Cheonjiyeon Waterfall

Cheonjiyeon Waterfall, South Korea

Cheonjiyeon Waterfall plunging into its volcanic pool surrounded by lush greenery during golden hour.

Cheonjiyeon is a short, lush walk to a 22 m fall that is especially worth seeing when the night lights come on.

The place

Cheonjiyeon Waterfall (천지연폭포) sits in Seogwipo on the south coast of Jeju Island, South Korea. The fall drops about 22 m and is roughly 12 m wide. Those figures are modest for a waterfall, but the fall makes a strong impression in a narrow, green valley. Its name joins the Chinese characters for sky (cheon) and land (ji), and the spot is often described as a meeting point between the two. Water always drops over the same lip, but after heavy rain it spreads across the rock face, so the fall can look quite different from one visit to the next.

At the foot of the cascade, an artificial pond about 20 m deep is held at a steady level by two small dams. Trachyte andesite, a volcanic rock, shapes the banks and forms the rocky ledges that visitors use for photographs in front of the water. The water comes from a spring rising through the bed of the Somban Stream, which helps keep the flow going through drier spells.

Jeju counts Cheonjiyeon as one of its three famous waterfalls. The walk in is a landscaped path through subtropical planting, and the pond is home to marbled eels that come out mainly after dark. The park gets busy with tour groups through the day, so an early start makes the valley much more pleasant.

Its story

The story of Cheonjiyeon is partly a story of water coming up out of the ground. The fall is fed by a spring that rises from the bed of the Somban Stream, so the water that tumbles over the rock has, in a sense, started below the valley floor. The trachyte andesite that shapes the cliffs gives the valley its character, and the falling water has worn a pool into the rock below. The artificial pond at the base is held by two small dams, so the water level stays steady for people walking around its edge.

The name gives a way of reading the place. Cheon means sky and ji means land, and the valley is treated as the spot where the two meet. Visitors still come here to pause, and that sense survives in the paths, the viewing points and the way the valley narrows around the water.

The park's living story is in its plants and animals. The path passes through a subtropical garden, and the pond is a habitat for the marbled eel, known in Korea as the Mutae eel and protected as a Natural Monument. It is mainly active at night, which is one reason the illuminated evening visit is worth considering. Near the start of the trail you will see a traditional Korean raft called a teu, and a bridge just before the falls lets you look down on a range of koi. These small details suggest the park is best approached slowly, not simply as a backdrop for photographs.

What to see

Culture

Cheonjiyeon is a public park as well as a waterfall, and on a typical day it is busy with local families, tour groups and couples on short trips. The walk is landscaped and shared, so keep to the marked trail, step aside for people coming the other way, and leave the planted banks alone. The falls are easy to photograph from the viewing points, but ask before taking pictures of people who are not in your group, especially children and older visitors. The pond at the base is home to marbled eels that come out mainly after dark, so the evening walk calls for low voices and no lights shone into the water. Keep your voice down near the pond after dark and take all your rubbish home with you.

What to wear

Traditional dress in Korea is the hanbok: for women a fitted jacket (jeogori) worn over a high-waisted skirt (chima), and for men a jacket with loose trousers (baji). Hanbok are usually cut from silk or ramie and are often bright in colour for celebrations. They are worn at festivals, weddings and some palace visits, and rented outfits for a day out are common in historic districts. Most people in Seogwipo wear everyday clothes now, such as jeans, trainers, sun hats and light jackets, and the hanbok is a special-occasion choice rather than daily wear. For a visit to Cheonjiyeon, dress in layers that dry quickly, because spray from the falls and damp steps are common. Choose shoes with real grip, since the rocks and paths are wet near the base, and carry a light waterproof for showers. In summer, a sun hat and breathable fabrics help; in cooler months a fleece layer does the job. Modest, comfortable clothing suits the natural park well, and no formal dress is required at the falls.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. Spring (April and May) and autumn (September and October) are the most comfortable for the walk and the spray. Summer is hot and humid, and wet weather can make the rocks slippery at any time of year, since the flow changes with recent rain.

How long. 1–2

Getting there. Fly into Jeju International Airport, then take the Airport Limousine bus (route 600) to Seogwipo, about an hour and twenty minutes. From Jeju city, bus 100 goes to the bus terminal, and buses to Seogwipo leave from there about every 10 minutes. Check the official site for current timetables.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources