Today our plan is simple, we are taking the ferry to Jeju Island, off the southern tip of South Korea. There are several ways to go to Jeju, flights are usually pretty cheap, and there are ferries to Jeju from various ports, we’ve chosen to take the ferry to Jeju from Mokpo. Here’s our guide on getting the ferry to Jeju from Mokpo.
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BOOK FERRY TICKETS HERE
The Easiest Way to Buy Tickets to Jeju
By far the easiest way to go to Kota Kinabalu from Sandakan is to fly. Book early for the best prices.
Getting to the Mokpu Ferry Terminal
The Mokpu public bus system really is very cool. In order to get to the ferry building we need to take a bus which will take about 45 minutes. It’s a pretty roundabout route, but it would take perhaps 90 minutes to walk and if we transfer buses to make it quicker, then it costs more, so we’re sticking with the 112.
Each bus has an ID, and each bus stop has an ID, so I can check to see where my next bus is. It’s very cool. Of course, you need ‘net access to be able to check, but luckily I can still access the wifi from the hotel when we’re standing at the bus stop.
We didn’t have a local SIM card on our first trip to Korea, but learned from this and bought one the next time – this is the BEST local SIM for Korea.
We’d attempted to buy our ferry tickets last night, arriving back from hiking Wolchulsan and the Cloud Bridge to a deserted ferry terminal, before being told just to turn up at 08:00 and buy our tickets then. Still, at least we found out where it was, as there are two. The other one was equally deserted and true to the form that we’re finding here in Korea, there’s a distinct lack of ANYTHING in English, so we were glad we’d checked it out.
It’s much easier now to book tickets for the ferry to Jeju – you can do it online with Direct Ferries here.
Buying Tickets for the Ferry to Jeju
There was a short line for us to buy the tickets – 30,000 KRW each for the 4 hours 30 minute ferry with seaferry.co.kr but the line went quickly, we handed over our passports to get our tickets, and were asked “What is your name” and then “Where are you from”, looks like if we’d left it up to the ticket seller, we might have not been called Sarah and Nigel on our tickets, but strangely both had the same “British Citizen” name.
Facilities on the Ferry to Jeju
“I think we get a bit of floor space for our 30,000″, I said to Nige. There’s nothing obvious on the tickets that gives us a seat number or anything, so until we walk through the entrance gate, that’s what it seems like. We show our tickets and are told ” Room Number 423″
Seats on the ferry to Jeju
“Oh, we get a room”, says Nige. Yup. We get a big room, currently with 14 other dried fish-eating folks. We are definitely in the cheap seats. Except there are no seats. We’re all on the floor, shoes are discarded at the entrance and we have an inner room. So we can see a window in another room on the other side of the aisle, but we’ve claimed a corner and we’re staying put, after all, we’ve got 4 and a half hours to explore.
After 15 minutes we’ve eaten our “acquired from the Lotte Mart at a discount last night” breakfast and are propped against the wall and my backside is already numb. I refuse to look at my watch again.
Cafeteria on the Ferry to Jeju
There’s not a great deal to do on the ferry. There’s a variety of seating areas in the cafe area, where you can buy small plates of kimchi for 200 KRW or more.
Karaoke and Gaming Rooms on the Ferry to Jeju
Of course, you can karaoke. You can play in the arcade gaming room.
You can also use massage chairs….
You can sit up on deck and watch the various islands go by. It’s actually quite chilly and pretty windy, as the ferry isn’t hanging around. Lunch is the packet soup I’ve been carrying since Russia. Mushroom. We eat out of our travel mugs, as there’s boiling water on tap on the boat. Then we sit in the covered picnic area at the back of the boat being intensely entertained by the Korean tourists.
The Koreans are known as the Irish of Asia when it comes to drinking that is. Even at 09:00 before we actually set off there were cans of beer being cracked open. To wash down the dried squid for breakfast. Now it appears to have turned to hard liquor. I’m pretty sure that there are going to be a lot of folks with hangovers before we even get to Jeju.
Oh, now the singsongs have started. I think what looks like the group of middle-aged women on a weekend away are going to be the hardest hit, they’re really giving it their all.
Probably just like Luton Airport on a bank holiday Saturday really.
Travel Tips for Exploring South Korea
- Get Travel Insurance: Civitatis includes medical expenses, repatriation, theft, luggage delays. No deductibles or upfront payments. Get a quote here.
- Arriving by air? Arrange your airport transfer with Welcome Pickups
- Download and install a VPN BEFORE you travel to South Korea > discount coupon here
- Buy a SIM Card for South Korea here.
- Book the best South Korean tours and guides
- Save money in South Korea with a Wise debit card
- Book transport in South Korea with 12goAsia
- Book accommodation in South Korea with Booking
Final Words on Taking the Ferry to Jeju
Righto. Looks like we’ve arrived. Now to see if the stories are true. This island (where the majority of Koreans spend their honeymoon) is likened to both Disneyland and Hawaii. We’re off to discover what Aloha is like in Korea.
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