Waves That Polish Black Pebbles: Wando's Jeongdo-ri Gugyedeung

The moment you reach the shore at Jeongdo-ri in Wando, South Jeolla Province, your ears register it first. Every time a wave rolls in and pulls back, hundreds of millions of smooth, rounded pebbles clatter against each other. Underfoot, worn black stones shift and roll, while salty sea air mingles with the resinous scent of the pine forest behind the beach.

This shoreline is called "Gugyedeung," meaning "nine bends of pebbles," for the way its gravel beach curves along nine stretches of coast. Polished smooth and round by endless waves, the pebbles feel cold and unexpectedly solid in the hand. Behind the beach, a dense windbreak forest of pines and evergreens keeps the shade cool even as you walk beneath it.

It isn't as famous as Yeongju's Museom Village or Goesan's Sanmagi Old Trail, but that's precisely why it offers a stretch of time with nothing to hear but the waves. Walk the coastal path up to the observation deck and the silhouettes of the Dadohae archipelago's islands overlap on the water below.

Wando is roughly five hours from Seoul by public transport, too far for a same-day trip. It's best to stay a night in Wando, enjoy fresh seafood for dinner, and walk Gugyedeung the next morning. Travelers planning a similar trip can swap notes in TrustBuddies' open chat room.