Nami Island has got to be one of my favourite places on earth. It was just so beautiful – and we almost didn’t get to go!
My sister and I unfortunately got a little bit late in the morning of day 3. We had previously booked for a tour bus to take us to & from Nami Island from Seoul that had 2 pick-up points to choose from. I chose the earlier pick-up which would leave at 9am; the other leaving at 9.30 am.
When I realised there was no possible way of making it for the 9am bus, I hurriedly called the agent and explained as simply as possible that I’d like to take the 9.30am bus instead. Luckily, they agreed and we (barely) made it to the 2nd pick up point.
Once we got off the bus, we had 2 options to get to Nami Island – Ferry or ZIPLINE! Unfortunately, we took the boring option as neither of us wanted to wait for the massive queue for the zipline. The ferry offered wonderful views of the surrounding hills!
As you can see, summer is the perfect time to visit. It was so freaking beautiful! You can comfortably walk around Nami Island for the day, although there are also trams available.
I absolutely love the concept of Nami Island or “Namira”. It’s positioned as a so-called independent fairy-tale village with its own culture, stamps, passport (multiple entry card), museums etc. It’s really adorable. At the entrance you can get ice cream and snacks, which we initially skipped.
Our first stop was Maple Lane, lined with hundreds of maples trees. The leaves ranged from green to red? I thought maple trees only turn orange/red in autumn. I have no idea how this works, as a girl from the tropics, but we were grateful for the beautiful colours and wonderful atmosphere.
We then came to this pond area where lots of people stopped to take photos. There were large fish and even frogs in the pond that we managed to spot! I really appreciate how, for such a popular tourist destination, Nami Island is kept so natural.
By this time, we were getting a little hungry. Which was perfect as we were approaching the “village” area where the restaurants were. Y’all, just look at the amazing outdoor-sitting area of the restaurant we chose! We, of course, had to go for Korean food but there were other options as well.
We ordered a chicken-based set for 2 and it was SO good! Like one of my favourite meals in Korea good. It came with the usual Korean pickles for us to try and lettuce and perilla leaves for us to wrap the chicken in. SO GOOD!
Walking across the village was lovely. There was such a calm vibe and people were just relaxing while taking in the views. There was also a street performance going on, which we watched for a little while.
And then we walked to the main attraction – Metasequoia Lane! Surrounded by giant redwood trees, the whole area feels so ethereal. Nami Island is famous for being the filming location of popular K-dramas like the wildly successful Winter Sonata. There’s even a statue dedicated to the drama near this location!
Walking further down lead us to my favourite place in Nami Island – Gingko Lane! You just know this place must look so beautiful in autumn. Sun passing through the light green leaves illuminated the area and made this whole place so magical!
We eventually reached the end of the island where there were some holiday accommodations (yes, you can stay on Nami Island).
There was a nice, quiet forested area here with benches scattered around, where we relaxed for a bit. We were lucky that the weather wasn’t too hot despite us being there in Summer. I’d describe the place as cooling but do bring water if you’re planning on a trip!
There were many pretty sites along the different route we took back to the main area. I’d also like to mention that there is an ostrich “farm” on the island, which I thought was bizarre. The ostriches didn’t look very happy, unfortunately.
If you love nature or a quaint, fairy-tale atmosphere, Nami Island is truly a must-see location. My sister and I both agree that this was our favourite day in Korea.
It was time for us to head back to the mainland by ferry. We had some time to kill before the next ferry arrived so of course we had to have some ice cream🍦
After the bus ride home, we walked around the Lotte world and Gangnam for a bit. It was fine but we were really just tired from the day. We did manage to buy some cute stickers. Great day overall. I’d love to go back to Nami Island during autumn some day.
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