laughing. It was pretty funny.

Stone towers made by stacking small rocks on volcanic rocks along the coast

Hill path scattered with large and small volcanic rocks and small stone towers built here and there

Two pieces of grilled meat and three kinds of seasoning on a round bluish plate.

Large and small stones covering the beach with the ocean at sunset in the background.

A piece of grilled bone-in meat and seasonings on a bluish plate.

While walking, I had a delicious cup of coffee at Warang Warang (a local cafe) and finally arrived at the highlight of Olle Course 5: the Camellia Forest. Unfortunately, they were plowing the field right now, so I couldn't go inside. It was a bummer, but there was nothing I could do, so I just looked at the nearby camellia flowers from a distance. They were still beautiful.

I wonder if the grandmother who planted these camellias—making Seogwipo synonymous with the flower—knew that people would love them this much. Whatever her reason was, seeing how one person's effort can have such a massive impact made me feel great the whole time I was looking at the flowers.

A blue horse-shaped sign reading Camellia Forest stands in front of the bushes.

A notice asking for understanding that the interior of the Wimi Camellia Forest cannot be opened to the public.

Two fully bloomed deep pink camellia flowers and buds visible among green leaves.

Camellia trees in full deep pink bloom lined up on both sides of a dirt path.

A blue horse-shaped stamp box for the Jeju Olle halfway stamp placed in front of a stone wall.

Information board with a description of the Wimi Camellia Forest and a stone wall

Ocean and island landscape with sunlight shining down through the clouds

Stone statue of a haenyeo (female diver) wearing a diving suit and holding a tewak (flotation device)

Ocean and coastal road against the backdrop of a red sunset

Because of my late start, I couldn't finish the whole course in one day. I went back home and finished the rest the next day. Not having to complete it all at once is definitely part of the Olle Trail's charm.

Blue ocean sparkling with reflected sunlight and coastal rocks

Tangerines in a yellow plastic basket and tangerines placed on a stone wall

Dirt path with thick trees on both sides

Asphalt road stretching long toward a mountain with clouds hanging over it under a blue sky

Blue pony-shaped stamp box installed on the dirt ground by the roadside

#Olle #JejuOlle #OlleTrail #OneMonthStay #LivingAloneForAYear #OneYearStay #JejuOneYearStay