Udo Island guide: ferry from Seongsan, coral beach, peanut ice cream

Seongsan or Jongdal: the crossing and where to sleep

Udo sits off the eastern tip of Jeju, and the ferries leave from two ports on the Jeju side. According to VisitKorea's Udo listing, which draws on Visit Jeju, boats run from Seongsan Port, below Seongsan Ilchulbong, and from Jongdal Port, a little further north, and the crossing takes about 15 minutes from either. On Udo they arrive at one of two docks, Cheonjin Port or Haumokdong Port; VisitKorea calls Cheonjin the island's main gateway, where most visitors get off and where the electric scooter rental shops are.

When we checked on 2026-10-03, VisitKorea's Udobong listing gave a combined ferry, island admission and utility fee of 10,500 won return for adults (6,000 won one way to Udo, 4,500 won back), with reduced fares for teenagers, seniors and children, and said that ID must be presented to board. The same listing shows car-transport fares, but we could not confirm current rules on taking a rental car across, so plan to go as a foot passenger. Ferries do not run in bad weather, and VisitKorea advises checking conditions before you plan the day.

Because the first boats are the quiet ones, the place to sleep is Seongsan-ri, the village at the foot of Seongsan Ilchulbong, rather than Jeju City: VisitKorea's airport guide puts the Seongsan Ilchulbong area about an hour to an hour and a half from Jeju International Airport by public transport. A night here also lets you climb Seongsan Ilchulbong for sunrise and do Udo the same morning. Staying on Udo itself — the Olle Foundation's Route 1-1 page lists a guesthouse on the island — gives you the island after the last day-trippers leave, but some places, such as the restaurant On Off, close altogether on days when the ferries do not run.

Getting round the island

Udo is 3.8 kilometres long and 17 kilometres round, according to VisitKorea; walking the whole coast without stopping takes three to four hours, which is why most visitors ride. VisitKorea's 2026 Jeju guide suggests the shuttle bus or a rented electric bike or scooter, and estimates two to three hours for the 17-kilometre loop by e-bike. VisitKorea's Udo listing also names small electric cars as an option. Rental shops cluster at Cheonjin Port; we did not verify prices, so compare a few before you choose.

Expect the coast road to be shared with rental scooters, e-bikes, small cars and the shuttle bus. Ride slowly, especially on the narrow lanes between stone walls, and stop where you can pull fully off the road.

To walk, use Jeju Olle Route 1-1, the Udo Olle. The Jeju Olle Foundation lists it as 13.2 kilometres and 4–5 hours with a medium difficulty rating, mixing the coast with stone-walled field paths where rye, barley and peanuts grow, and the climb over Udobong. Its mid-route stamp is at Hagosudong Beach, where the foundation notes several restaurants serving tot (hijiki) kalguksu, grilled fish and jjamppong — the natural lunch stop.

Seobin Baeksa and Hagosudong: two different beaches

Udo Sanho Beach, usually called Seobin Baeksa, is on the west shore, and VisitKorea calls it one of the island's most popular photo spots. Its white 'sand' is not sand: VisitKorea's 2026 Jeju guide explains that it is made of fragments of rhodoliths, a red alga that calcifies into stone-like nodules on the seabed, a geologically rare beach found in few places in the world. The Jeju Olle Foundation adds that the rhodolith beach was designated Natural Monument No. 438 in 2004. It is free and open at all hours, VisitKorea says. Do not take nodules away as souvenirs.

Hagosudong Beach, on the north-east coast with Udobong in the background, is the better place to swim and sit. VisitKorea describes shallow water and soft sand suitable for visitors of all ages, with swimming and canoeing in the jade-coloured sea, facing the islet of Biyangdo, which VisitKorea notes is connected to Udo. It is the beach to aim for if you have children with you, and the Olle Foundation notes several restaurants around it.

Seobin Baeksa is the big sight nearest the main port at Cheonjin, so it is the obvious first stop for everyone stepping off a ferry. Our suggestion is to ride the other way round first and come back to it in the late afternoon, before your return ferry.

Udobong, the lighthouse and Geommeolle

Udobong — Someorioreum, the 'cow's head' cone — is the island's high point at 132 metres above sea level, according to VisitKorea's 2026 Jeju guide, with a gentle path to a summit that looks over the whole island and back to Seongsan Ilchulbong. Up here is the Udo Lighthouse Park, which the Olle Foundation describes as Korea's first lighthouse theme park, with an observatory, walking paths and fourteen models of famous lighthouses including the Pharos of Alexandria.

Below the cone's cliffs lies Geommeolle Beach, a strip of black sand only about 100 metres long — the name means 'black sand' in the Jeju dialect, VisitKorea says. At its end is Geommeolle Cave, a large sea cave that can be entered only at low tide; boat tours from Geommeolle Beach run along the cliffs and into the cave, according to VisitKorea. Check the tide before you count on walking in, and ask about the boat's weather limits at the beach.

On the Olle route you also pass the memorial to the Udo haenyeo who joined the women divers' anti-Japanese uprising in eastern Jeju; the Olle Foundation records that about 300 Udo divers took part alongside some 17,000 from the east of the island.

A one-day plan that avoids the midday crush

Udo's day-trippers arrive together and leave together, so the main trick is to be slightly out of step with them. The plan below is our suggestion, not a timetable: check the day's sailings at the port, because we could not verify the ferry timetable from an official page.

• Early morning: sunrise on Seongsan Ilchulbong if you slept in Seongsan-ri, then one of the first ferries from Seongsan Port to Cheonjin.
• Morning: pick up an e-bike at Cheonjin and ride straight to Udobong and the lighthouse park while it is cool and quiet, then down to Geommeolle Beach (check the tide for the cave).
• Lunch: Hagosudong Beach — noodles or grilled fish, then a swim or an hour on the sand.
• Afternoon: the stone-walled field lanes inland, peanut ice cream, and Seobin Baeksa beach last, when the morning crowd has moved on.
• Late afternoon: return the bike and take an afternoon ferry back, leaving margin in case the sea gets up.
• Walkers: do Olle Route 1-1 instead, starting early; the foundation's 4–5 hours means a full day with stops.