The Sea Parts and the Island Turns Red: Why Byeongpungdo Is Worth the Journey Right Now

Twice a day, when the tide pulls back, a stone path rises out of the middle of the mudflats. Byeongpungdo, an island in Shinan County, South Jeolla Province, connects at low tide to the islands of Daegijeomdo, Sogijeomdo and Soakdo via these tidal stone walkways. Laid along them is the 'Seomtiago' Twelve Apostles Pilgrimage Trail, inspired by Spain's Camino de Santiago. Over 12 kilometers of walking, twelve small artist-built chapels appear one by one, while checkerboard salt fields and clean mudflats teeming with octopus and crabs stretch out below. You do not need to be a pilgrim: walking a long stone causeway across the mud to the next island is an experience found only here, among the islands of Shinan.

And in autumn, the island turns red. According to Shinan County, Korea's largest celosia garden - 14.1 hectares - blankets Byeongpungdo, and this year's Island Celosia Festival is slated for September 11 to October 13 (tentative, depending on the blooms). If walking and photography are your goals, come alone or with a quiet friend; if the flowers are the draw, it suits couples and families. Getting there: drive from Mokpo to Songgong Port on Aphaedo, then take the ferry (Haejin Shipping, four sailings a day). Two things to check without fail: the stone paths open only at low tide, so a tide timetable is essential, and with only four ferries a day, a same-day round trip is tight. Arrive at high tide and the first thing you will do is wait.