A Brief Review of HanaTour of Jeju

In the background is the faint outline of Hallasan,
the main volcano of Jeju.

The tour with HanaTour wasn’t quite what I had in mind when I thought of visiting Jeju. I would prefer more of visiting the natural/environmental attractions (e.g. Sunrise Peak, the Olle trail, etc.), and left to my own devices, I’d skip the circuses, glass museum, and horseback riding (which all screamed “tourist trap”). But in the end, it wasn’t a bad tour; the guide was talkative and nice, the whole trip was well-organized, and we managed to pack a lot of stuff into just two and a half days (arguably too much stuff, as I often just wanted a break in the middle of the day). The real problem, I think, was just that I clearly was not the intended customer: a Korean who wants to get away from the mainland for a couple of days and do some fun stuff he or she normally doesn’t get to do, besides just hiking around in the fresh air. For those who don’t fit this description, like me, there are undoubtedly more suitable tour packages out there. As a final note on my experience, I don’t think that Jeju Island itself is overrated at all. The tourism industry is front and center in Jeju for a reason: there are truly some spectacular works of nature here, and the historical culture is likewise unique.