Hiking Korea: 12 days on Seoraksan, Jirisan and Jeju
Korea is about seventy percent mountain and the whole country walks. Every trailhead on a Saturday morning is full of Koreans in serious kit, the paths are well marked, the ridges are granite and dramatic, and almost no foreign visitor ever sees any of it.
- Duration
- 12 days
- Pace
- Active
- Hotel changes
- 6
- Best months
- May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
- From
- $3,000 per person
Two honest notes before the day list. Korean mountains are steep rather than long: Seoraksan and Jirisan give you sustained stair-climbing on rock, not gentle gradient, and people who walk comfortably in the Alps sometimes find the style harder than the altitude suggests. And this is the one Korea itinerary that works well in summer, because the mountains are ten to fifteen degrees cooler than Seoul and July and August are when Koreans themselves go up.
Who it suits: fit walkers comfortable with five to seven hours and significant stair sections. Not a technical trip, no scrambling, no camping.
Day by day
Day 1: Arrive Seoul. Transfer, hotel in Jongno. Gear check and a route briefing with your guide over dinner.
Day 2: Bukhansan. A warm-up inside the city limits: Baegundae, at 2,744 feet (836 metres), is a three to four hour round trip on granite with a chain section near the summit and a view over the whole of Seoul. Afternoon back in the city, and a bathhouse, which is what Koreans do after a mountain.
Day 3: Seoul to Seoraksan. Road east to Sokcho, about three hours. Afternoon easy walk to Biseondae and the Geumganggul cave stairs, which is a good measure of how you handle Korean stairs. Night in Sokcho or at the park entrance.
Day 4: Seoraksan, Ulsanbawi. The classic: a steady climb to the Ulsanbawi granite ridge, roughly five hours round trip, with a long staircase in the final section and one of the best views in the country from the top. Busy on autumn weekends and we plan the start time around that.
Day 5: Seoraksan, the inner park. A longer, quieter day into Osaek or the Cheonbuldong valley, six to seven hours depending on how far you push. Those who want the summit of Daecheongbong, at 5,604 feet (1,708 metres), can take it as a long day with an early start.
Day 6: Seoraksan to Jirisan. A long transfer day, five to six hours south, broken with a stop. Arrive at the foot of the park in the late afternoon. Night at a mountain guesthouse or a temple stay at Hwaeomsa.
Day 7: Jirisan. Korea’s first national park and its highest mainland ground. A full day on the Nogodan or Banyabong section of the ridge, six hours, with long views and far fewer people than Seoraksan. Cheonwangbong, at 6,283 feet (1,915 metres), is a serious day and we build it in only if the group wants it.
Day 8: Jirisan to Jeju. Morning transfer to Yeosu or Busan and a short flight to Jeju. Afternoon at the coast, and the first of the olle routes as an easy evening leg.
Day 9: Jeju, Hallasan. Up the island’s volcano. The Seongpanak route is the longest and steadiest, roughly eight to nine hours return to the crater at 6,388 feet (1,947 metres), with a strict turnaround time enforced by the rangers. The Yeongsil route is shorter and does not reach the crater rim, and is the better choice for most people.
Day 10: Jeju olle, the east coast. Route 1 or Route 2, coastal walking from Seongsan Ilchulbong around the headlands, five to six hours on soft ground, with haenyeo diving spots and small harbours. This is the easy, beautiful part of the trip.
Day 11: Jeju olle, the south and west. A second olle route, chosen on the day for weather: the volcanic coast at Route 7 near Seogwipo, or the western beaches. Afternoon free, and the island’s black pork for dinner.
Day 12: Departure. Fly from Jeju to Seoul or Busan for your onward flight.
What is included
Accommodation with breakfast throughout, including a mountain guesthouse and a temple stay, all transfers by private vehicle, the domestic flight to Jeju, an English-speaking licensed mountain guide for every walking day, park entries and permits, packed lunches on full mountain days, a car with driver on Jeju, a day-by-day document with trailheads, grades and turnaround times, and a WhatsApp group with your consultant and our Seoul partner.
Honest grading
- Easy: the Jeju olle routes, Biseondae, the coastal days. Anyone who walks regularly.
- Moderate: Bukhansan, Ulsanbawi, Nogodan. Five hours, steep stair sections, no exposure.
- Hard: Daecheongbong and Cheonwangbong summit days, Hallasan by Seongpanak. Eight hours plus, early starts, and worth doing only if the whole group wants them.
What we would change, and when
- Travelling in October? The best colour and the worst crowds. We move the Seoraksan days midweek and start earlier.
- Winter? Not this itinerary. Korean ridges ice up and require crampons. We would build a snow trip in Gangwon instead.
- Want fewer transfers? Cut Jirisan and give the days to Jeju. Six hotel moves in twelve days is the busiest part of this trip.
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