Udo Island, Jeju

Full transcript

Annyeong, yeoreobun! Yul here. Moooo! Sorry, I'm getting into character, because today we're visiting Udo, which means cow island! Seen from the side, people say the island looks like a cow lying down, taking a nap in the sea.

Udo sits about 2.8 kilometers off the coast of Jeju, and the ferry from Seongsan Port takes only about fifteen minutes.

This little island is full of surprises. Surprise number one: the beach called Seobin Baeksa. It looks like white sand, but look closer. It's made of bits of red algae, not ordinary sand, and that's why the water shines bright turquoise.

Surprise number two: Udo has its very own Eight Scenic Views, a list made by an island resident in 1983. Climb Udobong, the island's highest point, and you can see the whole cow, plus Seongsan Ilchulbong right across the water.

And surprise number three. What does this island grow? Peanuts! Udo is famous for peanuts and garlic. And you know what that means: Udo peanut ice cream, soft serve topped with local peanuts. Is it the best ice cream in Korea? I'm not saying it is... but I'm not saying it isn't. Daebak!

And look out at the water. Haenyeo, Jeju's women divers, still dive off Udo's coast.

Yul's tip! Get around by e-bike or the island shuttle bus. Go early, because day-trip crowds arrive fast. And always check the time of the last ferry back, unless you want to become an Udo resident by accident.

Next, we'll meet those amazing women of the sea, the haenyeo. Kaja!