Mystery Ulleungdo and a beautiful Dokdo (Part 3)

Other must-see places on Ulleungdo and an incredible trip to Dokdo!

I will share the same plan, you have already seen in Part 1 and Part 2 (click on the links). It will help you to understand easier which places I am talking about in this Part.

Plan:

1. Transportation
2. Accommodation
3. 저동항과 촛대바위 (Jeodong Port and Chotdaebawi Rock)
4. 봉래폭포 (Bongnae Waterfall)
5. 거북바위 (Geobukbawi Rock)
6. 태하해안산책로 (Taeha Coastal Walk)
7. 나리분지 (Nari Basin)
8. 삼선암 (Samseonam Rocks)
9. 관음도 (Gwaneum-do Island)
10. 독도박물관과 독도전망대 케이블카 (Dokdo Museum and Cable Car)
11. 독도 (Dokdo Island)
12. Trip Advices

8. 삼선암 (Samseonam Rocks)

Samseonam Rocks are considered as one of the most beautiful scenic views of Ulleungdo. It is a rocky island with three steep cliffs that rise vertically from the sea to the sky. There is a beautiful legend about this rock. It says that three angels, amazed by the clear water and superb surroundings, lost their time to climb up to the sky and turned into rocks because of the anger of the Jade Emperor.
It is also possible to climb this rock, but only with permission from the 울릉산악회 (Association of Ulleungdo Mountains).

Location: 경상북도 울릉군 북면 천부리

9. 관음도 (Gwaneum-do Island)

Gwaneum Island is a small Island, which is the closest island to Ulleungdo. Moreover, It has been said that primarily Gwaneumdo was a part of Ulleungdo, but during long time rocks have been separating from Ulleungdo due to erosion. And now Gwaneumdo is an independent island, which is connected with Ulleungdo by a recently built bridge. Some years ago there has been no road connected to the land and it could have only been reached by ship. However, today we can see a modern gorgeous blue bridge, which itself looks like a state of the art! It is called Yeondo Bridge.

I can only imagine what a fascinating view of the sea is seen from this bridge.
Because unfortunately, I could not visit Gwaneum Island myself. The weather was unlucky. But if you ever visit Ulleungdo, I recommend you to go there. It is a top tourist attraction!

Although I have not been on Gwaneumdo, I can share with you a story about it.

One trader took a boat to Gwaneumdo, because he wanted to find meat there. But due to the strong wind and waves, he could not return back and had to spend some time on the island. And at that time he fed on a bird similar to a seagull and called Kkaksae (깍새). So now Gwaneum Island is also called Kkaksae Island because of the large number of these birds there.

I hope that this story was interesting and that you will be able to visit Gwaneumdo yourself. While I show you some pictures of it (I saw this island from a distance, it is not so far from Samseonam Rocks).

Location: 경상북도 울릉군 북면 천부리

10. 독도박물관과 독도전망대 케이블카 (Dokdo Museum and Cable Car)

Dokdo Museum and Cable Car is the place, which I was curious about the most. To be honest, I am not a fan of museums. But even despite that fact, visiting Dokdo Museum and learning the history of Dokdo was very impressive.

I don’t want to talk about politics, but actually, when you hear the name Dokdo, the first thing that appears in your mind is a Korean-Japanese conflict about this island. Korea and Japan have a disagreement on whose land is Dokdo. It is a hot issue now and maybe that is the reason why Dokdo Museum was so interesting to me. You can observe some historical evidence and hear a lecture about the position of Koreans about their rights on this island. But here you can learn not only about the politics but also how the first people lived on Ulleungdo, when they first arrived, and how they started their lives from an absolute zero. Because Ulleungdo and Dokdo were completely wild, a land never touched by a human.

Why squid and pumpkin symbolize Ulleungdo? Or why sea-lion is considered as a symbol of Korea and Japan’s Dokdo conflict? If you want to know that, I recommend you visiting this museum for 100%. There is also a Cable Car, by the way. But at the time I have been there, it was not working because of the rain.

Location: 경상북도 울릉군 울릉읍 약수터길 90-17 독도박물관

11. 독도 (Dokdo Island)

And last but not least is Dokdo Island! It is obvious that if you go to Ulleungdo, you definitely visit Dokdo too! It is the main purpose of travelling so far! To see the Island people are disputing about!

We travelled to Dokdo on another ship and it took around 2 hours to get there.

However, because Dokdo is a military zone, ordinary tourists cannot get down on the land. The only way you can see the island is looking at it in a distance, on a ship deck. We took a 30 minutes trip around the island and returned back to Ulleungdo. It was not something that I have been expecting, but the scenery was really beautiful and breathtaking.

To conclude, I would like to say that during this coronavirus quarantine time, it was so good to get out and go somewhere far. Ulleungdo and Dokdo’s nature is unique and indescribable. 

12. Trip Advices:

1. This trip was sponsored by an organization called The Korean National Council for Conservation of Nature (KNCCN). They have a special program of travelling to Ulleungdo/Dokdo and it is only for foreign students. The application period is every summer, you can check announcements on their website. Do not miss such a great opportunity! I had a wonderful time on Ulleungdo thanks to them.
2. Weather!!!! I went to Ulleungdo in the period of rains in Korea. And because of bad weather, some of the plans did not work out. Unfortunately, the program I presented to you above is organized only in this period. But if you are going on your own, then be sure that the weather is good.
3. Transportation around the island. It can be a problem because all the attractions are far from each other and public transport is not developed. In my case, I did not care about it as long as our organization rent a bus.

Thank you for your attention! Have a nice time.