Somaemuldo

After spending Friday night in Jinju for the Lantern Festival, we decided to head to Somaemuldo for the day.

Somaemuldo is an island off Korea’s southern coast in Hallyeo Haesang National Park. It takes about an hour to get there by boat from Tongyeong (a small port city on the southern coast). Tongyeong was only an hour bus ride from Jinju. Once we arrived, we headed to the port, explored a small fish market, and purchased our boat tickets.

The boat ride to Somaemuldo was beautiful as we passed many small islands. Somaemuldo itself was even more impressive. The island is small, has beautiful scenery, a small village, and a lighthouse that was built by the Japanese during their occupation of Korea.

We decided to take the longer trail toward the lighthouse, along the ocean. The views from the trail were amazing. The lighthouse is actually on a separate, smaller island. You can only walk to the smaller island twice a day, during low tide (when the path isn't covered with water).

The island reminded me a lot of Hongdo, but it definitely had its own character and appeal, both deserve a visit.

The boat ride to Somaemuldo.

Around Somaemuldo.

The sunset during the boat ride back to Tongyeong.