Monday 29 September 2014

#04 (Guide) to Udo Island 우도

Udo island literally means "cow" island. This petite island has a idyllic setting and you can easily spend a day frolicking under the sun there. However if there is time constraint, 3-4 hours is sufficient to fully explore. Nature at its best, this island was definitely the highlight of our Jeju trip.

This guide would be beneficial to those who intend to go on a self guided trip like us. I've been very motivated to churn this post out for travellers who needs an idea on Udo Island. I've been doing my research prior to this trip and found really vague information. That is why touring Udo was a tough decision to make because of the language barrier and lack of info. Bringing the rented car on board was honestly one big deal to us. Can taking our ride on a ride considered a bucket list checked?  ☑


How to get to Udo Island?
Seongsan Harbour is conveniently 10-15minutes drive away from Seongsan Sunrise peak. Upon reaching Seongsan harbour, fill in the form with details (Name, age, phone number) on the table, purchase your ferry tickets at the counter and you're good to go! 

Round trip ferry ticket - ₩5,500/pax 
Breakdown | ₩4,000(Return ferry ticket) + ₩1,000 (Udo Island Entrance Fee) + ₩500 (Terminal Use fee) = ₩5,500

Round trip fees for vehicles
Small car ₩8,800 | Medium car ₩13,200 | Big car ₩16,500
Breakdown | ₩17,600 (Return fees-Small car) + ₩4,000 (Udo Island Entrance Fee) = ₩21,600

So in total, we paid ₩5,500(x2) + ₩21,600 = ₩32,600


Getting around Udo Island
Of course, we went around on our rented wheels. But for those who need a transport to navigate around Udo, you'd be surprised that there are many other alternatives. Note: Renting an ATV ride, would require an International driving license/Korean driving license as well. I'm not sure if certain shops would still allow the rental if you did not apply for the International license, well you can try.

ATV / Scooter - ₩20,000 | Tour bus - ₩5,000 | Bike - ₩10,000 

The biggest problem with going around Udo Island was that there were no maps, no English directions, no guides to navigate around. We drove solely based on our intuition hoping we do not get lost which we didn't, thankfully. Based on what I've explored, there is only one main road where you'd drive along the coast. It brings you an entire round of the humble island and back to the port you came from.

 P.S// We took the left turn upon arriving the port so basically we went clock-wise direction.

I fell right in love as Bryan drove along the coast. Beyond fascinated by the countryside vibe with wooden houses scattered around the island. 

Seo-Bin-Baek-Sa
There are 3 main beaches on Udo Island. Seobinbaeksa also known as the white beach has a reason behind the given name. The secret charm of this beach is the white sand. The sand is not common sand but small pieces and grains of rhodolith (red algae). People often mistaken that the sand at the beach was made of coral pieces and grains. It is actually composed of rhodolith that is floated from the sea beds. 

Of the many wooden houses I came across, this has to be my favourite. What else would I be talking about when I already featured the wooden swing? I already envisioned myself sitting at the front porch every morning, sipping on my tea and enjoying my scones while watching the world go by. Day dreaming is definitely my new found forte, haha. But honestly, who wouldn't be sold at this kind of life? Oh, and flowers too! Alluring tricoloured flowers blooming in my little garden, perfect. Disclaimer: I'm not even sure if this is really somebody's roof or it might also be a pension where they rent out to tourists for stayovers. But it has to be either because of the laundry hung outside.

Came across horse riding activities along the way and we jumped at the chance! If my memory didn't fail me, it was ₩5,000/horse for a short ride.

Even their lighthouse was picture worthy, major love for the stunning endless blue!

They've cafes littered everywhere on the Island too and we spotted this really cute one!

Hagosudong Beach
Hagosudong beach - Just almost similar to SeobinBaekSa beach, only that their waters were even clearer.The waters had a gradient of turquoise, emerald green, blue yet turns sparkling clear as it gets nearer to shore. Because it was my first time seeing clear water, I just had to take a leg dip. My pictures definitely did no justice to this nature creation.

Geommeollae beach
Our last stopover before returning to Jeju Island- Geommeollae Beach. How could we miss this out? This beach is one phenomenal black beauty. Pity we didn't have sufficient time to tour the black sand caves but at least we had a glimpse of the black sand beach!

Thats all for the Udo Island guide. Completely in awe that the Udo island took nature to a whole new level. Reluctantly left for Jeju island to seek our next shelter. More on that, soon! xx

love, Bella

0 comments: