One of the best travel destinations in all of Korea is the beautiful Cheju-do Island located 100km south of the Korean peninsula in the Pacific Ocean. The island is filled with sites and is a perfect location for touring by car with it’s wide open landscapes and non-crowded roads. With so many great rides to choose from on the island I will begin with the easiest one. A quick and easy route to view some of the great sites on the island is by taking highway 97 south from Cheju City on the island’s north coast, all the way to the Cheju Folk Village on the south coast of the island.

Highway 97 skirts the massive Hallasan mountain thus avoiding any of the steep climbs and treacherous curves on other roads that cross the island. On a clear day you can get some great views of Hallasan to the west along with views of the multiple parasitic volcanic cones that dot the island to the east of the road. Some of these parasitic cones have pathways that allow you to climb up them if you have the time to stop.

Also along the route you will see lots of colorful flowers that Cheju is well known for along with Cheju’s famous horses. The horses are small and sturdy and are descended from when the Mongols controlled the island centuries ago. There are ranches along the route that offers rides for a fee to those inclined to try out these steeds.

The road ultimately ends on the south coast at the Cheju Folk Village. The folk village is a well designed re-creation of a traditional Cheju-do village. The people on Cheju-do have a distinctly different culture and language from main land Koreans and this village gives you some insight into those differences, not to mention some great Cheju-do cuisine. There is no better “samgeopsul” than from the black pigs of Cheju-do.

From the folk village you can either travel west on Highway 12 to Seogwipo for the night or go west on highway 12 to take you back around the i