Hallim Park

Facing Hyeopjae Beach on Jeju's west coast, Hallim Park began with one man sowing palm seeds in the sand. The land he started planting in 1971 now holds a subtropical botanical garden, a palm avenue and two lava caves that are protected as Natural Monuments. With gardens and caves in one place, it is also a good plan for a rainy day.

A garden grown from sand

Founder Song Bong-gyu (1931–2023), a native of Hallim, was convinced that Jeju's future lay in tourism. In 1970 he toured tourist sites across Japan, and in 1971 he began planting palm seeds on some 330,000 m² of barren sandy land around Hyeopjae. Formal permission only came in 1982, when the law changed to allow private individuals to create parks. In 1985 he built Jeju's first greenhouse, then added herb, plum-blossom, cactus and daffodil gardens one by one. Visitors have included former Chinese president Jiang Zemin and former Japanese prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone.

Nine themed areas

• Subtropical Botanical Garden: greenhouses full of cacti and tropical plants, flowering even in winter.
• Palm Tree Road: the park's signature avenue of tall palms.
• Hyeopjae and Ssangyong Caves: lava tubes formed by volcanic activity on Jeju, where lime-rich water seeps in and grows stalactites and stalagmites. Being lava caves with the features of limestone caves, they are protected as a Natural Monument.
• Jeju Stone and Bonsai Garden: basalt rocks and bonsai arranged together.
• Jaeam Folk Village: traditional thatched Jeju houses brought together in one village.
• Bird park, wildflower garden, stone museum and pond garden: peacocks and other birds, Jeju wildflowers, ornamental stones and a lotus pond.

A flower for every month

The park keeps a twelve-month flower calendar: daffodils in January, plum blossoms in February, king cherry blossoms in March, tulips in April, wildflowers and bougainvillea in May, hydrangeas in June, lotuses in July and August, red spider lilies in September, cosmos and pink muhly grass in October, chrysanthemums in November and camellias in December.

Tripto tips

• Hours: open every day, ticket sales from 09:00. Last tickets at 17:00 in February–May, 17:30 in June–August, 17:00 in September–October and 16:30 in November–January, shifting by about 30 minutes with sunset.
• Admission: adults KRW 15,000, seniors KRW 12,000, teenagers KRW 10,000, children KRW 9,000. Jeju residents, people with disabilities and veterans get discounts with ID. Parking is free.
• Time needed: about 90 minutes, according to the park. The caves are cool, so bring a light layer even in summer.
• Dogs: small dogs under 5 kg are allowed on a lead with waste bags, one per adult.
• Getting there: about 50 minutes by car from Jeju Airport. By bus, take express bus 102 to Hallim Transfer Stop and change to trunk bus 202 to "Hallim Park" (about 90 minutes).
• Combine it with: Hyeopjae Beach and Biyangdo island are right across the road. See the park, then wait for the sunset on the beach.