There are several coastal walk trails in Jeju Island and I chose the one at Mt.Songaksan because we enjoy mountains and sea.

Arrive at Mt. Songkasan (松岳山)송악산

After having rested at our accommodation for a while, we took a while to reach Mt. Songaksan near evening time. Vin parked the car near to the start of the hike, instead of at the main carpark area because he thought it was nearer. However, I thought there might not be any toilets during the walk and wanted to go first.

We soon regretted this it was a long way back down and up again. However, it was also due to this that we found a stone with Songaksan’s name to take a nice family picture for memories.

Beginning our Songkasan Trail

There was also lots of dilly-dallying because Ling wanted to walk by herself. It was an upslope walk right at the start.

She took a long time to move her little legs though and I was anxious that my parents had waited too long. Thus, we put her in the baby carrier despite her crying protests and hurried along to meet up with my parents. It was very windy and cool, so we put on our jackets. Along the way, we saw lovely pine trees and it was nice to walk beside the sea.

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Japanese Cave Trenches

Soon, we spotted the large man-made caves built during the Japanese occupation. We read some information about it before moving on.

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Up and Down – Songaksan Coastal Trail

There was a crossroad when we started our trail and we decided to take the one closest to the shoreline. The walk was interesting and quite easy, with well-built steps going up and down the undulating slopes. We did not have a purpose on this walk. It was already late when we started. If we could reach the main peak in time and see the crater, it would be great. I didn’t want to tax my parents and ourselves too much since we had just completed the Seongsan Ilchubong hike in the morning.

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Horse-Riding Activities

Soon, we came upon people doing horse-riding around a huge patch of land. Dar was really interested in trying this and we waited in line to do it. However, the horse-rides seemed to take forever and there were still people in front of us. It was getting dark and I really wanted to finish my exploration of Songaksan. Thus, we gave up and Dar was so disappointed. (due to this, we actually came back to Singapore and took him for horse-riding on his birthday)

By the way, after walking off, we heard some piercing screams. One tourist lady had got on a horse and was screaming non-stop on it the moment she sat down, with the horse moving left and right. This really irked me. It was stupid and dangerous even though the horse-handler was just beside her. If she was so afraid, why did she want to do this activity? If she got thrown off because the horse cannot stand her screams, she would be in a serious injury. We had read about such things too many times. Please, only do horse-riding in a safe manner. That’s why I’m not too confident about Dar doing this overseas. Anything could happen with animals.

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Toilet

Walking some more, we came upon these nice little houses and discovered they were toilets! So we did not need to go first after all. What’s more, they were clean! (a rare thing usually but a common thing in South Korea) Dar found the need to go so I stayed around to wait for him while the rest of the party moved on ahead.

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Sights along Coastal Walk

Just up ahead, there was a seafood restaurant. I was amazed as this was really right in the middle of our long walk in…(like nowhere) and near to the peak already. Do they get their produce straight from the sea? (the base of Songaksan is a famous fishing ground)

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Final Point

At this point, we had walked about 43 mins. Reaching this point with a tower, my mum said she has enough and wanted to head back. It was getting dark with the sun almost setting soon and since we had to walk back, it would be quite a rush for time. Thus, I agreed since we were all pretty tired. It was a small regret we did not reach the peak and see the crater but since we had already saw one that morning at Sunrise Peak, I guess it was alright.

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Alternative Route

On the way back, we took the alternative route to pass through the vegetation. It was much easier with no need for any steps climbing. I was also curious about the path and wanted to see different stuff. It turned out to be a road for vehicles.

We found a lone male horse grazing there but attached by a long rope around its mouth, so it couldn’t just gallop away. We seldom see a horse close-up so we took some time to watch it before moving on.

20 mins later, we reached the end of our walking trail and headed for Seogwipo Market (dinner).

[ SUMMARY ]

Travel Period :  30 May – 5 June 2017 (Tues – Mon)

7 DAYS 6 NIGHTS IN SEOUL/JEJU ISLAND

Total Time We Spent for Coastal Walk : 1hr 3 mins

SONGAKSAN COASTAL WALK : 3/5

Comment:  It was a nice experience to do this walk as we enjoy looking at the sea and the jagged cliffs. The scenery does become the same after a while so we looked at horses, vegetation on the other side instead. It would take a long time and stamina, to walk to the main peak and back (it’s in a circle). If you have time and energy, it’s a great refreshing walk due to the cool windy air. One can enjoy side-activities such as horse-riding.

Why Visit?

Songaksan Mountain is also called 99 Bong (99 Peaks) due to its 99 small peaks. The main peak rises 104 meters above sea level. To the northwest of the main peak is an expansive prairie with several peaks. There is a crater at the main peak. The seashore at the base of Songaksan Mountain is a famous fishing ground. Source: VisitKorea

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