Island Hopping: Heuksando and Hongdo Part 2

Hongdo

Heuksando -> Hongdo

Day 2 of our island hopping weekend. We got tickets for the 9:50 ferry and checked out of the motel. We arrived in Hongdo at around 10:30. The first thing you will notice between the two different islands is the state of the buildings. The Hongdo ferry terminal looked brand new and was the first building you see. It also had English on it! Another noticeable difference is the amount of English signs throughout the island. 

After buying our tickets back to Mokpo we ventured around to find the boat tour. Since Hongdo is part of a marine national park, most of the island is restricted. There two ways in which you can explore the island. There is a hiking trail which takes about 4-5 hours or a 2 hour boat tour. We opted for the boat tour since we had limited time. To purchase tickets for the boat tour, just walk underneath the ferry terminal building and you will see ticket booths selling boat tours. Prices were 22,000 but we got a discount and it ended up being 16,000 per person. There were two times for the boat tour, early morning around 7:30 and at 12:30pm. We had a couple hours to kill before our boat tour so we decided to walk to one of the lookouts on the map.

 

There are three main looks outs on this part of the island, two to the right of town (toward the trail) and one to the left. We headed towards the left of the map at the center of town and followed the uphill street. You will see this sign on the left after some buildings, it doesn't look like a normal path as it is semi-hidden and runs through some houses back alley. But, if you are having any issues finding it, the inhabitants of this island seem very friendly and helpful - you can either ask them, or if you look too lost they will come assist with out you prompting them. As we followed the path we passed houses and an orchid/bonsai nursery, eventually ending up where the concrete cuts off and the nature trail starts. Follow the trail up and you will hit a set of beautiful stairs once you are close to the look out. Once you see the stairs you have 300m to go to the look out (there are some markers along the way). The trail also continues along around the mountain and down to the other side of town for another 450m. 

After 500m you will come to the look out and all the sweat and mosquito bites will soon be in the past as you take in the magnificent view. The weather was on the cloudy side so it wasn't as hot which was good for our small hike. We were definitely sweaty and the sun wasn't even out!

After heading back down the mountain, we headed to the other side of the island (to the right of the map). Following the road we passed the school and made our way to the other look out where you can see more of the town. This one was a lot easier to climb since it was just stairs and much shorter. The trail does extend further up the mountain to the second town of the island and is 1700m to the top. We did not get to follow it since we were on a time limit. 

We headed back down to the ferry terminal at 12:20 to board our vessel. It was open air with a little indoor seating area. The boat ride was a great way to see the island and its many natural structures. We saw different rock striations and little caves and even tiny waterfalls. Near the end of the tour there is a fishing boat that stops alongside the boat that sells fresh sashimi. You literally see them take the fish, clean it, filet and serve with dipping sauces and soju. Since Alan is not a big sashimi fan, I just watched all the other passengers line up and walk off with their sashimi in hand. I didn't know what fish it was, only that it was white in color. 

After our tour ended, we had roughly 30 minutes before our 3:40pm ferry back to Mokpo. We walked along the harbor and looked at the many creatures for sale. After watching customers come up and pick out their meal, we saw the seller cut up and clean all different kinds of sea animals. Conch, mussels, calms, sea cucumber, abalone, and octopus. Most of the seafood was eaten raw, in fact all that we saw served up was raw served with gochuchang (red pepper paste). 

All in all it was a great weekend filled with beautiful views. Heuksando and Hongdo both have their own charms with beautiful scenery to boast. I definitely recommend visiting one or both to get away from the hustle of city life. 

Tips and Recommendations:

How to get to Heuksando and Hongdo

Make your way to the Mokpo coastal ferry terminal and buy your tickets (check ferry times below/call in advance).

* Wear your comfortable shoes, comfortable clothes, and sun protection - even though you might think of the beach when you think of and island, these two are more of the hiking variety and all the beach you will see are filled with pebbles not sand.

* Bring your camera.

* Bring food - unless you are a big skate and fish person. 

* Plan your trip accordingly to ensure you get the most out of your island hopping adventure.

Ferry Timetable 

(Please verify with ferry terminal, changes and cancellations may occur due to weather)

Ferry Route: Mokpo -> Bigeumdo -> Heuksando -> Hongdo

FROM MOKPO

Mokpo 목포 -> Heuksando 흑산도 

1 hour 50 minutes - 34,300w

7:50

8:00

13:00

16:00

Mokpo 목포 -> Hongdo 홍도

2 hours 30 minutes - 42,000w

7:50

13:00

FROM HEUKSANDO

Heuksando 흑산도 -> Mokpo 목포

1 hour 50 minutes - 34,300w

9:00

11:10

15:30

16:20

Heuksando 흑산도 -> Hongdo 홍도 

30 minutes - 11,200w

9:50

14:50

FROM HONGDO 

Hongdo 홍도 -> Heuksando 흑산도 -> Mokpo 목포

Total: 2 hours 30 minutes - 42,000w

10:30

15:30

Island hopping: Heuksando and Hongdo Part 1

Heuksando

It is September! My how time is flying by. We officially have one month left in our contract. For the weekend we decided to explore some nearby islands off the coast of Mokpo. Korea consists of around 3000 islands! Heuksando and Hongdo are two of the more well known ones off the coast of Jeollanamdo. Heuksando is known as the black island because of the different types of trees that inhabit the island. Hongdo is known as the red island because of the sun casting it's color upon the island as it sets. Both islands has its own distinctive charm. So this was our plan: 
Mokpo -> Heuksando -> Hongdo-> Mokpo.

Mokpo -> Heuksando

Starting our day off bright and early at 7:40, or so we had planned, but since Alan accidentally decided to set the alarm for a weekday instead of Saturday... We woke up at around 9:00 am missing the 7:40 ferry to Heuksando. Well, just go with the flow and catch the next one at 1:00pm! Bought our tickets from the Mokpo Costal Terminal to Heuksando and off we went! I've read many blogs about the seas being very rough and that seasickness was inevitable. Thankfully, that wasn't the case for our trip, so it definitely depends on the day. Lucky me! The ferry ride takes about 2 hours stopping at Bigeumdo along the way.

Ferry Terminal

We arrived just after 3:00pm and headed straight to the information booth. Here, a friendly man speaking not an ounce of English came out, handed us a map (all in Korean of course) and pointed us to the direction of the buses and taxis. Our first objective was to find out when the first ferry to Hongdo was the next morning. We found the disheveled looking ferry office in the middle of the port and went up to ask our information. First ferry is at 9:50 and you have to purchase your ticket the day of. Ok, so that was done/on pause until the next morning. Now it was off to find a place to stay. Right behind the ferry office was a motel with the only English sign around the entire area, Hanyang Motel. Along the entire strip were restaurants that had motels attached to them on the upper floors. This one appeared new, clean, and had a bed... although it was literally made of stone... for 40,000 won. A few doors down is a CU for all your essentials :) 

Hanyang Motel

Now that our accommodations were set for the night, we were off to find a tour around the island. There is one main road that encircles the entire island. This is the best way to see the island and honestly the only way, unless you want to walk. A lady pointed us in the directions of the taxis and buses after watching us look completely lost staring at the map LOL. After asking around, a bus tour is the way to go for 15,000 won/ person. Taxis would be a good deal if you are a group of 3-5 and ranges from 40,000-60,000. The whole tour took around 2 hours going up and down the mountain ranges, swiveling around the many hairpin turns. 

The first main stop is this lookout over the mountain. The view is priceless! As the bus zooms around the island make sure you have your camera fully charged and ready. Around every turn there is a gorgeous site to see. Heuksando is definitely a fishing village with its own gorgeous charm. Just sit back and enjoy the ride and magnificent views!

After our tour we went back to our room and decided to have a quick and easy dinner of ramen. Then it was off to bed to prepare for next day's adventure, Hongdo!

Ferry Timetable 

(Please verify with ferry terminal, changes and cancelations may occur due to weather/season)

Ferry Route: Mokpo -> Bigeumdo -> Heuksando -> Hongdo

FROM MOKPO

Mokpo 목포 -> Heuksando 흑산도 

1 hour 50 minutes - 34,300w

7:50

8:00

13:00

16:00

Mokpo 목포 -> Hongdo 홍도

2 hours 30 minutes - 42,000w

7:50

13:00

FROM HEUKSANDO

Heuksando 흑산도 -> Mokpo 목포

1 hour 50 minutes - 34,300w

9:00

11:10

15:30

16:20

Heuksando 흑산도 -> Hongdo 홍도 

30 minutes - 11,200w

9:50

14:50

FROM HONGDO 

Hongdo 홍도 -> Heuksando 흑산도 -> Mokpo 목포

Total: 2 hours 30 minutes - 42,000w

10:30

15:30

Yudalsan

Our Route

It was a beautiful weekend so we decided to act Korean and go hiking! After some research about the closest mountain hike, we were on our way to Yudalsan! Yudalsan is the highest mountain here in Mokpo, standing at 228m. It is located in Old Mokpo near the Ferry terminal. The hike was suppose to be an easy 40 minute hike to the top of the mountain, or so I was told (as in read on a blog). I guess this person did not actually go to the top of the mountain and all the way around because our hike was more like... 4 hours!

A big bell

Admiral Yi Sunsin

At the base of the hike you will find the statue of Admiral Yi Sunsin. This is the landmark where admiral Yi is said to have fooled and scared away the Japanese troops by stacking straw thatches over the rocks, making their small army seem like a much larger one. After the statue, we followed the path up the mountain. There were a lot of stairs and the path was well paved.

We made it to our first pagoda and took a much needed break from the hot sun. There is a pitstop at the beginning of the trail where you can buy drinks and snacks for your hike and bathrooms. I highly recommend getting at least one bottle of water since this is the only stop for the duration of the hike! At the first pagoda, we noticed that the inside ceilings were decorated with beautiful paintings. The colors were vibrant and gorgeous so don't forget to take a look inside as well as enjoy the panoramic views of Mokpo.

Forty minutes passed by and we made it to the top of the mountain! Wasn't that bad right?! Just kidding.... it was the observation point... So how do we get to the peak??? After looking at the map again, we figured that we had to go down and around this peak to get to the highest one. Off we go! Up more stairs!!! The trail definitely started to get more advanced as we went higher up.

After what felt like forever... maybe about thirty minutes lol... we finally made it!! Obviously this plaque helped reassured us that we were at the very top of the mountain. Take a break and enjoy the view! I was surprised at the amount of people.. or should I say lack there of at the very top, maybe they stopped at the other point?

Beautiful view!

Now lets find our way back! So we had two options: go back the way we came, or keep following the path to the other side. Well Alan decided that we should do the whole trail since we were here and obviously that was the more logical option..I guess. Legs tired, no more water, sweating like crazy, we kept going. This was the longest part of the hike. There was just endless stairs up and down different hills and at some points the trail was some what nonexistent.

I was starting to get a little worried, but then we came to a pagoda with lots of people taking a rest and a woman was selling some drink out of a big cooler. We pushed further checking our map continuously. After abour 2 hours, we finally made it to the other side, Fishermen's Park! It was a cute little park with a man made stream. That was a good workout!

We found this little guy chilling on a rock midway. Super cute!

Tips and Recommendations:

How to get to Yudalsan

Hop in a cab and say "Yudalsan" :) They will drop you off right at the base before the statue.

* Wear your hiking gear! Shoes, comfortable clothes, and sun protection (you can still get sun when it's cloudy!)

* Bring your camera.

* Bring water and stay hydrated!

* Start early morning/late afternoon to avoid the hottest parts of the day.

* Plan your hike accordingly, you do not want to caught hiking at night if you aren't prepared. That said, there was a good deal of the trail that had lights at night.

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