What's on in Jeju (Jeju Island), South Korea through the year

Busy — Winter break (gyeoul banghak) in South Korea, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Hallasan summit permits

  1 Jan – 31 DecBook early

  The two trails to the top are capped at 1,000 and 500 walkers a day and need a free reservation with ID. Entry cut-offs move earlier in winter and wardens turn back anyone who misses them. Source ↗

Busy — Winter break (gyeoul banghak) in South Korea

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Hallasan summit permits (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Jeju Fire Festival, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Jeju Fire Festival

  1–15 Mar · usuallyMajor festivalCrowded

  A whole hillside at Saebyeol Oreum is set alight over a weekend to burn off the old grazing grass. The road out of the city is solid on the Saturday afternoon. Source ↗

• Nature

  Canola in flower

  15 Mar – 20 Apr · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  Yellow along the coast roads and around Seongsan, a few weeks before the mainland. The photogenic fields by the crater are private and charge to stand in them.

Still on: Hallasan summit permits (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Hallasan summit permits (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Canola in flower (15 Mar – 20 Apr (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Hallasan summit permits (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Jangma, the rain front

  15 Jun – 25 Jul · usuallyMonsoonRisk

  The monsoon front hits Jeju before the mainland and the island takes more rain than anywhere in Korea. It arrives in bursts, not drizzle, and the Hallasan trails close in the worst of it.

Still on: Hallasan summit permits (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Summer break (yeoreum banghak) in South Korea, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Hallasan summit permits (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Jangma, the rain front (15 Jun – 25 Jul (usually))

Busy — Summer break (yeoreum banghak) in South Korea, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  Typhoon season

  1 Aug – 30 Sep · usuallyClosures

  The island sits on the track rather than beside it. Ferries stop first, then the flights to Gimpo, and being stuck here for two days is a normal late-summer outcome. Source ↗

Still on: Hallasan summit permits (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Peak crowds — Chuseok, Chuseok in South Korea

• Holiday

  Chuseok

  24–26 SepHarvestCrowdedBook early

  The harvest holiday is when mainland families fly here, and Jeju is the one place in Korea that gets busier rather than emptier. Flights and cars are booked out months ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Hallasan summit permits (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Typhoon season (1 Aug – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Hallasan summit permits (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Chuseok (24–26 Sep)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Festival

  Jeju Olle Walking Festival

  5–7 NovMajor festival

  Three of the coastal Olle routes are walked as a single event over three days each November, with stalls and music at each finish. The mild fortnight either side is the island's best walking. Source ↗

Still on: Hallasan summit permits (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Winter break (gyeoul banghak) in South Korea, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Hallasan summit permits (1 Jan – 31 Dec)