With the GPS co-ordinates plugged in, we easily drove to the eastern part of Jeju Island for our hike up Seongsan Ilchulbong, also known as Sunrise Peak. Directions on the road was clear and the location was listed on signboards.

Seongsan Ilchulbong

Why Visit? 

• Seongsan Ilchulbong is a volcanic mountain and a Unesco World Heritage Site at 180m high.
• Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak rose from under the sea in a volcanic eruption over 100,000 years ago.
• There is a huge crater at the top of Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak. and with rocks surrounding the crater, it looks like a gigantic crown. 
• One side is a grassy hill linked to Seongsan Village. The ridge provides an ideal spot for walks and for horse riding as well. 
• The sunrise from the crater is magnificent, hence nick-named “Sunrise Peak”. [Source: VisitKorea Website ]

 

Alas, on the way there, we had to stop by a street to change Ling in the car. The result was arriving at Sunrise Peak in the late morning, not so early anymore. Alighting from the car, I realised to my horror that her shoes were missing! I questioned Vin and he said he placed it on top of the car and nobody remembered to put it back. Sigh. My plan of letting Ling walk with us during the hike, was spoilt.

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Activities

Horse-riding activities were available after we walked in and paid for the tickets. We saw some snacks and my parents decided to get some orange juice. However, we soon realised that we are not allowed to bring food up the mountain.

We ended up eating them on the spot before we started our hike. It was probably a good thing because once we moved, it was really tiring to do any eating.

Going up the Mountain

My first step going upwards felt like moving a rock. How unhealthy was I? I thought I had trained quite well before going for this overseas trip (we do weekend hiking in reservoirs and small hills)? Maybe, I thought, it might due to the tiredness accumulated from the start of the Seoul trip until now. This was why I regretted placing Jeju Island on the second leg of our trip. We should have done this at the start of the holiday to have more energy. 

The shoulder bag of changing diapers and waterbottles, together with my heavy DSLR also added a lot of weight to my movements. I was disheartened immediately, exclaiming, “oh no! I can’t even walk up here!” until Vin told me to wear the shoulder bag like a backpack.

At the same time, I was also worried about my parents. I did not even feel like I could handle this. Could they? My mum was not happy with this itinerary but still she moved even faster ahead of us (see picture, my mum on the right ahead of Vin and Dar). My dad lingered behind and I made sure he followed.

Dar was surprisingly the most energetic one. He hiked up with an abundance of energy, seldom stop nor complain about tiredness. Vin had to carry Ling up (9kg) because she lost her shoes. I think it was the toughest for him.

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First Viewpoint

We reached a small viewpoint after some time and rested before continuing. We still wore our thin parka not because of any cool air but due to the intense summer heat. (That’s why starting at late morning isn’t too good). Even though it was warm, we wanted to protect our hands from the burning sun rays. We had forgotten to bring our caps but I bought a hat for myself in Seoul and was glad it shielded me well. Dar had to use the hood from his parka (Uniqlo foldable parka).

I try to appreciate the plants along the steep stairs amidst all the panting. The pine trees looked lovely.

Soon, we reached a special rock with a history. You can read it in the picture below.

Meanwhile, we are quite high up now. The village we came from looks small.

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Seongsan Ilchulbong Resting Points

I was glad there were certain rest points provided with two benches. My mum often sat down after conquering a series of stairways. We also rested pretty often when we were hiking up. I dare not sit down because I was not sure I would be able to get up again with my jelly legs!

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Viewing Platform

Finally, we reached this viewing platform with a telescope. It had a shelter with several benches and many hikers were resting and just looking at the scenery. My parents felt really accomplished because we were so high up and they happily took many pictures! Look at the tiny village below us with our rental car parked in the carpark there.

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Final Point – Crater

I know we are not at the “Crater” yet and that was what we came here to look at. The unique green tuff cone. Thus, we edged our parents on.

It was another steep climb up a flight of stairs. My mum struggled this time because she had rested quite a bit at the viewing platform. While we all made it up quite fast, she was lagging behind. I kept telling her to “加油！要到了！“ (You are reaching! Keep it up!)

Finally, we walked up together and this glorious sight greeted us! The Seongsan Ilchulbong Tuff Cone was really green and according to information, its flora consisted of many rare plants and plants unique to the crater itself. 

From the bottom to the peak here, we took 24 minutes to hike. By this time, it was already 12:37pm. The sun was intensely bright and scorching hot. My dad who is used to heat could not take this too and had to use his jacket to hood his head a little (he did not get a hat). After taking a few photos, we were ready to be off.

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Going back down

Going down seemed much easier but we took about the same time (25mins) to reach the bottom too. I think it was because we had to tread carefully on some steep stairs and hold on to the railings, in case we tumble down.

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Female Divers

Reaching the bottom, we passed by this huge mountain and spotted the female divers with their orange bobbing floats! 

There were actually Jeju Woman divers performances but we were too tired and hungry for lunch, so we did not stop. It was interesting to read about their history online – why the women were the ones hunting for seafood without sophisticated equipments.

In Jeju Island, there is a community of women, some aged in their 80s, which goes diving 10m under the sea to gather shellfish, such as abalone or sea urchins for a living without the help of oxygen masks. With knowledge of the sea and marine life, the Jeju haenyeo (female divers) harvest for up to seven hours a day, 90 days of the year holding their breath for just one minute for every dive and making a unique verbal sound when resurfacing. (Source from UNESCO)

Overall, hiking up Seongsan Ilchulbong Sunrise Peak was a great family activity for our Jeju Island Trip (Jeju Island Itinerary). The sense of accomplishment as a three-generation family doing it together was priceless! If my elderly parents in their sixties and my 8-year old child could do it, it was not so unachievable after all.

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[ SUMMARY ]

Travel Period: 30 May – 5 June 2017 (Tues – Mon)

7 DAYS 6 NIGHTS IN SEOUL/JEJU ISLAND

Total Time We Spent for Tour: About 50 mins (up and down)

SEONGSAN ILCHULBONG SUNRISE PEAK : 4/5

Great:  We don’t have mountains in our home country so we often choose to visit other country’s mountains and do a forest hike. This was a great experience to accomplish hiking up 180 metres and down a Volcanic mountain with our toddler and child. With the established pathways and well-built staircases, it was achievable. Dar had a good experience too and he loved it! I think this taught him perseverance and determination (We must reach the peak!).

The sight of the flourishing crater, so green and unique, was a feast for the eyes. The scenery as we moved up and the surrounding plants were also great to look at. I think only nature lovers would understand.

Con: If you do not go on hikes up on hills/ mountains often, this is quite tiring.

[INFO]

Admission Fees : Individuals – Adults 2,000 won / Teenagers 1,000 won / Children 1,000 won

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