Gwangchigi Beach

After spending a relaxing evening and a good night’s sleep at the Eco Suites in Seogwipo I headed down to the Sunrise Peak area early in the morning. I left the guesthouse at around 9 AM, took bus 201 along the stunning coastline, and arrived at Seopjikoji Beach around 11 AM. As it was a weekday in autumn, the beach was almost deserted and I could fully soak in the sounds of the waves and the beautiful view of the Sunrise Peak. The main reason I wanted to come to this part of Jeju was to go horse riding and see Gwangchigi Beach. I booked a horse riding experience at 2 PM, so I had around 3 hours to walk along the beaches and enjoy the pleasant Jeju weather.

Gwangchigi Beach

What’s special about Gwangchigi Beach and why does it attract so many visitors? Well, when the tide is low (in the morning and late afternoon), the sandy beach transforms into a mossy rock beach.

It is a popular destination for photographers as the contrast between the green rocks and the blue ocean with the Sunrise Peak in the background is absolutely stunning. The beach is free to enter and lies just next to the bus stop which connects Jeju City with Seogwipo City. If you are low on budget, traveling in Jeju Island by bus is the best option.

Horse Riding

Around 1:30 PM I started heading towards Jeju Steel Flower Horse Riding Park which was about a 10 minute walk away from Gwangchigi Beach. I had booked a 20-minute horse riding experience and paid 50 000 krw. After arriving, a young Korean guy, who spoke English quite well, greeted me and helped me get ready for my horse riding experience. He gave me a cool hat and jacket to put on and I was ready to go. My horse was the sweetest and was very relaxed. This was really great as I was a bit scared when getting on, but my fears quickly disappeared after taking off. We walked from the horse stables through a small forest to the beach. The young guide was very kind and answered all my questions about horses and about his life on Jeju Island.

Next time I will book a longer horse riding experience as I was really sad once it ended. Too short to enjoy but great for people who have never ridden a horse before and want to have this experience.

Horse Riding

This time I didn’t go all the way to the Sunrise Peak as I had already visited the place last time I was in Jeju, but if you have time it’s well worth hiking up to the top. Another great thing to do in the area is to pay a visit to the Hanhwa Aqua Planet, especially when visiting with kids.

Entrance

The Jeju Eco Suites are located in the countryside of Seogwipo city and is best accessible for those traveling by car. This guesthouse is quite special as it has unique values and goals. It is a small eco-friendly guesthouse with only 10 rooms and they are trying to bring their guests closer to nature and give them a stress free environment to relax. Additionally, they are trying to cause a minimal impact on the environment. This is something I find very impressive, especially in Korea as very little people, let alone guesthouses, have this kind of mindset.

Garden View

After arriving at Jeju Airport I headed straight for my accommodation by bus. I took the bus 800-1 towards Seogwipo and paid 4000 krw. The closest bus stop to the guesthouse is a 20-minute walk away, so once I got off the bus I decided to request a Kakao Taxi. The taxi driver was extremely kind and brought me from the bus stop to the hotel in less than 5 minutes and I only paid 3300 krw, so I didn’t have any stress finding the hotel. Check in was smooth and the lady was extremely kind. Even though her English was limited we didn’t have any problems communicating as she used a translating app and was very patiently answering all my questions.

Bedroom

Terrace

Balcony

My room was huge and had a double bed, a small kitchen, a living room with a tv, a bathroom, and a balcony with a hot tub. As I didn’t have dinner before arriving at the hotel I decided to order fried chicken and was surprised that my food arrived 20 minutes after ordering. What great customer service!

Breakfast

Breakfast

I had an early night in and woke up at 7 AM wide-awake to the sounds of birds and to a light autumn breeze. I headed straight down to breakfast which was good value for its price. I paid 5000 krw for breakfast and it included toast, homemade yoghurt, eggs, tangerines from the garden, coffee, grapes, tomatoes and much more. After breakfast I decided to talk a walk in the garden, which was filled with tangerine trees, before checking out and starting my day.

I wish I could have stayed at this place a bit longer and enjoy all it has to offer, but unfortunately my stay at the amazing Jeju Eco Suites came to a quick end.