In my last post, I wrote about Ganghwa-do, a hilly island just an hour and a half from Seoul, that makes for a fantastic weekend get-away. As the temperatures continue to rise and summer starts to peak its’ head around the corner, these weekend trips to the ocean start to sound even more appealing. Just a little south of Ganghwa-do is another island called Muui-do that should be on everyone’s ‘Korean Summer To Do’ list.
Muui-do, like Gangh
wa-do, is an island that can be reached within a couple hours from Seoul. From Incheon airport, you can take a bus to the ferry, and then the very short ferry ride to the island. From there, a bus can take you to either Hanagae or Silmido beach. A big group of us spent a few days at Hanagae Beach last fall during Chuseok and had what was without a doubt one of the most memorable vacations we’ve taken in Korea. We strolled up to the beach with no expectations and found ourselves staring at a beautiful ocean view, waves smashing against scenic rock formations, a smooth sandy beach for us to dig our toes into, and rows of little huts lining the beach for us to sleep in.
One of the things that makes Muui-do such a unique place is the impressive mud flats you wake up to every morning. As we opened the door to our hut after a good night sleep on heated floors (bonus!), we fixed our gaze on the miles of mud flats that shimmered under the su
n. Everyone took the opportunity to walk out into the mud, looking at the little crabs duck away into their holes and the wonders of what lies on the muddy ocean floor. In the afternoon, the tide comes back in, and you can swim or just lie on the beach and watch the waves crashing into the sand and the sun dip into the horizon.
We spent our days exploring on the rocks, gathering sticks in the woods to make a fire at night, eating fresh seafood at the little restaurant along the beach, and even managed to do some horse back riding and 4-wheeling! The set of the Korean TV dra
ma, Stairway to Heaven, is still located there at Muui-do and when the tide is out, you can actually walk to Silmido Island, where the movie Silmido was filmed. Muui-do has it all!
Muui-do is a great place to spend a weekend out of the city. If you’re going on a holiday, I recommend getting there early in the day so that you can make sure to get one of the huts on the beach. Those little huts are what makes Muui-do so memorable! They cost 40,000Won per night. The only place to get groceries or supplies is a small shop next to the beach, so it’s not a bad idea to try to pack some food and snacks. In the summer, you can use a public shower for just a few won. Or you can rough it and not shower all weekend like we did!
Get a group together, pack your swimsuit, and hop on over to Muui-do!
- How To Get There: From Dong-Incheon station (Seoul Subway Line 1) or Incheon Airport (F3 Platform No. 3,9), take city bus No. 306 bound for Eurwang-ri and get off at Geojampo. Walk 10 min to Jamjinnaru Ferry Terminal, Yeongjongdo Island. (4 minute, 1,000 won) Get off at Muui-do . Take the village bus and get off at Hanagae beach or Silmi-do beach.
- Info: http://eng.icjg.go.kr/menu03/island_04.asp#
…brought to you by the Adventure Teaching Korea team…
what do the huts come with? do you need to bring blankets and pillows?
Hi Jen,
The huts come with blankets and pillows, so you won’t need to bring them unless you want some extra! They provide quite a few. They also have heated floors, so if you’re thinking of going when it’s a bit cooler out, those floors will keep you nice and toasty.
-AT Team
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