Bijarim Forest Jeju: Tickets, Tips & Why It's Even Better in the Rain
I walked through Bijarim Forest on a drizzly day. The forest felt deeper and quieter than usual — the greens were more vivid, the air smelled of damp earth and leaves, and in the height of summer, there was a scent I didn't expect at all. Here's why a rainy day at Bijarim might actually be the better visit.
Jeju has no shortage of beautiful forests — Saryeoni Forest Road, Jeolmul Natural Recreation Forest, Gyorae Natural Recreation Forest. But the one I keep coming back to is Bijarim. Located in Pyeongdae-ri, Gujwa-eup, it's home to around 10,000 bija trees (Japanese nutmeg-yew), many of them hundreds of years old. The entire grove is a designated Natural Monument — one of the largest bija tree forests in Korea.
It's beautiful on a clear day. But on the drizzly morning I visited, the forest felt different — deeper, quieter, more itself.
Admission & Hours — What to Know Before You Go
| 📍 Address | 55 Bijasup-gil, Gujwa-eup, Jeju City |
| 🕖 Hours | 09:00 – 17:00 (last entry 16:00) |
| 💰 Admission | Adults ₩3,000 / Youth & Children ₩1,500 Groups (10+): Adults ₩2,500 / Youth & Children ₩1,000 |
| 🚗 Parking | Free (large car park on site) |
Free Forest Guide Program — Worth Timing Your Visit For
Bijarim offers a free guided forest walk, departing up to 19 times a day between 9:10 AM and 2:30 PM. Walking with a guide brings the trees to life in a way that's easy to miss on your own.
One important note for international visitors: the guided tours are currently conducted in Korean only. I actually asked about this when I visited, and unfortunately English-language tours are not available at this time. That said, it's still a lovely way to walk the forest at a slower pace even if you don't follow every word.
Rain-Soaked Greens — A Different Forest Entirely
The first thing that struck me stepping into the forest was the colour. Bijarim is always green, but in the rain the leaves looked as if they'd just been washed — vivid and almost luminous. Add the soft sound of drizzle on the canopy, the smell of wet earth, and the unusually still air, and the whole atmosphere felt more concentrated than usual.
The bija tree (Japanese nutmeg-yew) is a rare evergreen conifer found mainly in Jeju and a few parts of southern Korea. Historically the seeds were pressed for oil and used as a remedy against intestinal parasites, and the timber was prized as one of the finest materials for Go boards. In Jeju dialect the tree is called bijang or bijojang. The needles are flat and sharp-tipped — a little prickly to touch — but the scent they release is distinctly fresh and cool.
A walk through Bijarim — what the forest actually looks and sounds like
My Favourite Tree — No Sign, No Name
Most visitors come for the Millennium Bija Tree or the Yeonriji — and those are worth seeing. But there's one tree I always stop at first, before I reach either of them. It has no plaque, no marker, nothing to indicate it's special. And yet standing in front of it, you feel the full weight of the forest's time. Its branches spread wide in every direction, as if it's quietly holding everything together. In the rain it looked even more still and certain of itself.
The Millennium Bija Tree & Yeonriji — The Forest's Famous Two
From the main signpost inside the forest, both landmarks are 310 metres to the left. The Millennium Bija Tree comes first; keep walking and the Yeonriji follows shortly after.
Before you head that way, one thing worth knowing: a toxic plant called Arisaema grows in the shaded areas of the forest floor. It has large, glossy leaves and looks unremarkable, but it's highly poisonous — do not touch it, and definitely don't eat it. If you're visiting with children, point it out to them in advance.
The Millennium Bija Tree
Even in the rain, people stop for photos here |
The stone plaque marking the Millennium Bija Tree |
The Millennium Bija Tree was officially designated on January 1, 2000, to mark the new millennium. Born in 1189 AD during the Goryeo Dynasty, it's over 835 years old. It stands 14 metres tall with a trunk so wide it takes four people with arms outstretched to encircle it. The largest single tree in the entire forest — standing next to it, the scale is genuinely humbling.
The Yeonriji — Love Tree
Yeonriji (연리지) refers to two trees whose trunks or branches have grown together and fused into one. Long considered a symbol of love and fate in Korean culture, Bijarim's version is particularly dramatic — the two trunks are joined from the very base, rising as one. Couples tend to linger here the longest.
A Scent Only Summer Can Bring
One of the things I love most about Bijarim is the smell. The air inside the forest always feels different — cool, clean, layered with earth and wood. But in summer, there's something else entirely.
The first time I noticed it, I genuinely thought someone nearby was wearing an expensive perfume. It was that distinct and that good. But it turned out to be unripe bija fruit — small, green, oval — that had fallen from the trees during the monsoon winds. Where people had walked over them and crushed the fruit underfoot, the scent released into the whole forest. Fresh, a little sweet, deeply green. Nothing like flowers. I still think of it whenever someone mentions Bijarim in summer.
One Thing Most Visitors Miss — The Shoe Wash Station
Walking in the rain means muddy shoes. Most people walk straight past without noticing, but just past the ticket booth on the way out, there's a small foot wash station on the left side.
Easy to walk past — it's on your left just outside the ticket gate |
A tap and a brush — all you need after a muddy walk |
Getting There
📍 Google Maps → Search 'Bijarim Forest'
Final Thoughts
Bijarim isn't a flashy destination. There's no viewpoint, no café at the end, no dramatic payoff. It's just a forest — but it's a forest that does something to you if you walk it slowly enough. On a rainy day especially, with fewer people around and the greens turned up a notch, it has a stillness that's genuinely hard to find elsewhere in Jeju.
If the rain comes on during your Jeju trip, don't write off the day. Pack a poncho and come here. The forest is waiting.
📸 All photos taken by me on location.
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