5 Things to Do in Geoje Island. If you are looking for things to do in Geoje Island, South Korea then I hope this article will help you in your travels.
Geoje Island is a large island on the south coast of Korea and is connected to the mainland through a series of bridges. One such bridge can even get you to Busan in about an hour.
In this travel blog on Geoje, I hope to show you just a few of the many things you can do or go to on the island. This list is not comprehensive, but should give you a small taste of what to expect.
Things to do in Geoje
1. Climb Gyeryongsan
With trails starting from within the city of Gohyeon on Geoje Island, this is one of the easiest hikes to get to. In fact, if you are visiting Geoje from outside the island, you can easily get a taxi to the trailheads from the bus terminal.
To get there, the easiest way would be to ask a taxi driver to take you to 계룡사 (gyeryongsa) which is a small temple at the foot of the mountain. From there, you should be able to find a trail to the top of the mountain. Most trails to the top of the mountain should only take you about 45min to 1hr 30min depending on your fitness. The elevation of Gyeryongsan is 566m and from the top you have commanding views of the whole island.
Once at the top you can see the whole city of Goheyon easily and find the ship yards which is the main industry in Geoje. You can also look out over the ocean and see many other peaks which make up this island and also peaks on the mainland of Korea.
As you hike the ridge, it becomes and adventure as the ridge is quite rocky and fairly narrow in spots. So do take caution when hiking the ridge, but in general its safe and a lot of fun. On the ridge as well, you can find remnants from the Korean War, where there was a communication tower for the P.O.W. camp that was located at the base of the mountain. In fact, if you have time after your hike, head down to the P.O.W. camp which is now a museum and check it out.
Also, near those same remnants of the communication tower, you will find an amazing viewing platform for which take pictures of the amazing scenery.
Finally, if you don’t feel like climbing down from the peak, they have recently installed a monorail that goes from the town of Gohyeon to the top of Gyeryongsan and back down. This departs from the P.O.W. museum at the bottom of the peak. So you don’t have to do any climbing if you don’t want to, but I recommend it because it’s more fun and free. Also, the monorail does cost money and is often booked up on weekends. If you want to pre-book the monorail though, you can find information here (only in Korean)
Here is a map of where gyeryongan is located on Geoje Island:
2. Visit Gujora Beach and a Beautiful Cafe
On Geoje island there are a lot of beaches to choose from. One of the most beautiful in my opinion is Gujora Beach located on the south-eastern coast. It’s only a 30 minute drive from Gohyeon or 20 minute drive from Okpo. The beauty of this beach is the beautiful color of water and the nice sand to relax in when the weather is warm.
If you decide to go to Gujora beach, there is a cafe there that you should not miss. This cafe is called 외도 널서리 (Oedo Nursery). It’s a beautifully ornate decorated cafe that is set up in a building a bit like a greenhouse.
There are many plants and flowers and the highlight of the place is the amazing deck and seating outside, so on sunny days you can enjoy the views while sipping one of their delicious drinks.
So be sure, if you are in Geoje to not miss this cafe. You won’t regret coming here at all. You can also follow them on Instagram at their account Oedo Nursery.
Find the map below for the location of Oedo Nursery at Gujora Beach on Geoje Island:
3. Hakdong Pebble Beach
Geoje Island is quite famous for having quite a few pebble beaches. Unlike your typical sand beaches where they are soft to your feet, these beaches are made up entirely of rocks. One of the most famous of these on Geoje is Hakdong Beach.
Located just a short drive from Gujora beach, when you get here, you will be amazed by what you find. In place of the sand, there are thousands of soft almost perfectly polished stones/pebbles.
While its not the most comfortable beach for swimming, it’s a great beach for seeing what kind of beautiful stones you can find and admiring the nature surrounding you.
Below on the map, you can see where Hakdong Pebble Beach is:
4. Watch Sunset at 공곷이
While not very famous to foreigners, I would say this place is not to be missed on your itinerary visiting Geoje Island. This place is located on a remote cape not too far from Wahyeon Beach. In fact, from Wahyeon beach you can hike or drive to a small village called 예구 (yaegu) where the path go 공곷이 starts.
After the hike, you will find a farm on this cape. This farm has been run by a couple for over 40 years and they have planted over 50 varieties of plants here. In almost any season, you are almost sure to find something beautiful growing here. Whether its camelias, palm trees, or daffodils.
After seeing the beautiful landscaping done by the couple that lives here, continue down the trail until you get to the beach. Enter the beach area and brace yourself for an amazing landscape. A truly wild, seemingly almost empty beach with incredible scenery. It is here that I recommend you stay until sunset time if you have good weather.
Be sure to stay awhile to truly appreciate the location. Korea is full of amazing locations like this, you just have to know how to find them.
Once you have finished catching sunset, carefully head back the way you came. The hike in and the hike out should take about 30 minutes each way. It does involve a few semi-steep sections of trail. Bring a flashlight or headlamp just in case its dark when you leave. Entry on the farm is free, however, you can buy a daffodil to support the couple living there. Below is the map of where you can start the hike to 공곷이:
5. Windy Hill
This is probably the most famous thing to do on Geoje Island. It’s a hill that juts out from the main land and has a very beautiful windmill on it.
It became famous because it was the filming site for some very famous korean dramas like Eve’s Garden and Merry-Go-Round. So these days, many tourists come here to take pictures of the beautiful surroundings and location.
Sadly for myself though, when I came to visit here, it was very rainy so I didn’t get a chance to explore it well as you can see in the pictures. If you want to go here though, you can find it in the map below:
Where to Stay on Geoje
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links through booking.com and agoda.com, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
Geoje is a popular place to go these days, so there is a wide range of places to stay from Pensions to Hostels. Feel free to use the search box to search on your own, or find our recommendations as well:
Geoje Leein Stay Hotel – This high ranking hotel is tastefully decorated and not too far from the town of Okpo, the hotel has a fitness center and terrace. Rooms include a flat screen tv and microwave.
Travel Sketch Pension – This pension is well priced and located around 2km from Gujora Beach. Boasting nice views and rooms, this is a good place to stay for a few nights.
There are many other things to do in Geoje Island that I haven’t yet had an opportunity to explore like Oedo Botanical Island, other beaches and the many delicious restaurants in Okpo. So let us know what you’ve done in Geoje in the comments below so our readers can know what else they can expect!
Also, if you are looking to expand your travels in the region, please check out our other article on Tongyeong : 5 Amazing Things to do in Tongyeong.
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