Ulleungdo & Dokdo: Island Guide

Last checked: October 2026

Getting to Ulleungdo is the hard part. It's about 3 hours by fast ferry from Pohang, and the sea cancels sailings often, so plan spare time. Once you're there, it's a volcanic island of steep green cliffs and clear water, with a coastal walk and its own food: wild garlic pickles, pumpkin taffy, and rice cooked with limpets. From Ulleungdo, ferries go on to Dokdo.

Pohang fast ferry

2 h 50 min

Adult one way

From 81,000 won

Island bus

1,500 won

Days needed

2–3

Ferries in 2026

Only two of the four mainland ports have ferries to Ulleungdo in 2026: Pohang (two routes) and Mukho. The Gangneung route has stopped since late 2025 because of pier problems, and the Hupo route since September 2025 because the operator ran into financial trouble.

• Pohang fast ferry: in October 2026 it usually left Pohang at 09:50 and Ulleungdo at 14:20, but times change by day. Fares include the terminal fee; a fuel surcharge is added.
• Ulleung Cruise: the big overnight ferry leaves Pohang at 23:00 and Ulleungdo at 12:00. Fares include the terminal fee but not the fuel surcharge, and are 10% higher on weekends, holidays, and peak periods. It is out of service for checks on November 24–25, 2026.
• Mukho: the 08:20 ferry runs until November 8, 2026. The 2027 restart date isn't announced yet (in 2025 it restarted on March 21).

Winter fares are much cheaper. From November 2, 2026 to February 28, 2027, Daezer Ferry's Pohang–Ulleungdo fare drops to 25,350 won one way (plus fuel surcharge) for visitors, foreign visitors included, who stay at least one night on the island, until the budget runs out. Ulleung Cruise's Winter Pass gives 70% off a round trip (79,800 won in a 6-person room); I couldn't confirm whether foreign visitors qualify.

Booking, ID, and cancellations

• Bring your passport. You can't board without ID. Foreign visitors can use a valid passport or an Alien Registration Card; copies, photos, and phone screenshots aren't accepted.
• Arrive at the terminal 60 minutes before departure.
• Bad weather: sailings are often cancelled. Daezer Ferry cancels the booking and the card payment automatically. Ulleung Cruise refunds in full, and a ticket from Ulleungdo moves to the next sailing.
• Cancelling yourself: both Pohang operators charge 10% from 3 days before, 20% the day before, and 50% on the day.

How locals do it

The fast ferries can roll a lot when the sea is up, so Koreans usually take a motion-sickness pill before boarding or stick a patch (키미테, Kimite) behind one ear. Ask a pharmacist which suits you.

From Seoul to the port

• Pohang fast ferry: take the KTX to Pohang Station. Daezer Ferry runs a free shuttle from Pohang Station to the ferry terminal at 09:20, first come, first served.
• Ulleung Cruise: a free shuttle meets the evening KTX at Pohang Station and leaves at 20:20 and 21:25 for Yeongilman Port.
• Mukho: take the train to Mukho Station, then walk about 800 m to the Mukho Port ferry terminal.
• Ulleung Airport is under construction, with opening targeted for 2028.

Getting around the island

• Buses: 1,500 won for adults to anywhere on the island (600 won for middle and high school students, 500 won for elementary school children). Route 1 loops Dodong, Sadong, Namyang, Taeha, Hyeonpo, Cheonbu, Gwaneumdo, and Jeodong, 8 times a day from 06:10 to 19:20, about 1 hour 40 minutes a loop. Route 3 goes to Bongnae Falls, and Route 4 links Cheonbu and Nari Basin 11 times a day (15 minutes). Winter has its own timetable.
• Taxis: all 4-wheel-drive jeeps, with a 4,000 won base fare. Taxi island tours take 4–5 hours.
• The round-island road (44.55 km) was completed in December 2018, so buses and taxis can now go all the way around.
• Boat tour: a round-island cruise leaves Dodong at 08:40 (1 hour 40–50 minutes, 30,000 won for adults).
• If you bring a car on the Ulleung Cruise ferry, don't bring an LPG car: the island has no LPG station.

Sights and fees

Summer hours run April 1 – October 31 and winter hours November 1 – March 31.

• Haengnam coastal walk: a path along cliffs and sea caves from Dodong to Chotdae Rock in Jeodong, starting a minute from the Dodong ferry terminal. It has closed after rockfalls, most recently in April 2026, so check that it's open.
• Jukdo: a flat-topped islet reached by a 2-hour boat trip from Dodong at 08:30 and 14:30 (30,000 won for adults).
• Nari Basin: the flat land inside the old volcano, with traditional log-and-straw houses. Route 4 buses go up from Cheonbu.
• Seonginbong: the island's highest peak, 986.7 m. Trails take 3–4 hours one way, and some sections have been under repair since 2024.
• Jeodong: the island's fishing port. Its fishing-boat lights at night are one of Ulleungdo's eight scenic views.
• The Dokdo Museum, opened in 1997, is free and open every day. The An Yong-bok Memorial Hall is free too, and so is the Dokdo Volunteer Guard Memorial, which closes on Mondays.

Dokdo

Dokdo is a pair of rocky islets 87.4 km from Ulleungdo. Since March 2005, the public may land on Dongdo, the east islet, but only around its pier.

• Boats: from Jeodong (08:20 and 14:25, about 1 hour 30–40 minutes), Sadong (06:30 and 13:20, 1 hour 45 minutes), and Dodong (12:30, about 4 hours round trip). Fares are about 60,000–63,500 won; operators list them as round-trip fares.
• Season: boats usually run from around March 15 to November 15. In 2026 the Jeodong boat runs until November 15 and the Dodong boat sails only on November 3, 5, and 7 in November.
• Landing depends on the sea. In rough weather, the boat circles the islets without landing. Up to 470 people can land at a time.
• Buying a ticket registers your visit automatically. Bring your passport.
• Reports put the time on the pier at about 20–30 minutes.
• No pets on any Dokdo boat.
• After landing or circling, foreign visitors can get an honorary Dokdo resident card on site, with their passport.

Food and island specialties

• Myeongi (명이나물, myeongi namul): wild garlic leaves. The Korea Tourism Organization says the name comes from myeong, "life", because the plant kept early settlers alive; locals say maengi. Pickled myeongi goes with grilled pork belly and with Ulleung beef. The leaves are picked in spring, in some years only from March 15 to the end of April.
• Pumpkin taffy (호박엿, hobagyeot): Ulleung's best-known souvenir. One story says it was first made from the bark of the hubak tree (hubak-yeot) and the name later became hobak, "pumpkin", but the evidence is weak. Pumpkins were a precious food on an island with little grain. Ulleung Nonghyup has sold its pumpkin taffy since 1992. Koreans coming back from Ulleungdo usually bring a box home as a gift.
• Ttagaebi rice (따개비밥, ttagaebibap): rice cooked with small shellfish. Ttagaebi usually means barnacles, but on Ulleungdo people call limpets (sakgat-jogae) ttagaebi, and limpets are what goes in the rice and in ttagaebi kalguksu (noodle soup). I found no official source on how the local name started.
• Mussel rice (홍합밥, honghapbap): rice cooked with mussels, seasoned with sesame oil and soy sauce.
• Ulleung beef (약소, yakso): from cattle raised on wild greens and medicinal plants, usually served without aging or marinade.
• Squid: Ulleungdo was long Korea's squid island, with Taeha known for drying it, and squid innards soup has a clear, spicy broth. Catches have collapsed recently: as of December 2025, the squid catch was 93% below an average year.
• Dokdo shrimp: a name for three kinds of deep-sea shrimp caught 150–300 m down.

Planning

• Ulleung-gun suggests 2-day, 3-day, and 4-day courses, and advises checking transport first if you stay in Seo-myeon or Buk-myeon, the west and north of the island.
• Tourist information centers in Dodong, Sadong, and Jeodong are open every day, 09:00–18:00.
• For Dokdo, go between spring and mid-November, and keep a spare day in case your boat doesn't sail.

Honest take