Explore Jeju

The Oreum 오름

Jeju has more than 360 oreum — small parasitic volcanic cones scattered across the island. Most are a 20–40 minute climb up a grassy or forested path to a crater rim with a wide view.

Close to the stay: Saebyeol Oreum, a clean pyramid of silvergrass and the site of the spring Fire Festival, and Geum Oreum just west in Hallim, with a small crater pond and a full-circle horizon. Further afield, Darangshi and Yongnuni in the east are the most photographed, and Abu Oreum is an easy ten-minute walk to a cypress-ringed bowl. For more, see Wanderlog's best hiking trails in Jeju.

Best light: sunrise or the hour before sunset.

Haenyeo Diving 해녀 체험

The haenyeo are Jeju’s women sea divers, who free-dive without air to gather shellfish, urchin and seaweed. Their culture is on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Visitor programmes on the east and south coasts — around Hado, Jongdal and Beophwan — take you into the shallows with working haenyeo to try the float-and-net method, then share the catch. The Haenyeo Museum in Hado and the Haenyeo’s Kitchen dinner-theatre in Jongdal tell the fuller story.

Note: a 50–70 minute drive east; book the sea sessions ahead.

The Beaches 해변

Gwakji, the closest beach, is a short curve of white sand in Aewol-eup itself, with a cold freshwater spring on the sand for rinsing off and one of the island’s better sunsets.

Fifteen minutes west, Hyeopjae and its neighbour Geumneung have shallow turquoise water and a view of Biyang Island — the postcard Jeju beach. To the east, Hamdeok and Woljeong add emerald water and a row of cafés. For more, see Wanderlog's best beaches in and around Jeju.

Swimming season: July to early September; open water is bracing otherwise.

Sea Fishing 바다낚시

Charter boats run from Hallim harbour, the nearest port, as well as Moseulpo and Seongsan. Tackle and bait are usually included; trips run four to eight hours and depend on the weather. See Tripadvisor's Jeju Island fishing charters & tours to compare operators.

What’s biting shifts through the year: hairtail on lit night trips in late summer and autumn, rockfish and flounder on the bottom year-round, and hard-fighting amberjack in winter. Rock fishing off the coast is free and needs only a rod.

Popular trip: an evening hairtail run out of Hallim, Aug–Nov.

Golf 골프

Jeju has around thirty courses laid out between the oreum, most with sea or mountain views and fast-draining volcanic turf that plays almost year-round — wind and mist are the real hazards.

Near Aewol and the west: Elysian Jeju, Saint Four and Ora Country Club. For a championship layout, Nine Bridges (host of the PGA TOUR CJ Cup), Pinx and Blackstone are on the south side. For the fuller picture, see Wanderlog's best golf courses in Jeju.

Booking: tee times open early and fill on weekends — reserve well ahead.

Horse Riding 승마

The Jeju horse is a small, sturdy native pony — a protected Natural Monument — and the island has raised horses on open pasture for centuries.

Riding centres around Jocheon and Gyorae offer ring lessons and guided trail rides through the fields; the Jorangmal Experience Park in Gasiri, on the blossom-lined Noksan-ro, pairs rides with a pony museum. The public grazing ground on the 5·16 road is a fine free stop to see the herds from spring to autumn.

Good to know: rides run from a 10-minute loop to hour-long treks; helmets provided, beginners welcome.

Kids 키즈

Five minutes from the stay, in Aewol itself, d’strict runs two media-art parks side by side: Arte Museum Jeju, an immersive light and nature show built inside a former factory, and next door, Arte Kids Park — built just for children, with a run-around media floor, a sand “beach,” trampolines and a cart ride through a projected desert.

Also in Aewol, a five-minute drive the other way, 9.81 Park runs Korea’s original zero-gravity kart track — carts that coast downhill on momentum alone, named for the pull of gravity, 9.81 m/s² — alongside a VR zone and other rides. Driving the main track takes a rider at least 14 years old and 150 cm tall; younger children can ride along or try the park’s other attractions.

On the east side near Gujwa, Snoopy Garden is an official Peanuts-themed park set into Jeju’s own landscape — an indoor gallery on Snoopy and Charlie Brown, and eleven outdoor gardens styled after the comic’s four seasons. A gentle, photogenic stop that suits every age.

For a full day further out: Aquaplanet Jeju, a large aquarium with a touch pool and otter and penguin shows, on the east coast near Seongsan; Pororo & Tayo Theme Park in Andeok to the south, built for toddlers; and Cocomong Eco Park, an outdoor nature park in the south with water play in summer.

Nearest: Arte Kids Park, Arte Museum & 9.81 Park are all in Aewol — book ahead on busy days.