Oedo: Botanical Paradise in the Land of the Morning Calm
Written and photographed by Lea Moreau
With spring coming, everyone needs to enjoy the sunshine and have some relaxation time! It’s a certainty that you’ll want to admire Korea’s beautiful landscape, enjoy the coming cherry blossoms, or picnic in a nearby park.
Most people know Jeju-do to be the holiday destination when the time comes to relax, eat delicious seafood, sunbathe on the beach, or simply enjoy an amazing sea view. But do you know about Geoje-do (거제도), Korea’s second largest island? Geoje-do is actually located only an hour away from Busan, and offers breathtaking scenery. However, I’ll save Geoje-do for another article. Today, I’ll introduce you to its small neighboring island, Oedo!
Oedo (외도) is a paradise island. When you see pictures of this iconic destination, Hawaii or Monaco may come to mind before Korea does. I’ve traveled a lot, but I can definitely say that this island has a different vibe and offers scenery I’ve never encountered before in “The Land of the Morning Calm.”
Also called Oedo-Botania, the island has been transformed through the years into an amazing botanical garden. Located in Hallyeo Marine National Park, I can proudly say that it’s delightful to enjoy the beautiful views of the crystal-blue South Sea while exploring this gem of nature. Here, the water is so clear and unpolluted that you’ll discover a beauty of Korea you’d never have imagined.
Oedo has the particularity of having more than 3,000 different kinds of trees and Mediterranean-style buildings that stand upon the sea. It’s also a place where you’ll be able to find more than 740 pieces of rare subtropical plants like cactus. The island offers the perfect combination of an exotic atmosphere along the sea with iconic landscapes.
Oedo has been nominated as one of the best tourist destinations to visit in the province of Gyeongsangnam-do by the Korea Tourism Organization. Also, if you’re a TV drama addict like me, you’ll be happy to know that one of the most famous Korean dramas, Winter Sonata, was filmed here, making this place very famous among Korean tourists and visitors from around the world, especially the Japanese. The best time to visit is in spring as in April the island is covered with thousands of flowers and the weather is perfect for taking a walk.
Now, let’s check out how to get there. From Geoje-do, you will have to go to Gujora Port and grab a ticket to Oedo-Botania (외도 – 보타니아). When doing so, you actually have two options. First, if you’re short on time, I recommend that you buy a ticket exclusively for Oedo. Alternatively, assuming you have more time, I really recommend that you choose the combo ticket that allows you to visit Oedo with an additional visit to Geoje Haegeumgang. Geoje Haegeumgang consists of two adjacent islands with rocky and sharp cliffs, revealing beautiful views and the hidden “Cross Cave” – a cave that has a mysterious shape visible at low tide. Your boat will go inside the cave, and it’s a real adventure in itself!
Before you explore the island, I’d like to share its incredible story with you. In 1969, Lee Chang-ho came to the island by accident to escape from a typhoon while he was fishing. At that time, he was charmed by the island and fell in love with it immediately. Together with his wife, Lee decided to buy the island and then started to create a botanical garden. It took over 30 years to create the garden as it exists today. From an uninhabited island, they transformed it into an amazing garden, a paradise on Earth! This was only possible with Lee’s and his wife’s hard work, determination, botanical books, crazy ideas, and personal funds. Even after Lee’s death, his wife continued to take care of the garden and decided to transform the island into a tourist attraction in order to preserve her husband’s hard work.
When I visited the island this past winter, I was lucky because my boss knew the head manager. So, my sister and I were able to get a private boat ride for free. We left in the early morning in order to arrive before the other tourists. From 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., we were able to stroll around the beautiful garden and take plenty of pictures, as it was the perfect location! I wore my hanbok and both of us struck our best poses in the middle of this enchanting paradise.
Here are my best travel tips:
- Come during the off-season or on the first boat in the morning. This is entirely worth it! With fewer tourists, you can enjoy to the fullest the beauty of the island and take your best camera shots!
- Know that there is no restaurant on the island, so be prepared and bring your lunch with you before going aboard.
- The best photo zone is located near Venus Garden, where you will find multiple statues displayed. This area is reminiscent of the landscapes one might see while visiting the ruins of Ancient Greece.
- You should also grab a cup of yuja-cha (citron tea) or coffee that you can find in the small coffee shop at the top of the island.
- Boat trips usually offer a one-hour-and-30-minute trip to Oedo, which I found to be too short to enjoy the whole island. If I were to visit again, I’d love to have the choice of staying on the island for three to four hours.
In a nutshell, I’d definitely say that Oedo is the pearl of Hallyeo Maritime National Park as it’s such a unique place in Korea. Don’t miss the chance to go and explore this beautiful and historical island that’s off the beaten track. You won’t regret it!
You can follow Lea on Facebook and YouTube at Leadventure. For more information about Jeolla travel, check out Lea’s other channel at Jeolla Go.
THE AUTHOR
Lea is a French travel specialist currently based in Geoje-do. She has traveled to 27 countries so far, and has also created her own YouTube channel in order to share her passion for travel and tourism, and to give useful tips and advice along the way. She won second place in the Jeollabuk-do Travel Video Contest and was recognized as an official tour trainer by the Seoul Tourism Organization. Her dream is to help promote tourism in Korea and abroad, and maybe even have her own travel show on TV.