24/01/2017
A Private Tour of Jeju Island, South Korea
When people think of South Korea, the first images to come to mind are of Seoul, the enormous bustling capital. While these images are accurate, there lies an island to the south that is as opposite to the loud, bright, densely packed metropolis as it could possibly be. Jeju island has long been the weekend getaway for residents of mainland South Korea, but it tends to not be as foreigner friendly as the rest of the country. While the larger cities in the booming Asian nation are easily navigated, with accessible public transportation and simple communication, Jeju is isolated by more than just geography. It’s small, quiet, and much more sparse than it’s neighbor, truly a land unto itself.
There’s no subway on Jeju, and getting from one side of the island to the other can prove a little more difficult. Communication can be an issue as well, as the dialect can be enough of a change to cause problems even for Koreans. Fortunately, as tourism is it’s main draw, there are tour guides and groups to help out, such as Bravo Asia. Not only does this make it easier to get around, there are so many small attractions on the island that it can be hard to figure out how to spend your brief time there, and a private tour company like this can help by providing insider information to everything you want to see and do. For example, the whole history of the legendary women divers, whose images are everywhere on the island, can be given organically and naturally by a guide, rather than had through plaques and inference. My Jeju trip was much less stressful and I feel like I got a lot more out of it because I went through a service.
The crowning jewell of Jeju island is the volcanic mountain in the center. It’s cave formations were wonderful to tour and they were made extra fascinating with all of the additional information gained by having a private tour guide. It was like having a friend show me all the best parts of a place, that you don’t get in a printed tour guidebook. In addition to the natural beauty, Jeju is full of eccentric little museums and attractions, such as the Teddy Bear Museum on the south side of the island.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the different cuisine the island is so famous for, and incidentally was the main purpose of my Jeju tour. This too can be hard to parse, and again the guide was very useful. Most famous is the gamgyul, a variety of orange grown on the island. Sweet and delicious, this fruit is everywhere in Jeju, as are all of the products associated with it. Almost as famous, but more difficult to navigate is the black pork samgyeopsal. It’s everywhere, don’t get me wrong, but when I was there I wanted to find the best. After all, I didn’t fly down there for nothing. My guide located a fantastic restaurant in which to sample some of the best samgyeopsal barbecue I’ve ever tasted.
If you spend any time in South Korea, a trip to the small island off the southern coast is well worth the time and effort. But to maximize that trip, it’s also worthwhile to hire a Jeju tour operator. If you’re brave enough, they might even be able to lead you to the best horse restaurant (I wasn’t.) Beautiful views and amazing food await you.
http://www.bravoasiatours.com/destination/news/A_Private_Tour_of_Jeju_Island,_South_Korea-64.html
When people think of South Korea, the first images to come to mind are of Seoul, the enormous bustli...
