Hallasan Dullegil Trails 9, 8, 7

There’s a trail that goes around the southern part of Hallasan National Park, the Hallasan Dullegil (한라산둘레길). I hiked trails 9, 8, and 7 (counter clockwise). I misjudged the distances though, and spent far longer on the road than intended!

DAY 4 OF 7-DAY stay on Jeju

My first three days were based in Jeju City so I could explore Chujado, then do Trail 18 of the Jeju Ollegil. I stayed the first night at Bauzen Guesthouse (my second stay here) then got great food at Baegsojeong (백소정) nearby.

After three nights in Jeju City, I decided to spend the rest of the trip based in Seogwipo. I’d packed light so I could through hike, so thought I’d try out another Jeju trail. It goes from the west side of Mount Hallasan, along the southern side and finishes in the east. It’s not a mountain trail exactly as lies in the foothills and forests around the mountain. It caught my eye while I was checking the map around the Saryeoni cedar forest trail (사려니숲길), which I visited in 2019 and with Romana in 2020.

Naeum Coffee Bar & Sanji Mulden Bakery

I packed up and visited Naeeum Coffee Bar and Sanji Muldeun bakery again, and sat in their garden eating breakfast. This was just before 9:30. It was a lovely day again, and I wasn’t in a hurry since (I thought) I would probably only be on the road four or five hours!

I walked along the stream near the cafes and to the first bus stop. There, I chatted to two people I’d seen (but not spoken to) the night before at the Magpie bar. The woman was showing her friend around Jeju.

Trail 9 Halla Eco-FOrest

5.5 km Map link: naver.me/FEUvIpMj

I got a bus which involved one transfer, then got off at the Halla Eco-forest (한라생태숲). More details on the Visit Jeju website. That was at about 10:40. This is the end point of the 9-section trail as I’d be hiking counter clockwise. The eco-forest was mostly brown and green at this time of the year. They offer trips and guided walks and there was a small group of school kids with their teachers. The trail goes through a few sections the forest here and ends at the Jeolmul Natural Recreation Forest (절물자연휴양림). This was a fun looking place with lots of trails and wooden sculptures.

Trail 8 Minoreum

3.8 km Map link: naver.me/xFLdW2jO

Trail 8 starts on one of Jeju’s main roads for a bit before going into another forest. This part runs past Minoreum (민오름) one of the volcanic vents. I took a small detour to the top to have my lunch and enjoy the nice views across the hill. It was too hazy to see to the sea though.

I went back down the same way and walked the rest of the forest path to the start of trail 7.

Trail 7 Saryeoni Cedar Forest 10.

10.1 km Map link: naver.me/5Kb3ZDdP

Trail 7 goes through a large cedar forest with very tall trees. I’ve been a few times but not walked all the way through. A good way along the concrete forest road, I double checked my location and the distance to the bus stop and realised I’d made a mistake in the distances! I’d looked at the wrong numbers on my map app and what I’d assumed would be a leisurely 2-5 km stroll was actually going to be a 10 km march if I was going to get the bus I wanted! D’oh! 10 km on any other day would be fine, but I’d already walked about 11 km already (including to the top of the oreum!) so my plans for a more leisurely stroll and early check in were disappearing. I contemplated heading back to the main road and waiting for a bus direct to Seogwipo but obviously decided to do the hike. For this reason, I ended up jogging about half the trail on the concrete service road which fortunately was on a slight downward gradient.

Anyway, the north and south part of the forest isn’t cedar, but as you go east and south, the cedars start appearing. The eastern side is where the majority of the cedars are and the place where you can feel the full peaceful atmosphere of this wonderful forest. I stuck mainly to the wide path and took a few detours deeper into the forest. One trail into the trees ended up being a loop so I had to continue my jogging once back on the wider trail! Yes, I felt daft speeding through this lovely serene forest, but I still managed to appreciate it; my priorities at the time were showering, resting, food and beer!

I got to a part of the forest that I recognised from before. Then I jogged the final part so as to not miss my bus! The ride to Seogwipo was about 40 minutes.

Seogwipo Everyday Olle Market

The bus stopped very close to the Kenny Stay hotel thoroughly exhausted! It was a self-check in and the room was tiny, but clean and comfortable! There was a laundry room and restaurant. I showered and rested a bit then headed out to the first of three evening outings to the Seogwipo Everyday Olle Market!

I went to the food truck area that I’d been introduced to by the host of Wimi With Me Guesthouse (위미위드미 게스트하우스) when I was hiking the Olle Trail in 2023. I grabbed some fried Jeju black pig pork and a Magpie ale and sat enjoying the gently bustling food court. I wandered to a place called the Jeju Beer Fountain and saw their large selection of locally brewed beers. They let you taste two for free so I tried the peanut butter porter and was immediately hooked! I sat on the terrace and Instagrammed and drank two beers before heading to the hotel.