Odongdo (오동도)

This is the only article that might win me an award for brevity! But here’s why: we spent a grand total of perhaps 20 minutes here. Not because it’s not beautiful – it is! – but Odongdo (오동도) is tiny! Like itty-bitty small. But it’s cute and a worthy destination on your exploration of Hallyeohaesang National Park (한려해상국립공원).

A selfie featuring three Standers rather than the usual two! From left to right, they are: Kent, Carrie, and Megan - Kent's younger sister. The trio are standing in front of a rocky cliff on the edge of Odongdo. A cave cuts an opening into the rocks, but the inside is only black. — And…so are we?

It’s not every day that your favorite sister-in-law comes to visit. When she does, it’s time to go exploring together!

In 2016, we were living in Suncheon in the far south of Korea. Megan was going to be spending one week with us, and we wanted to fill it full of fun. We had some adventures planned with friends in Seoul for later in the week, but a midweek holiday meant we had a chance for a spontaneous, local adventure.

A photograph of Kent and Megan in Suncheon Bay Gardens. Kent's wearing a blue UCLA t-shirt and bright green sunglasses. Megan's pink hair is blowing in the breeze, and she's wearing a white t-shirt and dark sunglasses. — Siblings in Suncheon!

We’d already toured Suncheon together, so we based on our friends’ recommendation, we settled on Yeosu. We’d never been there, but we’d heard great things about the railbikes and the little offshore island Odongdo.

A photograph of what it looks like to do this thing known as railbiking in Korea. There are two parallel sets of train tracks running towards a dark, horseshoe shaped tunnel at the foot of a green mountain. A bright yellow railing lines one side of the tracks, and the grassy slopes of the mountain are on the other. There is a street light just before the entrance of the tunnel. — Railbiking!

We spent Children’s Day acting like children ourselves, enjoying a hilarious ride on one of Korea’s classic railbikes: four-seater bike cars that you can pedal along abandoned railway tracks.

A rare selfie taken by the author, also featuring her husband and sister-in-law! The three Standers are riding a railbike in Yeosu, and it looks like they are having fun! All three have crazy, windswept hair and are grinning into the camera. A transparent blue roof arcs over the top of their railbike, ostensibly protecting them from the elements. The railroad tracks stretch away behind them towards some green mountains.

Then we wandered over to Odongdo! As promised, there were pretty caves, a large lighthouse and pretty sea views. We had a great walk about, and shortly after that we went home for dinner.

A landscape image featuring Odongdo in all its glory. This tiny island, separated from the mainland by only a few meters of sea, is nonetheless a tourist destination. Its topped by green forest, but sheer rocky cliffs separate it from the sea below. In this photo, Odongdo is on the left, and we can see a little of the pier that connects it to the mainland. A speedboat is approaching on the right side of the frame. — It’s Odongdo!

One final selfie of the Stander trio, with the author in the middle of the siblings. Kent's wearing his sunglasses, but both Megan and Carrie have theirs on top of their heads. Carrie has her arms around both, and the background is an expanse of steely blue sea between Odongdo and the mainland.

Know and Go! Odongdo

Transportation

From Yeosu, you can walk (or take a shuttle bus, apparently!) along a narrow concrete pier to Odongdo. This tiny island is just west of the train station and main pier.

And Yeosu is a cinch to get to! It has high-speed rail, and plenty of bus connections to other parts of the country.

Hike & Run

You won’t need long to explore Odongdo! Regrettably, I did not turn on my GPS watch for this hike, so I can’t give you exact figures for distances. However, I can tell you that we spent less than 30 minutes on the island in total, about 20 of those were in motion at a leisurely walk.

This island is a famous place to go on a date, but I think it would also make a great turnaround point for a longer, seaside run too!

Stay & Eat

Not possible. There are no accommodations or restaurants of any kind on this small island! Cheap street snacks can be had from vendors along the pier however, and there’s a large hotel on the mainland. However, if for any reason you’re staying the night here, downtown Yeosu should have you covered.

But…Odongdo makes the world’s quickest daytrip, too!

Other Notes

I visited this park with Kent and his sister Megan in May 2016! We simply intended to do a little exploration around Yeosu, based on the recommendation of some friends. We discovered Odongdo completely by accident. In fact, it was only after we left that I realized that this little island is actually part of Hallyeohaesang National Park!

There’s no main peak here. There’s a lighthouse and a fountain; some nice flowers and great sea views, and that’s about it. You can read more about this petite island here.

If you’re in Yeosu, this is a lovely place to visit! But make no mistake, this is not really a hiking destination.

For more serious hikes, head back to the Hallyeohaesang National Park main page.