Halla Arboretum and Gwang-i Oreum

Jeju's Halla Arboretum is a free tourist attraction with no admission fee, but parking fees apply when leaving the parking lot. The parking fees are based on a two-hour minimum: 500 KRW for compact cars, 1,000 KRW for passenger cars, and 1,000–4,000 KRW for vans and trucks. Card payments are also accepted. During an autumn visit to Jeju's Halla Arboretum, you can explore over twenty different areas within the park. Notable spots include the greenhouse, bamboo garden, flower garden, tree garden, medicinal plant garden, orchid exhibition hall, herbaceous plant garden, aquatic plant garden, arboretum, rare and endemic species garden, wildflower garden, tree garden, and shrub garden. Additionally, there are open spaces like the lawn plaza, pond, forest bathing area, and a path leading to Gwang-i Oreum. The arboretum is also home to wild deer, and on this particular day, I encountered a deer on the way to Gwang-i Oreum. Despite having visited the arboretum multiple times as a Jeju resident, it was my first time seeing a deer, which was quite fascinating. To reach Gwang-i Oreum from Halla Arboretum, follow the path past the tree garden and fern garden, and you'll come across a large pond. The entrance to the forest bathing area leading to Gwang-i Oreum features a detailed information board displaying walking distances, calorie consumption based on weight, calorie expenditure for different exercises, and comparisons of food calorie content. Gwang-i Oreum is approximately 1.5 km from the entrance to the summit, which takes about 10 minutes to climb. Compared to other oreums in Jeju, it has fewer stairs, making it accessible for everyone. From the summit of Gwang-i Oreum, you can observe Hallasan Mountain to the south. Although the weather was cloudy on this day, obscuring a clear view, the mystical atmosphere was more than enough to enjoy.