Jeju Olle Trail · Day 1 · Please Don't Rain

June 8, 2026 – Jeju Olle Trails 18 & 19

I woke up around 8 a.m. and finished getting ready by 9. I had two smoked eggs I’d bought the day before along with my supplements to get some energy in.
Today’s goal was simple: “Don’t overdo it on the first day.”
I only decided where to have lunch, then planned to check my condition once I got there and estimate how far I could go before choosing a place to stay.

 

This was my first day on the Olle Trail, starting with Course 18. The restaurant I wanted to have lunch at was in Jocheon-eup, so I could have lunch once I finished Course 18. There was a little mountain trail at the beginning, but after that, most of the route was through villages, so I didn’t think it would be too difficult as long as I took breaks along the way.

 

After leaving downtown Jeju City, I came to the path leading up to the top of Sarabong.
It was well maintained like a park, and even the restrooms were well looked after, which was nice.
The cloudy sky that looked like it might clear up but never quite did was a little concerning, but aside from the humidity, the temperature was pleasantly cool, so I made my way up without much trouble.

 

The uphill section wasn’t very long, and after a short stretch that was enough to work up a little sweat, I started seeing another village on the other side of the mountain.
One thing I noticed while walking this section was just how many different bird calls I could hear in Jeju that I rarely hear on the mainland. I couldn’t see the birds, but hearing their songs, which I wouldn’t normally hear even when walking through the mountains back home, made the walk feel fresher and more interesting.
The photo on the upper right shows the most beautiful part of Course 18, the Byeoldobong walking trail. Walking along the middle of the mountain, there were cliffs overlooking the sea on the left, making it one of the most beautiful sections and the part that really made me feel like I was traveling.
It was the most beautiful section of the day, but I walked right past it without taking a single photo and eventually came down to HwAbuk Port.
I must have been so caught up in the scenery that I forgot to take pictures.

 

As I passed through HwAbuk Port, I finally thought, “So this is a fishing village in Jeju!” I looked around curiously at the stone walls, watched haenyeo working, and kept walking.
I also saw so many swallows. I don’t think I had seen one since I was very young, but they flew so incredibly fast that I finally understood where the expression “as quick as a swallow” comes from. I saw plenty of other birds after that, but the swallow was the one I remembered most. I guess there’s a reason the post office chose one as its mascot!!

 

I was walking through village roads, but it was surprisingly difficult to find convenience stores or small supermarkets in these little villages. Even when there was one, it was usually far enough from the Olle Trail that going there and back didn’t seem worth the time. I kept switching between Naver Maps and the Olle Pass app looking for somewhere to take a break, and then I spotted a large coffee shop at Samyang Beach and went straight inside.
I had a hot Americano and a chocolate chip cookie. The coffee was good, and the cookie was better than I expected. With the view outside the window, it was a perfect place to take a break.
It was only a small mountain, but maybe because I had just crossed it, my T-shirt was soaked with sweat. The cool air conditioning helped me recharge, and I had a good rest.

 

After walking a little farther past the coffee shop, I spotted the intermediate stamp station. At this point, I was roughly halfway through the course and had walked about 8 km. After the coffee and cookie, I was feeling great. But as my sweat cooled down, the sea breeze on the cloudy day started to feel cold, so I pulled out the windbreaker I had brought and put it on. The wind by the sea was definitely cold.

 

Once I put on the windbreaker and kept walking, my body warmed up again and the temperature became just right for walking.
Even as I passed through neighborhoods I didn’t recognize, it wasn’t difficult to find my way thanks to the Olle Trail signs and ribbons hanging here and there. The only problem was that the Olle Pass app didn’t provide much detailed information about where the restrooms were, so whenever I spotted one while walking, I stopped in just in case.

 

After passing through the village and going over another hill, I started seeing more distinctly Jeju-like trails. Walking along the coast on dirt and rocky paths that even bicycles couldn’t pass through, I finally felt, “I’m really walking across Jeju.” Since Jeju is a volcanic island, the path was covered in sharp black basalt rocks, and it was surprisingly fun to walk along.

 

I don’t think these paths were made specifically for the Olle Trail, but the variety of scenery and trails made the walk really interesting. The views were great, but walking through a dark forest made me feel like I was exploring somewhere, and I found myself getting excited for no particular reason.

 

Finally, I could see the village where I planned to have lunch in the distance. From the entrance, I was walking along paths that looked unmistakably Jeju. I was hungry, but the scenery kept me in a good mood as I made my way there.
Seeing the small fishing boats at Jocheon Port somehow reminded me of Gwansik from When Life Gives You Tangerines. I had started rewatching When Life Gives You Tangerines because I wanted to feel more connected to Jeju while walking the Olle Trail, and as the chill and dampness of the drizzly seaside blended with the scenes from the drama, I found myself thinking about how difficult life must have been for the people of Jeju.

 

While walking toward the restaurant in the light drizzle, I came across the Course 18 completion stamp!
My clothes were damp from the rain, but I felt genuinely proud of myself over something as small as a stamp.

 

There are two ways to collect the stamps: using the paper Olle Passport or scanning the QR code with the Olle Pass app. I chose the app. Both cost the same: 20,000 KRW ($15)!

 

Day 1 Morning Walk – Total Distance: 19.6 km (12.2 mi)

And with that, I finished the morning walk on Day 1 and had a slightly late lunch at the restaurant.

 

For an important part of the trip—exploring Jeju food—I visited Hamdeok Golmok, a local favorite among Jeju residents!
I ordered the innards soup because it was supposed to be their specialty, and wow.. I’ve had haejangguk with innards in Yangpyeong before, but this place was packed with even more innards. There were so many that they actually served perilla leaves so you could wrap the innards in them. Adding the minced garlic and chili peppers that came with the soup made the broth even more refreshing, and I mixed in a bowl of rice and had a very satisfying meal.
It wasn’t just delicious because I had walked a long way and was hungry. The broth was exactly the kind of thing you’d want after a night of drinking, so I could see why locals came here. What was interesting was that I had barely seen anyone while walking, but this place was completely packed.
After a good meal and some more water, I stopped by a nearby Olle information center and sorted out the rest of my plans.

 

Course 19 runs from Jocheon to Gimnyeong. My original plan was to walk to Bukchon-ri Dodaebul, roughly the middle of the course according to the map, but all the decent rooms in that area were already fully booked. I didn’t want to go through the same accommodation-related stress as the night before, so I booked a place in Hamdeok Beach, where there were plenty of decent accommodations, and started my afternoon walk.

 

Course 19 began at the Jeju April 3rd Peace Park Memorial Hall. Just as I started, the rain suddenly became much heavier, so I hurriedly pulled out my rain gear and put it on. And wow.. the moment I put it on, the rain stopped. The sun suddenly came shining through. The inside of my rain gear immediately started getting sweaty and humid. Eventually, I stopped walking, took the rain gear off, put everything back in order, and continued on my way. I think I wore it for maybe five minutes, but it was already damp.

 

After a short stretch through the forest, the trail came back out to the coast. I would see plenty more of these beaches later, but since it was my first day, Jeju’s black-rock beaches looked so amazing that I kept stopping and starting again just to take them in.

 

Not long after, I passed Sinheung Beach. The quiet village, calm shallow water spread out across the beach, and relaxed atmosphere made me think it would be a great place for families. It still looked a little chilly because the sun wasn’t shining brightly yet, but the kids playing in the distance didn’t seem to care at all. I was jealous.

 

As I was leaving the village, I saw a newly planted tree next to a large old tree that had been cut down.
People often say things like, “No one else can do this. I’m irreplaceable. I have a role that no one else can take over.” But the old tree had been cut down, almost as if to prove the opposite, and a new tree was growing right beside it, already starting to look like a proper tree. I could almost hear G-Dragon’s lyrics saying, “Nothing lasts forever.”

 

The afternoon route was shorter, so after passing through a forest, a beach, and one village, I arrived at my destination, Hamdeok Beach, before I knew it. Before coming here, I had wondered, “Why are there so many guesthouses around Hamdeok Beach?” But once I got there, I understood. It was absolutely packed with tourists. If there’s an Olive Young, that pretty much tells you everything, right?

 

Day 1 Afternoon Walk – Total Distance: 27.4 km (17.0 mi)

And with that, I finished my first day of walking. Maybe because I had walked so much in the morning, the afternoon seemed to pass quickly, and before I knew it, I had reached my destination around the time my lunch had settled. I really wished I had booked a decent room near Bukchon Port and made it all the way there.

 

Before leaving for the trip, I had thought guesthouse dorms would be cheap and probably not that uncomfortable. I even thought, “I can sleep just fine in a dorm!” But once I was actually on the road choosing accommodations, I changed my mind. I needed to do laundry and dry my clothes, watch When Life Gives You Tangerines, and most importantly, get a good night’s sleep for the next day. A shared space seemed unlikely to give me much room for any of that.
Maybe it bothered me even more because the military barracks where I used to live had a similar dorm-style setup.
So I eventually started looking for private rooms, which made finding a place I actually liked much more difficult.

 

I walked a total of 27.4 km today. It was less than my planned 30 km or more per day, so I was a little disappointed, but it was my first day, I didn’t push myself too hard, and nothing hurt. I’d call that a success!!

 

After all that searching, the place I ended up with was.. a 50,000 KRW  ($35) private room at a guesthouse.
To put it simply, it was the kind of place where I could imagine kids staying during a school trip these days.
The room itself was fine, but things were starting to fall apart here and there, dust had gathered in the corners, and overall it felt like the place wasn’t very well maintained.
Still, the staff member, who slightly reminded me of Young K, was friendly, helpful, and did a good job showing me around, so I appreciated that.
And the thing I had been most worried about—the floor—was.. huh? A little damp here too? Is this just a Jeju thing? I wondered for a moment.
So once again, the day ended with me wearing slippers around the room.

 

Since I had eaten lunch late, I took my time deciding what to eat for dinner, only to find myself in the same predicament here: restaurants closed early.
One closed at 3, another at 5, another at 7.. By around 8 p.m., the only places still open were haejangguk restaurants, barbecue places, sashimi restaurants, and bars.
Still, I wanted to try some local Jeju food, so I found Hunnam Hoetjip, a sashimi restaurant that makes mulhoe with frozen spear squid. Thankfully, even though it was primarily a bar, they were willing to make a serving of spear squid mulhoe for one person, so I got to try it.
It wasn’t the usual sweet and spicy gochujang flavor. It had a unique taste I had never had before, almost like a combination of doenjang and vinegar.
I wouldn’t say it was amazingly delicious, but it had a distinctive Jeju flavor, and there was plenty of squid and other ingredients, so I could mix in some rice and get a filling, nutritious meal.
I can still vividly remember chewing those pieces of squid.

 

And so ended my first day of my walk.