Hallim Park

The ground here was bare lava sand when one man, Song Bong-gyu, began buying it in 1971 and hauling in soil to plant. Fifty years on it is a mature garden of about a hundred thousand square metres: an avenue of Washington palms that is the signature image, subtropical botanical gardens, a bonsai garden, a water garden, a folk village of relocated Jeju thatched houses, and beds of camellia and other flowers that carry the winter season when much of Jeju has little colour. Running beneath the park are Hyeopjaegul and Ssangyonggul, two lava tube caves formed by the Hallasan eruptions and unusual in that limestone formations have grown inside them from shell sand blown in from the coast - a combination of volcanic and calcareous features that is rare anywhere. Both are walkable within the ticket. Hyeopjae beach is a short distance away.

The main sights

• The palm avenue - the Washington palms the park is known for.
• Hyeopjaegul and Ssangyonggul - lava tubes with limestone growth inside.
• The winter camellias - colour in the months when Jeju has little.
• The folk village - relocated Jeju thatched houses in the grounds.

When to go

November to March for the camellias, April to June for the gardens generally. It is large and open - summer midday is hot. Rarely uncomfortably crowded.

Things to know

Ticketed and not cheap. It is a made garden, not natural Jeju landscape. The caves are short and low in places. Coach groups pass through in waves.

Nearby

Hyeopjae beach and Geumneung beach are close; the Jeju west coast road runs past.

Key facts