Volcano Travel · Tour
Jeju East UNESCO Day Tour: Manjanggul Cave, Seongsan Peak and the Haenyeo Divers
The east side of Jeju is where the island's UNESCO sites cluster, and this day tour reaches them with a group capped at 15 people. Core Travel runs the day in English only, with one guide and no second language competing for attention. The route is built to avoid doubling back, and there are no shopping stops. It starts underground at Manjanggul Cave, reopened to visitors not long ago. The walkway passes lava stalactites and ends at the largest known lava column anywhere. Woljeongri Beach comes next, with time to sit in one of the cafes along the emerald water. At the Haenyeo Museum you learn how Jeju's women divers work without breathing equipment. The rest of the day is timed around Seongsan Ilchulbong. At 2:00 PM the haenyeo dive for 20 minutes below the cliff, weather permitting, and the climb to the crater rim follows. The crater is roughly 600 metres across, ringed by 99 rock spires. Pick-up and drop-off are at the door of your Jeju City hotel, so there is no meeting point to find. Lunch is not included and not fixed: the guide points you to local restaurants and you choose and pay for your own, which keeps the price free of anything you did not order.
What's included
- Driver/Professional guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off(Jeju city downtown area only)
- Transportation(Minivan or Minibus)
- Entrance tickets
Itinerary
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Step into a majestic underground world! Recently reopened…
Manjanggul reopened to the public recently, and it ranks among the finest lava tubes on the planet. The walkway crosses a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, past lava stalactites and the shapes left behind as the basalt cooled. At the far end stands the largest lava column known anywhere. It is cold and quiet down there, and it sets up the day before anything above ground.
Woljeongri Beach
Woljeongri is the stop for sitting down. The cafes face the water, the sea here is a clear emerald green, and there is usually a breeze coming off it. Order a coffee and watch the shoreline.
Haenyeo Museum
Haenyeo are the women who dive Jeju's waters for shellfish and seaweed, working without breathing equipment of any kind. A diver takes goggles, a round float that holds her balance at the surface, and a basket for what she collects. Communities of these divers exist across Jeju-do, mainland Korea, Japan and Russia. The Haenyeo Museum was built by Jeju-do to put that work in front of visitors. Exhibition Hall 1, "Haenyeo Diver's Life", reconstructs a diver's home and the meals eaten there, and displays the utensils the divers used, which says more about the daily routine than a photograph would.
Seongsan Ilchulbong
The climb takes about 60 minutes. Seongsan Ilchulbong pushed up out of the sea in an eruption more than 100,000 years ago, at the eastern end of Jeju, and left a crater at the summit roughly 600 metres across and 90 metres high. Ninety-nine sharp rocks stand around the rim, which is where the comparison to a crown comes from. The southeast and north sides drop away as cliffs. The northwest side is a grass slope running down to Seongsan Village, and people walk and ride horses along that ridge. Sunrise from the crater is the view people come for. In spring the ground around the peak fills with yellow canola flowers.
Seongsan Ilchulbong
At 2:00 PM the haenyeo dive for 20 minutes on the beach below the cliff, in front of whoever is there to watch. These are the divers on the UNESCO register, and they work the deep water with no breathing equipment. The trail to the summit of Seongsan Ilchulbong starts straight afterwards, and the top opens onto the whole eastern coastline. The performance depends on the weather and the state of the sea, and it is called off when conditions turn.
Not included
- Gratuities (recommended, not compulsory)
- Drinks
- Personal expenses
- Lunch
Good to know
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Must be booked at least 24 hours in advance of your tour date
- A minimum of 2 adults per booking is required
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- Infant meals are not included
- Minivan(7seaters) or minibus(15seaters) may be provided up to the size of group
- A maximum of 15 people per booking
- This tour is not a private tour, you will be having a tour with other customers but no more than 15pax.
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level.
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en.
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