Yeosu Blooming: What to See on the South Coast

We were lucky enough to visit South Korea’s south coast during the peak week for cherry blossoms. Though we hoped to see blooms while we were there, we got extra lucky on the timing as the blossoms popped out all over the country about a week ahead of what was predicted.

From Mokpo on Korea’s southwest coast, we drove 150km (nearly 100 miles) east along the coast of Jeollanam-do province to Yeosu, a peninsular city close to the center of South Korea’s south coast. We viewed some surprisingly stunning agricultural areas along the way, as well as stopping for a walk through the famed Boseong Green Tea Fields. Then not only did we enjoy the city of Yeosu, but we were able to ferry to one of Dadohaehaesang National Park‘s many islands.

Boseong Green Tea Fields and the Road Trip to Yeosu

The drive from Mokpo to Yeosu took us through mostly agricultural territory and small towns. Though we stopped at a couple of beaches, we didn’t get to see them at their best as the day we made this drive happened to be one of the worst air quality days of the year. (Especially in the spring, yellow dust storms originating from the inland deserts of northern China and Mongolia blow into South Korea, creating a huge air pollution problem.)

Despite the poor visibility, we were able to appreciate the vast quantities of cherry trees blooming along roadsides in town after town, and sometimes in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. The best spot turned out to be a farm road we could see from the small highway we were traveling, and we turned in to take a look. This is why I love road trips! You never know what surprises you’ll find.

Driving through the Boseong area was no less impressive, with scenic overlooks and blooms galore.

The Boseong Green Tea Fields, otherwise known as Daehan Dawon Tea Plantation (대한다원), is South Korea’s largest green tea farm. It is situated about halfway between Mokpo and Yeosu. Originally planted by the Japanese during the colonial period of the early 20th century, the tea field was taken over by a Korean entrepreneur in the 1950s and now produces 40% of South Korea’s green tea.

A hiking path enables visitors to climb the plantation’s small peak via a cedar forest path and along a small stream up to an observatory and then down through the tea fields. On a clear day, the summit evidently offers views of the sea. Unfortunately, we saw only yellow dust clouds on the horizon. Despite the lack of views, we enjoyed our visit to the tea fields. Boasting nearly 6 million tea plants, they’re quite impressive!

Yeosu

Undaunted by the poor air quality, we continued on to the coastal city of Yeosu, our jumping-off point for a visit to Dadohaehaesang National Park. And sure enough – Yeosu is another place to see some spectacular cherry blossoms.

In addition to its mainland peninsula, Yeosu boasts 317 islands, only 49 of which are inhabited. Consequently, the views from its coastline are dotted with small islands in nearly every direction. It has a fun port area and sea wall that was the perfect spot for an evening stroll.

Dadohaehaesang National Park

This national park is Korea’s largest, although its expanse largely comprises marine areas with a comparatively small area of land. On the map below, you can see how the park’s nearly 1,700 islands spead across Korea’s south coast, spanning both the Yellow Sea and the Southern Sea.

From Yeosu, we took a ferry to Geumodo (Island) in the park’s Geomun/Baekdo District. Figuring out the ferry system without great Korean language skills was challenging. I’m indebted to the Hike Goeje blog, which offered the best instructions I found in English for how to travel from Yeosu to Geumodo. We drove from Yeosu to the small Shin-gi Ferry Terminal (신기항여객터미널) at the tip of Dolsan Island, where we were just in time to buy tickets for us and our car for the 30-minute ferry ride to Geumodo.

After arriving on the island, we drove about 5km from the port to the small village closest to our trailhead (where we parked the car and hoped it was legal). After pausing the enjoy the local charm, we headed up the closest hill to the start of the Bireonggil Trail, section 1.

Bireonggil is a hiking trail made up of five connected courses. It’s 18.5km long to complete all 5 courses, but it’s even longer if you factor in walks through the villages that lie between each section. The trail is not a loop, which means you have to hike back as far as you have hiked out, unless you’re lucky enough to get a taxi to take you back to the ferry.

Course 1, 5km one-way, offers stellar views of the island and the Southern Sea from the outset. Sometimes comprised of wooden stairs and boardwalks and sometimes just a dirt path, the trail winds along the edge of the coast as well as through forests and small farms. Though there are regular ups and downs, the path is seldom steep for long.

Arriving at a small village at the end of Course 1, we had planned to stop for lunch and then carry on to Course 2. However, we soon found that all the restaurants in the town were closed. (Whether because of pandemic closures or because this was still considered off-season we don’t know.)

Feeling concerned about the prospect of finding limited services elsewhere on the island, we decided to test calling for a taxi. Sure enough, there were no taxis to be found, at least none we could access easily. Since we would need to hike back any distance we hiked out, we opted to turn around and return to the port so that we could take the car for further island exploration.

Back on Course 1 and close to the village where our car was parked, we passed a small restaurant run by two older women serving “snacks.” Seated on a hillside between the sea and the restaurant’s garden, we enjoyed a delicious lunch of pajeon (green onion pancake with seafood) and banchan (side dishes) made with vegetables fresh from the garden. Of course, we also had to try the Korean hikers’ delight – a bowl of fresh, home-brewed makgeolli (rice wine). The proprietors comfortably chatted away to us in Korean while producing further banchan they thought we would like, never seeming to mind our limited ability to respond. This lovely experience was a highlight of our trip.

After successfully hiking back to the car, driving to the port, buying our return tickets, and taking the short ferry ride back to Shin-gi, we were in for one last pleasant surprise before returning to Yeosu. We spied a park below the road in full bloom and quickly turned in to take in the sight.

Wow! In so many different ways, the Yeosu area did not disappoint. I don’t think we could have found a lovelier region to enjoy Korea’s cherry blossom season.

Did you love Yeosu, too? You can see more photos of Yeosu, the Boseong Green Tea Fields, and Dadohaehaesang National Park here.