한라산
In Korean, Hallasan (Mount Halla) is written as:
- Hangul: 한라산
- Pronunciation: Han-ra-san (often sounds like Hal-la-san due to Korean sound adjustment rules)
Breakdown:
- 한라 (Halla): The name of the mountain.
- 산 (San): Means "mountain" in Korean.
Before the trip
- make a reservation https://visithalla.jeju.go.kr/main/main.do?language=en_US
- Buy food, snacks, water. In my case, I went with
- 1 kimbub (better to try first, mine was terrible but there was no choice)
- 2 snickers
- 1 energy bar
- 1 Gatorade
- 2 litre of water (super heavy but worth it)
Route
In order to reach the peak, you have 2 choices
- Gwaneumsa trail
- Seongpanak trail
Most people say that Seongpanak trail is easier with less steep compares with Gwaneumsa but Gwaneumsa has better scenery.
My recommendation is Gwaneumsa. It has a lot lot better scenery with better route (in Seongpanak, there were a lot of rocks). If you want to experience both, you should take Gwaneumsa to the peak and go back on Seongpanak (it's a bit harder but worth it with a BIG CAUTION, going down on Seongpanak, the path with a lot of rocks was somehow terrible and really require trekking poles)
Etc
- Should go with trekking poles, it is a must. Your life will be a lot better
- Need some knee support, otherwise it gonna overuse.
- How to get to the starting point. Check naver map for bus or taxi (it could also estimate the cost)
- Check bus schedule from Google maps
Conclusion
It was such a nice trip walking up and down the mountain. It's NOT easy and you must prepare yourself well enough before going to such a trip like this. Trekking poles are a must. The view was amazing. The weather was super nice in mid October.
My favorite photos from the hike
Gwaneumsa (up)
Baengnokdam (The Peak)
Seongpanak (Down)
I'm DONE!
