Udo Island Full Day Guide
How to Get to Udo
The only way to get to Udo is through the ferries, which leave from Jongdal Port and Seongsan Port. They run all day, and are fairly close to each other, so it doesn’t matter which you take. You will likely be driving to the port, in which case you can leave your car or take it to the island. We personally like to leave our car and rent one of the many small motorized vehicles on the island, as it is a small place with slow speed limits and tight spaces that don’t lend well to full-size vehicles. If you’re looking for more information on getting to Udo or renting a bike or cart while you’re there, we go into much more depth in our half-day trip article.
Geommeolle Beach
One of the most popular destinations on Udo is Geommeolle Beach. This black sand beach overlooks Udo’s primary geographic feature: large black cliffs of volcanic rock crashing into the blue sparkling water. From the beach, you can see all the way to the lighthouse at the highest point, giving a great overview of Udo. It takes a little bit of a hike to reach, but it is definitely worth it as it’s one of the most unique places in all of Jeju. The surrounding area also has a few nice cafes, restaurants, and ice cream places overlooking the scenic cliffs.
The first time we visited Geommeolle it was the middle of summer, and we almost died of heat. It felt like we were in Hawaii due to the extreme heat, humidity, and strange landscape. This time it was thankfully a different story, and we welcomed the sun as it warmed the cool coast. The water around Udo is especially clean and clear, which is incredible to see from such a special beach. Sadly, we’ve noticed the beaches in this area accumulate some fishing garbage, and this early in the season it doesn’t seem like they do much to clean it up.
Hororak
Since we visited in early spring, the morning started out cold and windy. We decided to duck into a restaurant to warm up while we waited for the sun to come out. Hororak is a cute little restraurant overlooking Seomori Oreum and Geommeolle beach, serving up fresh seafood dishes. We got the abalone fried rice with Jeju tangerines. On a chilly spring morning nothing is better than hot Korean food, and it didn’t disappoint. If you’re looking to grab a bite to eat on the island, I would highly suggest a restaurant like Hororak overlooking the most iconic view of the island.
Bamsuzymandramy
Located on the quiet north side of the island is a small bookstore called Bamsuzymandramy. We had never seen this place before our recent visit, but Instagram made it look too good to be true. Udo is the perfect place to find quaint and cozy vibes, and thankfully, Bamsuzymandramy really lived up to the hype. The natural light coming through hits the bookshelves softly, with a lovely view of the ocean churning outside the window.
What makes it even better is the small coffee shop located in the back. It’s not much, but if you know me, you know I love high-quality coffee. Luckily, the coffee was incredibly good, and we sat and enjoyed reading books with our warm drinks as the cold spring waves crashed on the beach outside.
HahaHoho
One of the most popular food joints in Udo is HahaHoho. They specialize in burgers and ice cream, with some creative combos. The garlic burger and peanut burger are their most popular menu options, which is what we decided to get. Udo grows a lot of peanuts, so almost every restaurant on the island has something peanut flavored, so the burger just makes sense. In all honesty, the burgers weren’t that great. Korean burgers often have a sweet patty with too much sauce for my taste, and this was no exception, although I did appreciate the unique twist from the peanuts.
Luckily, their ice cream did not disappoint. With a super-strong peanut flavor and a premium chewy texture, it’s something we’ve looked forward to every time we visit Udo. Surprisingly, there is a lot going on with peanut ice cream in Udo, so we went ahead and wrote a whole article to narrow down the best of the best. Spoiler alert: HahaHoho is one of the best! To top it off, it has a great ocean view and a chill vibe to make for a great place to cool off.
Biyangdo
On the east side of the island is Biyang Island, another smaller island. That’s right, an island off of an island off of an island. This little area has a cafe and a haenyeo restaurant, selling fresh-caught fish and seafood. We decided to come because of the long winding road on the rocks with an excellent view of the main peak of Udo. There are a few places like this around Jeju, but as far as we’ve found, Biyangdo has the best balance of stunning background and beautiful water. It was a little choppy the day we visited, but it’s still a great photo spot and a short detour from the main road.
Boat Tour
I’ve always loved seeing the geography of the coast of Udo; it has such a dramatic and unique feel. Sadly, most of it is obscured by the extreme cliff, making it hard to appreciate up close. Thankfully, there are speedboat tours that will take you around the cliffs and up close to see the caves and crevasses for yourself. Due to time limitations, we had never taken a boat tour before. On this trip however, we had all the time we needed to enjoy the ride. The views from the boat are amazing, and the cliffs are so much more impressive in person. Up close, you can tell the water is so clear and blue, which is just incredible next to the dark black cliffs and bright green grass.
One thing I did not know is that these are not normal boats. In fact, they are speed boats, emphasis on speed. After touring you around the cliffs, they take you on a joy ride, with super sharp turns and spraying water. We were holding on for dear life as we were shocked at the speed of the boat. It was super cool to see the nature, but it was also a pleasant thrill to finish off the ride. I highly recommend doing a boat tour if you can; it’s definitely one of the most exciting experiences on Udo.
Soemeori Oreum
One of the last things we wanted to do was climb to the top of the island. On our first visit, we only had half a day, so we just didn’t have the time to hike. The trail isn’t long and only requires about an hour, so we had plenty of room for an afternoon walk. It was an easy walk up a sloped trail to get to an incredible view of Jeju. This is one of my favorite vistas on all of Jeju, with a stunning look at the Seongsan Ilchulbong and Hallasan.
The spring winds were absolutely destroying us, but it didn’t stop it from being a great walk. We decided to try to get to the top, which is actually harder than you would think. As the name suggests, the peak of the island is an oruem. These are ancient dormant volcanic cones, meaning a very steep slope towards the summit. It was great to look down and see the same location we saw early from the boat with a new perspective.
Udo Lighthouse Park
Also near the top of the island is Udo Lighthouse Park. I had no clue what was up here aside from the lighthouse, so I was surprised to find a nice area with a boardwalk featuring models of many lighthouses from all around Korea. Near the top is the lighthouse, except I was surprised to learn there are actually two. From the black sand beach, you can just barely see the white lighthouse on top of the hill. But there is a second red lighthouse behind that is actually larger, and I believe this is the only one in use.
Once again, the view from the top is incredible, looking out over the clear blue water and windswept island. There isn’t a lot to see other than the view, but the lighthouses make for an excellent photo spot. There is also a small museum inside the larger lighthouse, but we didn’t have time to go inside. The area is small, so I can’t recommend coming up here for the park alone. But if you’re already climbing the oreum, it’s definitely worth the visit.
Sanho Beach
Our last stop of the day before catching the ferry had to be Sanho Beach. This famous beach on Udo is entirely made up of coral sand, making it the perfect place to bathe or just enjoy the beach vibes. The coral sand is soft and doesn’t hurt to walk on, and is too large to get everywhere like normal sand. Even more, the water is ultra clear because the sand can’t churn, so you can see the deep blue water in all it’s glory. Korea isn’t known for world class swimming beaches, but in my opinion this is one of the best in the country. Thanks to the clear water, great view, and relatively low amount of visitors.
Final Thoughts
Udo is a very unique trip from the main island that adds a lot to a Jeju trip. I always love the change of scenery and quaint vibes you can only get in an isolated location like this. Even though it’s small, spending a day on the island is absolutely worth it.
Check Out Our Travel Diary
