Manjanggul Lava Tube - Jeju Island, South Korea

Jeju island, my favorite destination in South Korea, is a volcanic island. From Gimhae  airport in Busan, it takes less than 30 minutes to Jeju by flight. There many flights to Jeju from all over Korea, Japan and China. Hard working Koreans often visit Jeju to relax and get lost in nature.  The airport is located in Jeju city. There are are numerous rental car companies, and it is quite easy to drive around the island. It is a beautiful destination that one cannot miss in a lifetime.

Jeju International Airport

Due to its volcanic history,  Jeju has numerous natural caves. The Manjang and Gimnyeong caves are on the east side of the island. There are other caves on the western side that include Hyeopjae and Ssangyong. There are many subterranean caves, although they are closed to the public.

My first trip to Jeju was in September 2018, and Manjanggul cave was my first destination, as it was not that far from where I was staying in Jeju City. Manjanggul is the largest known lava cave in the world. It measures more than 10 meters in width and height (where open to the public), and more than 10 kms in total length. The cave was created when Mt. Hallasan erupted about 300,000 years ago. Lava flowed from the crater to the ocean, creating lava tubes and caves along the way. Three entrances to the cave developed due to the collapse of the ceiling, with the second entrance being the one used by visitors, and this passage is limited to one kilometer.

There is a delicate stone turtle sculpture that resembles jeju island in this underground world. This lava raft is a remnant of rock rubble that was carried down by lava flow, eventually to become frozen on the floor when solidified.  Stalactites suspended from the ceiling and lava wings on the sides add to the passage's mysterious ambience.

Turtle Shaped Lava Raft

A lava column forms when lava pours down from the ceiling to the floor and congeals. Lava columns are found in many lava tubes around the world. However, the 7.6 m-high lava column in Manjanggul Lava tube is the largest lava column in the world. The lava poured down from the ceiling spread across the floor of the lower passage and created well developed lava toes.

Lava Column - Manjanggul Lava Tube

"There is a certain melancholy about the island. We don't know where it comes from, but the feeling holds you. Perhaps it's the wind, and the grayish green tint that impregnates everything, the rocks, the tree trunks, the springs and even the sea. In Jeju, that feeling is even stronger than usual. You're at the edge of the world, as they say. At the door between the infiniteness of the Pacific Ocean and the vastness of the most extensive and populous continent on the planet. A door or a mural." -J.M.G. Le Clezio, Nobel Laureate in Literature.