A beautiful country slightly smaller than the state of Kentucky (!), South Korea boasts a world-class National Parks system consisting of 16 mountainous parks, 4 maritime parks and one historical park. Roughly 70% of this awe-inspiring country is covered in mountains. No, they aren’t the Himalayas, but they’re rather grand all the same.

This is my long-winded way of saying that I absolutely adore Korea.

This being said, I was underwhelmed by my experience on Jeju Island. There were destinations on the island that were certainly stunning, but was it more impressive than the mainland? No, not in my humble opinion.

Jeju Island gets all the credit for being the “Hawaii of Korea.” Themed museums galore, gimmicky treats and souvenirs a-plenty and overpriced goodies around every corner, Jeju Island  just didn’t fill my heart with the same warmth and adoration that smaller, home-grown islands seem to do over and over. I was glad to have finally experienced the island I’ve heard so much about over the years, but would I go back again? Returning to Jeju Island wouldn’t make it anywhere near the top of my ever-evolving Korea bucket list.