Biyangdo Island: the small island off Hyeopjae, about 15 minutes by boat from Hallim Port

When you look out to sea from Hyeopjae Beach, you can see a small island just offshore. This is Biyangdo, in Hallim-eup on the west side of Jeju. If today is the day you want to cross over to the island you have only been looking at, start your day with a boat ride from Hallim Port.

There is an island with the same name inside Udo, but it is a different island from this one off Hallim. This island is known as the youngest of Jeju's volcanic landforms, and it is small enough that 2 to 3 hours is plenty of time to look around.

About 15 minutes by boat from Hallim Port: check the sailings before you set out

Boats to the island leave from Hallim Port. There are sailings in and out about 4 times a day, and the trip from Hallim Port takes about 15 minutes. Depending on the weather, the schedule can change or there may be no boats at all, so call ahead to check whether the boats are running before you leave. If you get to Hallim Port well ahead of the sailing time, you can board without rushing.

How long you stay on the island should be set by the time of the return boat. Before you board on the way in, check the time of the boat back first, then work backward from that time to choose which path to walk on the island, and you will feel much more relaxed. If you plan to stay about 2 to 3 hours, decide in advance whether to walk the oreum trail or the loop around the island first. The crossing is short, but don't miss the view of the island from the sea.

Photo: Grapesurgeon / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The Biyangbong trail: up the wooden stairs to the white lighthouse

There are two main paths to walk on the island. One is the Biyang Oreum trail, which starts from Biyangdo Port, goes around Biyangbong and comes back out; the other is the path that goes all the way around the island.

On the Biyang Oreum trail, wooden stairs and flat stretches alternate. Follow the stairs up and you reach a white lighthouse, where there is an observation deck that lets you take in the shape of Jeju Island at a glance. The view of the island from up high is beautiful, so if you pick a clear day for the climb, you can see even farther.

The bamboo grove you pass on the way up has grown so well that it now forms a bamboo tunnel. Stand in the middle of the tunnel and take a photo with the sea in the background. Some sections are long runs of stairs, so wear shoes that won't slip and bring water to drink. On the way down, take shorter steps than on the way up and walk slowly.

Photo: Grapesurgeon / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Around the island: Aegieobeun-dol, Elephant Rock and Pillangmot

The path around the island is a little longer than the Biyang Oreum trail. Walking along the coast, you come upon the basalt and unusual landforms of the shore one after another, and among the oddly shaped rocks, Aegieobeun-dol and Elephant Rock are the signature ones. As you walk, look back and forth between the sea on one side and the oreum inside the island. On days when the waves are high, don't go too close to the rocks along the shore.

On the island there is also Pillangmot, a salt marsh of seawater, something rarely seen on the mainland. Seawater flows in and out, so its salinity changes a great deal. If you want to find the rocks and the marsh one by one, look over the Biyangdo Geopark trail map first. It sets out the island's main sights.

Photo: Grapesurgeon / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

The legend of the flying oreum, and places to take photos

A legend says the island is an oreum that flew in from China during the Goryeo period. When the oreum suddenly flew in and settled in the sea off Hyeopjae-ri, sand from the seabed overflowed and covered the shore; it is also said that it took a wrong turn as it flew, turned around abruptly, and stopped right where it was, which gave it its present shape. Another part of the story has it that even today, if you dig under the sand, human bones, bowls and very soft field soil turn up. Recall this story when you look at the island from Hyeopjae Beach, and the scenery will look a little different.

There are many good places to take photos all over the island. When you pass the sea glimpsed through gaps between the stones, or the stone-wall lanes decorated with prettily painted turban shells, stop for a moment.

Back at Hallim Port, a meal in Aewol

If you head toward Aewol after walking the island and returning to Hallim Port, consider adding Mipojip Jeju Aewol to your list of places to eat. Working out the return boat time and the travel time together makes it easier to plan when to eat.

If you want to satisfy the hunger of a day spent on a boat and on an island trail, take a look at the menu of Mipojip, which serves haemuljang (soy-cured seafood) and sotbap (pot rice). Flipping through the photos you took on the island together and talking about the Biyangdo you saw from the sea would make for a nice time as well.