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LifestyleTravel & Leisure

Hiking South Korea’s highest mountain: an idyllic trek to the top of Mount Hallasan on Jeju Island

  • Jeju is one of the country’s hottest destinations, but hiking South Korea’s highest peak proves a happy family affair, with barely another hiker in sight
  • The silence of its forest surroundings adds to the experience

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People walking on the volcanic island of Jeju, which is dominated by Mount Hallasan, a volcano and the highest mountain in South Korea. Photo: Alamy
Paul Niel

Thousands of years ago, the spirits of a beautiful mountain towering over a deserted island created three male demi-gods.

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These holy men spotted a ship approaching the island while climbing the mountain. On it were three princesses sent by a master of a foreign kingdom. They married the three demigods and founded their own empire at the bottom of the mountain widely known as Mount Hallasan.

This is how legend describes the origins of Jeju, an island off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula which draws tourists from all over East Asia. While there have been reports of overcrowding and excessive development, and the island’s coast has seemingly endless rows of hotels, its interior is surprisingly empty.

Mount Hallasan – at 1,950 metres the highest mountain in South Korea – dominates the island, its summit covered in cloud most days, leaving visitors to guess at the vastness of the volcano’s bulk.

At the top of Mount Hallasan there is a lake formed by volcanic eruption. Photo: Alamy
At the top of Mount Hallasan there is a lake formed by volcanic eruption. Photo: Alamy
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While the Korean mainland can get bitterly cold in winter, Jeju's climate is more moderate, hence our recent decision to take a quick family hiking trip to the island. Our research told us Mount Hallasan was easily hikeable in a weekend trip from Hong Kong.

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