Chuseok (Hongdo & Heuksando)

Last weekend, Blair and I explored the far reaches of southwestern Korea during Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving). We left Daegu Friday night and made our way to Mokpo, a rather large port city on the west coast. We arrived in Mokpo just after 1:00 am and quickly checked into a love motel to get a few hours of sleep before our 7:50 am ferry departure. The ferry terminal in Mokpo services Jeju and most islands to the west.

Our first destination of the weekend was Hongdo (Red Island). Hongdo is a tiny island located southwest of Mokpo in the Yellow Sea. The island is a part of Dadohaehaesang National Park, Korea’s largest national park. The entire island itself is declared a National Monument. Thus people are not allowed to enter areas other than the villages. Since its protected land, visitors are forbidden to bring out even one stone from the island.

The only way to the island is by boat. You won’t see any cars on the island, just a scooter or two. There are two tiny villages on the island with only a few hundred residents combined.

After two and half hours aboard the ferry we arrived at Hongdo before noon. I was instantly taken aback by the island’s stunning scenery and simple charm. The pace of life was far removed from the hustle and bustle of the mainland. There was no sound of traffic, only the sound of a gentle sea breeze and rolling waves in the distance. The air was the freshest I have breathed in months. The salty air was welcoming and very refreshing. Since I grew up most of my life along the ocean I felt right at home.

Approaching Hongdo.

As we made our way past the dock and through the narrow alleys of the village, I knew it was a place I was going to enjoy. We found a quaint minbak (homestay/bed) with a balcony that had amazing views of the harbor. After settling in and eating some ramen, we walked back to the dock and purchased tickets for a boat tour around the island. 

Our minbak.

The boat tour was a two hour journey along the island’s stunning coastline. Most of the coastline is made of rocky vertical cliffs reaching hundreds of feet high. The deep turquoise sea seemed to beautifully contrast the red rock while evergreen trees blanketed many of the rocks and peaks. The views around the island were amazing. It didn’t look like anything you’d expect to see in Korea. 

The boat tour around the island.

After the boat tour we spent the evening enjoying the island’s relaxed atmosphere and trying some it’s unique seafood (including 소라 which is similar to a conch, or an edible sea snail, Blair thinks...).

Trying some 소라.

The next morning, we explored some of the island’s trails and pebble beach. That afternoon, we slowly packed up our belongings in preparation for our next destination. We really enjoyed our stay on Hongdo, it’s a great place to relax and take in beautiful scenery. It’s easily one of my favorite places in Korea thus far.

The views of Hangdo from our hike.

 The pebble beach.

View of the harbor.

Our next destination was Heuksando, an island about an hour from Hongdo. Heuksando is a larger, more developed island, but still just as peaceful as Hongdo. We stayed in the island’s main fishing village. The small fishing village is much like the ones you’d see in New England. The village was well stocked with plenty of fresh seafood.

Heuksando's fishing village.

The next morning, we took a bus tour around the island with a group of friendly Koreans. The weather wasn’t ideal, but we were able to see some of the coast as the weather eventually cleared.

Around Heuksando.

Late that afternoon, we got back on the ferry to Mokpo. Once in Mokpo we made our way back to Daegu and ate an amazing dinner along the way. In all, it was an amazing trip and one of my favorites so far. It was well worth the journey and money spent.