Address: 295 Mt., Miryong-ri, Samsan-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do
Boli Island is a quiet place to escape to, small enough to walk around, and large enough to warrant exploration.
We visited here with my son Noah at the end of June, 2022, on a very hot day. I also took Noah here by myself a few times prior, once at the end of March 2022 on a cloudy day when the purple Rhododendron or azalea flowers (철쭉) were blooming all around the island. So this post will include photos from both visits.
On the summer day that I was able to get Alice to join Noah and I out here, we brought lunch, intending to have it on the island. We ended up eating right away after parking, as we were hungry and there was a wooden gazebo just off the road near the parking area. It is not a busy road, and it had a nice view of the island from a short distance away.
Noah sometimes liked to play on the exercise equipment intended for adults which can be found all over parks and recreational areas in South Korea.
Noah and I had been here before together, so he was ready to show Mommy the island.
We walked down to the bridge that leads to Boli Island.
When Noah and I first came here in March of 2022, we arrived at 5:25pm at low tide. When we returned just 50 minutes later, we were surprised to discover how much the tide had risen.
Crossing the orange bridge, we could feel a strong breeze.
The first thing Noah likes to do after crossing the bridge is to go down the stone steps to the water. One of his favorite things at that age was to toss rocks into the water over and over again.
It was interesting to me finding these small snails or shells or whatever they are in these holes in the rock.
The lower the tide, the more shore there is.
The loop around the island is about 1km and can be done in less than an hour.
Even on hot days, at least there is some shade.
These purple Rhododendron or azalea flowers (철쭉) will be in bloom on Boli Island if you come at the right time in the spring. They are also very nice on Solseom Island in Goseong.
It was so fun bringing Noah on adventures together, and it was simple things that he had a blast with, such as carrying around a big stick.
At the far end of Boli Island is another gazebo.
Noah and I poked around and found a few labeled tree species that I am not sure whether they were planted as a sort of garden or just were simply identified and labeled.
This tree labeled 덜꿩나무 translates to the Beech Viburnum Erosum as I understand, which has white flowering clusters in the late spring and later in the year yields berries that birds eat.
Behind the gazebo, I found a large rock that sits along the edge of the hill, looking out over the village across the water.
About halfway down the other side of the island were some benches.
Some of these villages do little experience tours for people to experience certain aspects of life in a village, in particular, fishing and seafood tasks if I remember correctly.
Some of the signs around these resting areas talk about rock formations that are visible during low tide, telling the story of the legends for what these rocks are said to represent for the villages or how they came to be.
Around the start/end of the loop is a little photo area with a set of three little snowmen.
Back around the parking lot was a little café. I popped inside once but I think it was not yet fully open for business.
I hope you enjoyed this little virtual tour!
한국어