Jeju Olle Trail Route 20 (Gimnyeong–Hado)

Jeju Olle Route 20 is a "badang olle", a sea trail along Jeju's north-east coast. It starts at Gimnyeong West Port and passes the turquoise water of Gimnyeong, Woljeong and Sehwa beaches before ending near the Jeju Haenyeo Museum in Hado-ri, Gujwa-eup. With luck you will see haenyeo, Jeju's women divers, at work and hear the whistle of their breath as they surface; their culture runs through the whole route.

The route at a glance

• Length and time: 17.4 km (some sources give 17.6 km), 5–6 hours.
• Difficulty: two out of three stars, moderate. Most of it follows the shore on coastal roads, village lanes and seaside turf.
• Wheelchairs: no section of this route is wheelchair-accessible.
• Information points: there is no official information booth on the route, so bring a map app or the Jeju Olle app.

Along the way

• Gimnyeong Seongsegi Beach: fine white sand and an even depth make it good for swimming, and steady winds draw kitesurfers. There is a campsite, and the beach was a filming location for the drama "Welcome to Samdal-ri" (2023).
• Seongsegi Taeyeok-gil and the Gimnyeong coastal wall: "taeyeok" is Jeju dialect for turf. The grassy path leads to the Hwanhaejangseong, a stone wall along the shore first built in 1270 to keep the Sambyeolcho rebels from landing on Jeju, and repaired again and again from the late Goryeo era, when Japanese pirates raided the coast, through the Joseon period.
• Woljeong-ri Beach: a calm turquoise shore lined with cafés and restaurants. Beneath nearby fields lies Dangcheomul Cave, a lava tube found by farmers and listed as a Natural Monument; it has no entrance and cannot be visited.
• Haengwon Port (Eodeungpo): where the deposed king Gwanghaegun came ashore on 6 June 1637. The boat had been screened on all sides so he could not see where he was going, and he is said to have been shocked to find himself on Jeju. Kept confined behind a thorn hedge, he died here in 1641, aged 67.
• Jwaga Yeondae: a coastal signal post that relayed news by smoke by day and fire by night. Jeju once had 38 of them.
• Sehwa Beach and Sehwa Five-Day Market: the largest five-day market in eastern Jeju is held on dates ending in 5 and 0. It is strong on seafood such as damselfish, tilefish and hairtail, and packs up by 16:00.

Tripto tips

• When to go: May to October, when the sea is at its most vivid. There is almost no shade in summer, so bring a hat and water.
• Splitting the walk: if 17 km is too much, walk it beach by beach, e.g. Gimnyeong to Woljeong and Woljeong to Sehwa. The 201 bus, which runs from Jeju City along the east coast, passes Gimnyeong and Sehwa; several variants exist, so check the destination before boarding.
• Food: plenty of restaurants near Gimnyeong Beach, along the Woljeong-ri coast road and around Sehwa market and beach.
• Taxis: Gujwa Manjang Call Taxi +82-64-784-5500, Gujwa Sehwa Call Taxi +82-64-784-8200.
• Information: Jeju Olle call centre +82-64-762-2190.
• Catch the market: walk on a date ending in 5 or 0 to stop at the Sehwa market, and start early to get there before it closes.