Oedo Island: How To Get There From Geoje & What To See
There are some pretty amazing islands to visit around Korea like Nami Island and Ulleung-do Island and Oedo Botanica is another one of them. Oedo Island is the first island in Korea to be owned and developed privately and is a marine botanical garden that is a part of the Hallyeo Maritime National Park. The island is only accessible from nearby Geoje Island which sits off the coast of Busan.
If you want to take an adventure in Korea, this is a good place to shoot for. The entire island is a stunning example of labor and creativity with manicured gardens, flowers everywhere and some gaudy sculptures too.
Plan your trip to Oedo Island:
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How To Get To Oedo Island
Address: 109 Wahyeon-ri Irun-myeon Geoje-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea (경상남도 거제시 일운면 와현리 산109)
Directions: From Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal, you can take an intercity bus bound for Geoje via Jangseungpo.
Get off at Jangseungpo Terminal. It’ll take approximately 5 hours and 30 minutes. Take a taxi or a local bus to the ferry dock.
The ferry leaves at regular intervals and the ferry costs about W17,000 which includes your ticket to the island. The same boat from Jangseungpo Port that takes travelers around Haegeumgang, the Sea Diamond of Korea, goes even further to Oedo (외도 보타니아) to allow visitors to disembark and meander around the thousands of plants that have been cultivated there before returning back to port.
Join A Tour From Busan: There is a day tour that leaves from Busan which will take you to Oedo Island and Windy Hill. You can book this tour on Klook, book this tour on kkday, or book this tour on Viator.
Basic Info You Should Know
Admission: Adults: W11,000*; Students: W8,000*; Children (13-18): W5,000; Children under 2: FREE
Tickets for this garden allow visitors to meander for about an hour and a half before they should depart. Times are kept in order to provide everyone with the most idyllic atmosphere available to enjoy and peruse the numerous flora and fauna.
*Geoje Island residents may receive a discount
Hours: Winter Season: 8:30am ~ 5:00pm: Summer Season: 8:00am ~ 7:00pm
Closed Seollal and the day before Seollal*
No strollers available for rent and no pets allowed.*
Website: http://www.oedobotania.com/
History Of Oedo Island
It all began back in 1963 with Changho Lee and Hosook Choi, a couple that tried unsuccessfully to grow orchards of tangerines and then breed pigs on the island before deciding to grow rare plants there in 1976. With a little luck and perspiration their endeavor paid off and they opened the island to tourists for a small fee in order to maintain the land. The land has been maintained spectacularly and I’d say the fees are going towards doing that job successfully.
What You’ll Find
A path from the dock winds visitors through the 3,000 different species of plants, some from Korea, and some from more subtropical climates. The path not only provides views of beautiful flowers but there also statues scattered throughout, a pavilion that looks Greek and a small school house that doesn’t cater to students anymore.
Places of interest include the Cactus Garden, the Venus Garden, the Flower Garden, and the Stairway to Heaven. There is a cafe at the top for visitors to take a rest in and enjoy panoramic views before heading back down to the port for the 20 minute ride back to the mainland. The whole walk takes about an hour and a half.
This island has been popular for some time with Korean locals, but started to gain in popularity with international visitors after being showcased in the Korean drama Winter Sonata. The lovers, Min Hyeong and Yu Jin, in the drama are reunited in the final scene in front of the house on the paradise-like island.
The son of the couple that cultivated the land told us that there’s an island just a stones throw away that they are currently trying to prepare to connect to Oedo via bridge for even more beautiful scenery in the park. It probably won’t be soon, but when it’s finished, it’d be worth a second trip for those tourists that have already been.
To walk on an island that is entirely a botanical garden, a botanical garden unto itself, is really something special. It has been kept in a beautiful paradise state of being and taking the boat to get there adds to the adventure of it all.
This was definitely a great trip out to see from Geoje Island. Combined with Haegeumgang, the Sea Diamond of Korea, the adventure out to see from the southern coast was gorgeous and fun. Trips to the islands off the coast of Korea like this and Ulleungdo, another stunning adventure, remind me that there is just so so much to see and discover here even after living here for so long.
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