Saebyeol Oreum, an Oreum in the Aewol Jungsangan Where the Silver Grass Is Beautiful

Where Saebyeol Oreum is

Saebyeol Oreum is in Bongseong-ri, Aewol-eup, Jeju City. The lot address is 제주특별자치도 제주시 애월읍 봉성리 산 59-8. It sits in the Aewol area of western Jeju, in the jungsangan — the mid-slope area inland from the coast.

Nearby are Barime Oreum, Nuun Oreum, Dang Oreum and Geum Oreum. That is to say, it lies within the oreum belt of the western Jeju jungsangan, where several oreum are gathered together. So as you pass through this area, once you have climbed one oreum the name of another keeps following along.

It is set a little inland from the villages of Aewol that are close to the coast. Even within the same Aewol-eup, the scenery seen from the seaside road and the scenery seen from the jungsangan have a different grain.

An oreum area with many names

Barime Oreum, Nuun Oreum, Dang Oreum and Geum Oreum are all oreum located in the western Jeju jungsangan. Since the oreum are clustered together, when you open a map you can see the names lined up close to one another.

Even if unfamiliar names come up all at once, there is little to get confused about. If you decide on one destination in advance, the remaining names help you read the surrounding terrain. The farther you go into the jungsangan, the more the ridgelines of the oreum, rather than the sea, become the reference point for your view.

How high it is, and how long it takes

The summit elevation is 519.3m. It takes about 20–30 minutes to reach the top. That is not a burdensome amount of time to fit into a day's schedule.

Still, 20–30 minutes varies from person to person and with the weather. In the jungsangan the wind can feel stronger than on the coast, so it is more comfortable to bring an outer layer. It is also good to choose shoes a little more comfortable than the ones you usually walk in.

Putting the figure of 519.3m together with the 20–30 minutes, you get a rough picture of the place this oreum will take up in a day's schedule.

What you can see from the summit

When you reach the top, Jeju's western coast opens up before you. And you can look out at Biyangdo, the island floating on the sea. It is a view where the coastline and a single island fit into one frame.

Compared with the time it takes to climb, the view opens up fairly wide. If you have time to spare, it is one option to sit for a while at the summit and look out toward the sea for a long time before heading down. On very windy days, a hat or a hair tie makes things less bothersome.

Even standing in the same spot, how much you can see changes with the weather. On clear days the outline of Biyangdo is sharply defined, and on foggy days the boundary between the sea and the island blurs.

When to see the silver grass

In October, silver grass blooms across the whole oreum. It comes up not on one face of the slope but as if covering the oreum. If you are visiting this oreum to see the silver grass, you will plan your schedule around October.

But even within the same October, the scenery differs a little depending on the weather that year. The way the silver grass lies down in the wind also looks different on cloudy days and clear days. If you plan to take photos, it is easier to stand with your back to the direction of the wind.

It is an oreum where the silver grass is beautiful. When the season matches, the side of the path up and the slope you look down on from above continue in the same color. In the season after the silver grass has gone, the view toward the western coast and Biyangdo remains the same from that same spot.

Where the Jeju Deulbul Festival is held

Saebyeol Oreum is the site where the Jeju Deulbul Festival is held. A single oreum becomes the stage for the festival.

During the festival period, the situation around the area may differ from usual. The schedule and whether it goes ahead change each year, so if you plan to visit at that time it is good to check once before setting out.

Parking and the days you can visit

There is a public parking lot at the entrance. If you are traveling by car, you can get right to the foot of the oreum.

Saebyeol Oreum is open year-round. You do not have to match a particular day of the week, so it is fairly easy to fit in the middle of a day spent in western Jeju. That said, the weather in the jungsangan is sometimes different from the coast, so a glance at the sky on the morning you set out is enough.

Things that can change with the circumstances of the day, such as how the parking lot is operated or the fee, are easier on the mind if you check once before setting out. The setup is that you park the car and start walking from the entrance to the oreum.

Coming down from the jungsangan to the coast

If you come down from the oreum and head toward the coast, the seaside villages of Aewol follow one after another. The waters off Gamundong are on that road too. Mipojip Jeju Aewol is at 80 Gamundong-gil, Aewol-eup, Jeju-si, Jeju-do.

After spending time in the jungsangan, deciding in advance roughly where to place your mealtime makes the day less tight. You can see the dishes on Menu, and directions on Visit. If you are curious about the walking route along the Aewol sea, there is also the piece From Handam Coastal Walk to Gwakji Gwamul Beach.