Seongsan Ilchulbong

Seongsan Ilchulbong formed in an undersea eruption around 5,000 years ago, leaving a bowl-shaped crater about 180 metres high on the eastern tip of Jeju. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes, and its name means Sunrise Peak.

A stepped path climbs to the rim in around 25 minutes, where the crater opens below, ringed by jagged rocks. At the foot of the cliffs, the haenyeo, Jeju’s famous women divers, often demonstrate how they gather shellfish from the sea. From the top, you look back over the village of Seongsan and along Jeju’s eastern coast.

Climb at sunrise for the most memorable view, or come in the afternoon and pair it with a ferry to nearby Udo island. Jeju is about an hour’s flight from Seoul.