Jeju in Winter: Camellias, Tangerines and What to Skip

Ripe orange tangerines hanging on a tree in an orchard on Jeju Island

By YUNA, my pen name. I read the official pages, then tell you what I’d do.

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Last checked: November 2, 2026

For camellias and tangerines on the same winter trip, I’d stay in Seogwipo and spend a day in Namwon-eup. Four of the five camellia gardens I looked at are in that one district on the south coast. Visit Jeju, the island’s official tourism site, says yellow mandarins and red camellias bloom all over it in winter.

If you only buy one ticket, make it Hueree. It holds a camellia festival from November to January, and you can pick tangerines there until January or until the trees are bare. Winter on Jeju is milder than on the mainland, and the wind will shape your plans more than the cold.

Quick answer

  • 🗓️ Camellias: sasanqua from November, native camellias from late December
  • 📍 Base: Seogwipo, with four of the five gardens in Namwon-eup
  • 💰 Adult tickets: Hueree 13,000 won, Camellia Hill 12,000 won
  • ✅ Worth it if: you want camellias and tangerine picking on one trip

Top pick: Hueree ticket on KlookCamellia Hill ticket on Klook

When do camellias bloom on Jeju?

Pink camellia flowers blooming on a green-leaved branch on Jeju Island
Pink camellia flowers in bloom on Jeju Island.

There are two kinds, and your dates decide which one you’ll see. Sasanqua camellias bloom in November, and the native camellia follows from late December. A November trip shows you mostly the first kind. In January you can catch both.

Camellia Forest in Sinrye-ri, a grove of sasanqua trees, is open from November to the end of February and lists its peak as late December into January. With flexible dates, I’d aim for the first two weeks of January.

Seogwipo, the city that covers the south half of the island, is also warmer than other areas in winter, according to Visit Jeju. Hueree, Camellia Forest, the Wimi arboretum and Sinheung 2-ri are all in its Namwon-eup district, so one stay there covers four of the five gardens in this guide.

Hueree, Camellia Hill or Camellia Forest?

Hueree is my first pick because it puts a camellia festival and tangerine picking in one park. It’s open every day, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. from October to February, but last entry is 4:30, so I’d go in the morning. Adults pay 13,000 won. I’d ask at the ticket desk whether tangerine picking costs extra.

The park’s 2024-25 festival ran from December 5 to January 31. This winter’s dates weren’t posted when I checked, so you’ll want to look again before you plan a day around them.

Camellia Hill is the one garden here on the west side, in Andeok-myeon at the far end of Seogwipo. If you’re staying in Jungmun or the west, it is the easier trip for you. It’s open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from November to February, with tickets sold until 5:00.

Adults are listed at 12,000 won, up from 10,000 won at its 2025 festival, which started on December 12.

Honest take

For a first winter trip, I’d put Camellia Hill second. It costs almost the same as Hueree, I didn’t find tangerine picking listed for it, and it’s a separate trip from the other four gardens.

A single red camellia flower on a branch with dark green leaves in Seogwipo
A red camellia flower on a branch in Seogwipo, Jeju.

Camellia Forest, back in Namwon, has no ticket price on its official listing, so check at the gate. The Jeju Camellia Arboretum in Wimi-ri is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and does not close in winter. Its listed adult price, 8,000 won, dates from December 2022.

Sinheung 2-ri Camellia Village is different again: a village with native camellia trees over 300 years old and a camellia soap-making program. No general entry fee is listed.

Yuna’s pick

One day, flowers and fruit: Hueree, in the morning.

Staying in Jungmun or the west: Camellia Hill.

Coming in January for the peak: Camellia Forest, then the Wimi arboretum.

Hueree ticket on KlookCamellia Hill ticket on Klook

Where can you pick tangerines?

A tangerine orchard with fruit-laden trees along Jeju Olle Trail Route 7 near Seogwipo
A tangerine orchard on Jeju Olle Route 7 near Seogwipo. Photo: Jeju Olle Foundation, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

These are the three places I found with official listings:

  • Hueree, in Namwon: from October until January, or until the fruit runs out.
  • Citrus Museum, in Seogwipo: from October 27, 5,000 won per person, until the fruit runs out (expected around December 23).
  • Baryeong Tangerine Garden, in Jocheon on the north-east side: ripe fruit from late October to January, open until 4 p.m., and closed on Wednesdays.

The Citrus Museum is the easiest one to plan, because it publishes its price and hours. Your 5,000 won gets you a 1 kg bag to fill and take home. Picking runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 to 5:00, with the last entry at 11:30 and 4:30. It stops in rain or strong wind.

Baryeong’s listing has no price, so you’ll need to ask when you arrive. If you’re already at Hueree for the camellias, I’d pick there and save yourself a second stop.

Can you get around without a car?

I couldn’t find an official bus route to Camellia Hill or Hueree. Their tourism listings only have a map button, and the route numbers on blogs and tour sites contradicted each other.

I’d look up your route on a map app the night before and keep each day to one side of the island. You’ll spend far less time on buses doing Namwon one day and the west the next than you would crossing the island twice.

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What should you skip in winter?

I’d skip the Jongdal boat to Udo. In winter only four boats a day leave Jongdal, and the last one back from Udo goes at 4:00 in the afternoon, an hour before the last boat to Seongsan. Take the Seongsan boat instead: it leaves every 30 minutes from 8 a.m., and the last boat back from Udo is at 5:00.

A small boat out on the sea off Udo island under a cloudy sky
A boat on the water off Udo island, east of Jeju.

The timetable doesn’t say when boats stop for wind. The official advice is to ask the ferry company or the Jeju Tourist Information Center, on 064-740-6000. I’d call before you leave Seogwipo rather than find out at the port.

From the Seongsan side you can pair Udo with Seongsan Ilchulbong. The climb to the top usually takes 30 to 40 minutes, so I’d do the peak first and the boat after.

⚠️ Heads-up

Seongsan Ilchulbong closes on the first Monday of every month, or on the Tuesday after if that Monday is a public holiday. In winter it’s open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and ticket sales end at 5:00.

On a snow day, skip the 1100 Road. It climbs the side of Hallasan, and Visit Jeju says the island’s snow is mainly seen near the top of the mountain.

You can spend that day on the coast instead. If you’ve rented a car, check the Jeju police’s road closure page, in Korean, before you set off, and look at the update time on it.

Snow-covered Hallasan mountain seen in the distance from Seogwipo on Jeju's south side
Snow on Hallasan, seen from Seogwipo on the south side of Jeju.

Climbing Hallasan to the summit takes planning. Its two summit trails, Seongpanak and Gwaneumsa, need a reservation, so book before your trip and then check the winter cutoff times for your trail.

If you’d like to walk in the snow without a booking, the Eorimok trail doesn’t need a reservation, and it’s 4.7 km up to Witse Oreum, below the summit. Hallasan’s page puts that at about two hours one way. That morning, check that the road and the trail are both open and the latest time you can start up, and then go early.

FAQ

Is Jeju too cold in winter?

Not by mainland standards. Visit Jeju says temperatures rarely drop below 0°C on the island. The coastal wind makes it feel colder, so I’d pack a windproof layer.

Is anything on in Jeju on New Year’s Day?

Visit Jeju listed the last Seogwipo winter sea penguin swim on January 1, 2026, at Jungmun Saekdal Beach. The 2027 date isn’t out yet, so check before you plan around it.

Can I still see camellias in February?

Yes. Camellia Forest stays open to the end of February, and the Jeju Camellia Arboretum doesn’t close in winter. The peak is earlier, though, so expect fewer flowers.

Before you go, check two things: this winter’s festival dates and the Udo boat times. If a price or opening hour has changed when you arrive, please tell me on the Contact page.

Hwaiting!

Yuna

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Sources and last check

How I put this guide together: from Visit Jeju, the Jeju Tourism Organization’s official site, the Jeju Provincial Government’s Udo ferry timetable, Hallasan’s reservation site and the Jeju police road closure page, checked on November 1 and 2, 2026. Which garden to pick is my own read. More on how I research every guide is on the About page.

Last checked: November 2, 2026. Prices, hours and festival dates change, so please confirm before you go. This is an independent guide, not affiliated with the Jeju Tourism Organization.

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Hi, I'm Yuna. I read the Korean-only fine print so your trip doesn't have to start with a puzzle, and then I tell you what I'd pick.

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