About Chujado Island

Have you heard of Chujado Island? It is a famous place among Korean campers. Chujado Island is a perfect place to enjoy activities such as trekking, fishing, and riding, as well as a relaxing stroll in the small towns and enjoying local foods.

Chujado Island is divided into two islands, Sangchujado and Hachujado, and these two islands are connected by a bridge. Officially, Chujado belongs to Jeju Island, but it is located between Jeollanam-do and Jeju-do. For that reason, it is culturally influenced not only by Jeju but also by Jeollanam-do, so you can often see similar cuisine to that of Jeollanam-do.

In the fall, NomadHer held a Camping Trip for female travelers on Chujado Island with 10 NomadHers from Korea, the United States, and France coming together. From making a bonfire on a camping site to walking along the famous trekking course and looking at the beautiful sea and cliffs, NomadHers got a chance to take in the beauty of Chujado Island.

Here, we will share our top 6 recommendations for the best attractions to visit during a camping trip on Chujado Island!

6 Camping Attractions on Chujado Island

1️⃣ Jeju Olle Trail Routes 18-1 along the Navarone Cliffs

The Jeju Olle Trail is an 11.4km trekking course that starts from Sangchujado and leads to Hachujado crossing a bridge and taking about 5 hours. This is called “Navarone Sky Road” named after the famous movie, The Guns of Navarone because you can see beautiful cliffs similar to the movie. When you walk along this course, you will feel as if you walk on the road over the sea toward the sky, just like its name.

2️⃣ Camping on the Hupo Beach

There is a campground right near Hupo Beach where you can set up camp and spend the night. Hupo Beach is so clean and beautiful like the one in Busan city, you can even see black stones under the seawater clearly with your eye. It is a beautiful natural environment where you can see crabs crawling on the sand and it is also a famous place for anglers and divers due to its clear waters.

3️⃣ Make dinner together

When darkness has fallen on the island, the best part of a camping trip begins– it is time to roast sweet potatoes and meat, drink cocoa, and continue amazing conversations with your travel companions. Enjoy this peaceful moment to spend time alone or to mingle with friends, where the only sound you can hear on the island is the waves crashing against the rocks!

4️⃣ Beautiful Sunrise Over the Sea

Create a special start to your day by watching the sun rise at one of the most beautiful spots in all of South Korea. If you want to capture more diverse sunrises, we recommend you go up the Navarone Skyway trail right near your camping site. Bring hot coffee in a thermos to complete the perfect morning as you watch the sun arise from the sea.

5️⃣ Local fishing village tour

Chujado Island is a small island with a total population of fewer than 2,000 people. If you walk along the trekking route, you often see some small villages. Wherever you go, you can meet warm-hearted locals that are unique to small villages and different from the bustle of a city like Seoul.

Other things to see on Chujado Island that you will encounter while trekking:

• Chuja Lighthouse: You can see the whole view of Sangchujado from this Lighthouse, which serves as a guide for ships to navigate safely at night.
• Yeongheung-ri Mokhwa Village: If you walk along the Mokhwa Village, you can see murals showing the magnificent views of Chujado island.
• Chujado Bridge: This is the bridge connecting Sangchujado Island and Hachujado Island. At the entrance, you can see a sculpture depicting one of the local foods, Gulbi.

6️⃣Local food, Gulbi

If you visit this island, we highly recommend trying Gulbi. Gulbi is a kind of fish that Koreans love to eat regularly and Chujado Island is famous for this food. You can find that most local restaurants sell this so if you travel to Chujado, try to order “Gulbi Jeongsik” which is served with various small dishes with baked Gulbi.

Getting to Chujado

Chujado Island is geographically located between Jeollanam-do and Jeju island so there are various ways to take the ferry to go to the island. For example, a ferry can be taken from Wando-gun, Haenam-gun, or Jeju island with the most popular ferry from the Jeju Ferry Passenger Terminal on Jeju island.

How to get to Chujado Island from Jeju Island (1h 30m)

• Take the ferry called “Queen star 2” from Jeju Ferry Passenger Terminal 2 Quay
• Arrive at Sangchujado Port
• Booking website: http://www.seaferry.co.kr/
• Ticket fee: 14400 KRW (adult)
• Must bring ID to take to be able to board the ferry
• It is recommended to book the ferry ticket online in advance

Several ferries run regularly from Jeju island to Chujado Island. Some arrive at Sangchuja Port while others go to Hachuja Port. The most popular ferry is Queenstar 2, which arrives at Sangchujado Port. Sangchujado is a downtown area of the whole island where more than 70-80% of the island’s population is concentrated. Most restaurants, hotels, stores, and other general conveniences you would find in a city are here, so it is easiest to arrive here for your first trip.

On this island, there is only one bus and one taxi that runs the entire island. If you miss the bus, you have to wait for an hour, so we recommend you check the bus timetable in advance based on your travel plan.

Let’s go on a camping trip with a professional host

The NomadHer Jeju Chujado Camping Trip was hosted by outdoor travel expert Myung-soo. She has led and organized lots of eco-friendly backpacking/camping travel programs. On her camp trip, she helped participants feel the beauty of nature and discover themselves through their time spent on Chujado Island.

“Go camping with the NomadHer trip was the best choice of my life. Now, I can imagine a completely new style of travel that I’ve never tried before– a trip with nature. It was my first time going camping and trekking. For me, this camping trip taught me the beauty of mother nature and how to enjoy this moment with focusing on myself at the same time. Also, it was amazing that a professional photographer came and took a lot of great pictures. The most memorable trip I've done this year!” said Soyoung,  NomadHer participant.

You can see various meetups and trips in South Korea and France on the NomadHer app now. Not only the yoga & wine class, and hula dance in Seoul but also Busan Firework Festival, Yacht Tour, Hot Spa, and more! Don’t miss the opportunity to travel with female travelers (Go to NomadHer App on IOS & Android)