Udo 우도

Udo is a 15-minute ferry ride from Seongsan Port, with boats every 30 minutes from 08:00. A return ticket is 11,000 won for adults. The last boat back leaves Udo at 17:30 in October and 17:00 from November to February. Most rental cars can’t go, so leave yours at the port.

Udo (우도, “cow island”) lies just off the eastern tip of Jeju, across a narrow channel from Seongsan Ilchulbong. It is the largest of Jeju’s outlying islands: about 3.8 km long and 17 km around, with low stone-walled fields, white beaches and a grassy headland at its southern end. About 1.22 million people visited in 2024, Visit Jeju reports. The whole island and the sea around it are a provincial marine park.

Is Udo worth a half-day?

For a first trip to the east coast, yes, if you have a clear day and at least 3–4 hours. The beaches are the brightest water on Jeju’s east coast, and the island has a slower pace than the main island. Visit Jeju puts one or two sights plus a café stop at about 3–4 hours.

	Half-day on Udo	Skip it
Time	3–4 hours plus the ferries	Use the time for Manjanggul or Bijarim
Weather	Calm, clear day	Wind or rain: boats may stop
Getting round	Bike or e-bike near the port, or on foot	Your rental car (mostly banned)
Pairs with	Seongsan Ilchulbong in the morning	—
Cost	11,000 won ferry + bike hire	—

Ferry and fare: Udo ferry operator; trip length: Visit Jeju; checked 21 October 2026.

Skip Udo if the forecast is windy, if you only have a few hours for the whole east coast, or if you arrive at the port after about 14:00 in the cooler months. With the last boat back at 17:00 or 17:30, a late start leaves little time on the island.

Ferry times and fares

Two routes run to Udo. The main one is from Seongsan Port (성산항), near Seongsan Ilchulbong, to Haumokdong (하우목동항) or Cheonjin (천진항) port on Udo. A smaller route runs from Jongdal Port (종달항), a little further north, to Haumokdong only. The crossing takes about 10–15 minutes.

Seongsan ↔ Udo

Months	First from Seongsan	First from Udo	Last from Udo
January, February, November, December	08:00	07:30	17:00
March, October	08:00	07:30	17:30
April, September	08:00	07:30	18:00
May–August	08:00	07:00	18:30

Operator timetable, checked 21 October 2026. Boats leave every 30 minutes in both directions. The operator adds extra sailings at 10–30-minute intervals when it is busy, and the service stops in typhoons, gale warnings, fog and other bad weather. The provincial park page shows slightly later last departures from Seongsan but tells readers to follow the operator’s times. Plan on the last boat back, not the last one out.

Jongdal ↔ Udo (Haumokdong)

Season	From Jongdal	From Udo
October–March	09:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:30	10:30, 12:30, 14:30, 16:00
April–September	09:00, 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:30	09:30, 10:30, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30, 16:00

Operator timetable, checked 21 October 2026. The operator warns that tides, weather and harbour works can shorten the service or move it to a different port. The Seongsan route is the safer choice for a first visit.

Fares

Return ticket	Price	Of which, park fee
Adults	11,000 won	1,000 won
Middle and high school students	10,800 won	800 won
Primary school children	3,800 won	500 won
Ages 2–7	3,300 won	—

Operator fare table, checked 21 October 2026. You pay 6,000 won going out (5,000 won for the boat plus the 1,000 won park fee) and 5,000 won coming back. One-way tickets are sold too. Tickets are bought at the port on the day; there is no advance booking. Jeju residents don’t pay the park fee if they show ID. The park’s fee rules give free entry to Koreans aged 65 and over only, so foreign seniors pay the adult park fee.

Can you take a car to Udo?

Usually not. Jeju Province restricts vehicles from the main island on Udo, and on 30 July 2026 it extended the rule to 31 July 2029. It is the fifth extension since the ban began in August 2017. Rental cars and charter buses not registered on Udo are banned.

The exceptions, from Visit Jeju and the ferry operator:

• cars carrying a disabled passenger, someone aged 65 or over who can’t use public transport, a pregnant woman, a child under 6, or a temporary wheelchair user, plus their family
• rental cars of guests staying at least one night on Udo (bring the booking)
• electric and hydrogen rental cars (Class 1 low-emission), “where the conditions are met”, per Visit Jeju
• 16-seat charter buses

A car that breaks the rule is fined 100,000 won, the operator says. If your rental is electric, check with the ticket office before you queue for the car ferry. Car fares run from 23,800 won return for a compact to 41,000 won for a 15-seater.

Two-wheelers are restricted too. Since 19 March 2026, low-speed rental scooters (25 km/h or less), petrol rental mopeds, rental motorised bicycles and e-scooters have been banned, Korean press reported from the provincial notice. Electric rental two-wheelers stayed allowed. Visit Jeju says the rules depend on the vehicle type, top speed, power source and insurance, so ask before you hire anything at Seongsan.

Getting around the island

Without a car, you have three options:

• Bicycle or e-bike. Most visitors cycle or ride permitted electric vehicles round the island, Visit Jeju notes, and bikes are for hire on Udo. The coast road is about 17 km around.
• On foot. Walking the full loop takes 3–4 hours without stops, by Visit Jeju’s estimate. On foot, choose one side: the west coast from Haumokdong, or the Cheonjin–Udobong–Geommeolle side in the south-east.
• A tour from Jeju City. Day tours of the east coast often include Udo and handle the ferry for you (see the Jeju guide).

What to see on Udo

These are listed clockwise from the south-east.

• Udobong (우도봉). The grassy headland in the south-east, also called Soemeori Oreum (“cow’s head hill”), rises to 133 m. From the top you look back across the channel to Seongsan Ilchulbong. Udo Lighthouse stands on the summit.
• Geommeolle beach (검멀레). A small black-sand cove under the Udobong cliffs, with the Dongan-gyeonggul sea cave (동안경굴) beside it.
• Hagosudong beach (하고수동해수욕장). A wide white beach on the north-east coast, known for its broad sands and the colour of the water.
• Seobin Baeksa (서빈백사). The white beach on the west coast, near Haumokdong port. It was once called “coral beach”, but the pale grains are rhodoliths, nodules of red algae. The beach is protected as Natural Monument No. 438 (제주 우도 홍조단괴해빈), so leave the sand where it is.

The island is also known for its peanuts, which turn up in ice cream and snacks at cafés near the ports. Submarine and sightseeing boat trips run off the coast. Visit Jeju advises checking the operator’s schedule and the weather before you go.

Getting to the port

From	Bus	Get off at
Jeju International Airport	111	Seongsan Port (성산항, terminus)
Jeju Bus Terminal (Jeju City)	111, 211, 212	Seongsan Port
Seongsan Ilchulbong	Walk	The port is a short walk from the peak

Routes from the Jeju Bus Information System, checked 8 October 2026. A T-money card works on all island buses. If you drive, park at the port and cross on foot.

Tips

• Call before you go. The Seongsan terminal (064-782-5671) and the Udo terminal (064-783-0448) can confirm sailings on the day.
• Start early. Go to Udo in the morning and climb Seongsan Ilchulbong afterwards, or climb at sunrise and catch a ferry around 08:30. A morning crossing gives you the most time before the last boat.
• Check the wind. A calm forecast matters more than sunshine: wind can stop the boats while you are on the island.

Around Udo

Udo sits in Jeju’s east district. A full east-coast day can pair it with sunrise at Seongsan Ilchulbong, then head back west to the Manjanggul lava tube and the Bijarim forest. Seongsan’s guesthouses put the ferry on your doorstep (see where to stay on Jeju). For the island as a whole, see the Jeju region page and the 10-day Korea itinerary.