Jeju adventure - lava cave and a nutmeg forest

The Manjanggul Cave is one of the finest lava tunnels in the world. The cave is a designated national monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

A lava tunnel is formed when the lava spouts from deep in the ground and flows to the surface.

Manjanggul Cave has a variety of stalagmites and lava tube tunnels.

Only 1 km of the 13 km cave is open to the public

Then off to the Nutmeg forest

Bija-rim forest contains some 2,500 Torreya cunifera (nutmeg tree) aged 300-600 years old. 

Several rare parasitic plants grow within the trees. The fruits of the trees are used for medicinal purposes and for food. The wood is used in furniture. 

The New Millennium Nutmeg (shown here) is over 800 years old and is the oldest one in Korea – local residents wish the spiritual power of this tree to bring happiness, prosperity and health in the next Millennium. 

These stone grandfathers, wearing a traditional bowler hat and made of basalt, are called dol-hareubang. They are one of the famous symbols of Jeju.  Each dol-hareubang has a unique shape which is based on the administrative district from whence it came. The big-eyed dol-hareubang, which is commonly known and sold to tourists, is modelled on the one from Jeju-mok.

The common held views on the functions of the dol-hareubang are:

- to act as a guardian for health and prosperity of the community inside the castle.

- to provide a key religious function and prevent epidemics – it was thought that those that died of starvation or epidemics became evil spirits that would harm those who survived. To ward off these evil spirits people were ordered to put up dol-hareubangs outside the castle to protect the village

- to serve as a signpost designating the boundaries of a village so that those from out of town would not dare to pass the dol-hareubang to enter the castle.