A visit to the O’Sulloc tea plantations and O’Sulloc Tea Museum of Jeju Island, South Korea will take you out of the city hustle and into sprawling viridescent fields rooted in Jeju’s mineral-rich volcanic rock soil. Rows of vibrant green tea shrubs stripe the hills on the island’s southwest side take you right to the source of O’Sulloc’s Master’s Green Tea, shrubs which produce a good chunk of Korea’s nokcha (green tea). The green tea fields are unlike anything else on Jeju Island, a prominent Korean destination for its Jeju tangerines and many beaches like Iho Beach, Sagye Beach, or this Hidden Beach.
Frolic freely at your whimsy through the waving rows until you find the O’Sulloc Tea Museum, dedicated to all things tea, enhanced with a relaxing indoor garden and lotus pond, as well as a bustling cafe serving all kinds of green tea treats (such as this O’Sulloc Green Tea Milk Spread) and a special Innisfree store.
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Don’t Miss O Sulloc: It’s Free!
The many natural wonders of Jeju Island in South Korea attract millions of tourists each year—coming to climb the tallest mountain in South Korea, Hallasan, feast their eyes upon the stunning Korean cherry blossom trees, lay out on the island’s popular beaches or check out the view from Sunrise Peak. In fact, Jeju Island offers so much to see, that one could easily forget a visit to the O’Sulloc Tea Museum and its green tea plantations—but you shouldn’t! Even better, it’s FREE. If you’re a budget traveler heading to Jeju, O’Sulloc tea plantations should definitely be on your list because the green tea fields and green tea museum won’t cost you a dime!
O’Sulloc Tea
O’Sulloc currently has 4 upscale teahouses/cafes in Seoul, and grows their tea on Jeju Island. Located right in the midst of acres of these verdant fields, the Tea Museum and the Innisfree House bring tourists interested in walking through the fields and sampling some of the company’s famous green tea products. The fields closer to the museum itself tend to bring more tourist crowds, so to avoid this, we spent most of our time exploring the open fields a bit removed from the museum.
O’Sulloc Tea Fields
Plentiful and verdant tea plantations dot the western part of Jeju Island. Known as the Seogwang Tea Garden, the area surrounding the O’Sulloc Tea Museum is the largest tea plantation in Korea at over .5 square km.
Having missed the bus that stops at the green tea museum, we walked the few kilometers from the other bus stop to the museum. Approaching the museum, green tea fields flanked both sides of the road.
Shortly before arriving the museum itself, we discovered a tea field that was in a beautiful setting upon rolling hills and the shoulder of an oreum (small volcano). With a little trial and error, we found our way to the exact spot we had viewed from the road that we had wanted to reach. While the tea fields are certainly private property, it seems that visitors can come and go as they please on the fields.
Visiting the tea fields on a sunny summer day might get a little toasty in the heat. We visited on a cool and overcast spring day, the cloudiness the perfect complement for the lush green tea. The whole time in this field, we only saw one other family of four. We had the field to ourselves for most of the time. It is very peaceful and quiet in such a field, the fresh Jeju breeze marking the only sound upon your ears.
O’Sulloc Tea Museum
The O’Sulloc Tea Museum itself is a contemporary-looking building shaped like a giant teacup. The museum’s exhibits illustrate the history of tea drinking in Korea and around the world. The museum displays many tea artifacts, including hundreds of tea cups from many different countries. Visitors to the museum’s observation deck can also view a beautiful panorama of the tea fields.
If you don’t feel like making the walk to the further-removed tea fields, you can find tea fields right in front of the museum. More crowded with selfie-takers than other fields, these are still beautiful and very well-maintained. Just keep in mind that you won’t be alone here!
O’Sulloc Green Tea Cafe
The most popular attraction at the Tea Museum, though, is its café. When we visited, the café was so busy that the line stretched all the way down its length! It’s safe to assume that the café is usually very busy on weekends or holidays. The café sells O’Sulloc tea drinks and food, including green tea lattes and green tea rolls. As a tourist attraction, the prices at the café are quite high, but this doesn’t stop the droves of tourists from sipping their lattes or munching on their rolls. On a busy day, you’ll be hard-pressed to find an open table, as eagle-eyed patrons eagerly seek them out and snatch them up as soon as they become available.
Jeju Innisfree House
A popular brand of natural cosmetics and beauty products in Korea, Innisfree uses ingredients from Jeju Island to fill many of their products. Full of many special products that you won’t be able to find anywhere else, the Jeju Innisfree House can be found right next door to the Tea Museum.
Just like the museum café, tourists also visit the Innisfree House in droves. Not only a store, the Innisfree House also has a café and an interactive soap-making workshop. Visitors can make their own soap from local Jeju products, for a fee. The Innisfree House café offers drinks and snacks in a beautiful setting. The walls of the Innisfree House have floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing patrons to enjoy the beautiful view out to the tea fields while they enjoy their beverage or snack.‘
How to Get to O’Sulloc
Getting to O’Sulloc is easy, as the museum is directly serviced by public transportation.
From Jeju-si: From Jeju-si intercity bus terminal, take Intercity Bus 755 and get off at the O’Sulloc stop. The bus stop is directly in front of the museum.
From Seogwipo: Take a westbound intercity bus from Seogwipo Intercity Bus Terminal (781, 781-1, 781-2, 961) to Donggwang Six-Way Intersection. Transfer to a westbound 755 bus, and get off at the O’Sulloc stop.
O’Sulloc Tea Museum
15, Sinhwayeoksa-ro, Andeok-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do
제주특별자치도 서귀포시 안덕면 신화역사로 15
Phone Number for Car GPS: 794-5312
Open year-round, from 9 AM to 6 PM
A visit to the O’Sulloc Tea Museum and the tea fields of Jeju Island provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of Korean tea. If you find yourself on Jeju Island, South Korea, we definitely recommend that you drop by the tea fields, if not the museum, too. Get some beautiful photos of tea, and why not treat yourself to a rich latte while you’re at it?
Looking for some more ideas for things to do on Jeju Island? Check out the Ultimate Jeju Island Experience!
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