We’ve had some colder days here on the peninsula, so we’ve had to change up some of our adventuring. Thankfully, the Tando Sea Route was the perfect thing for a blustery day. I’d wanted to experience it for a while, and when the kids and Brandon were home for a long weekend, it seemed like the perfect time to go. I’ll share all about what the Tando Sea Route is and how you can experience it yourself!

The Tando Island Sea Route

Across the water from Tando Port in Ansan lies the completely deserted Nue Island. Normally, the path between the two is completely covered by water. However, arrive at low tide and a fully paved walkway appears that allows you to walk all the way out to the island. Along the way you can admire “the triplets” (the three large wind turbines that line the path) as well as beautiful views of the observatory and lighthouse at the top of the island. Plus, the mudflats along the way make for a truly unique experience.

Ansan is about an hour’s drive from Camp Humphreys. We had planned to leave early and get there around an hour before lowest tide. It didn’t work out that way and we arrived at about 10:00am – right as the tide was almost at its lowest. We got all bundled up in our waterproof gear and made our way to the path where we immediately got a killer view of the wind turbines with Nue Island in the distance.

My only real complaint about this adventure? The wind was INSANE. I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced wind quite like that – especially on the far side of the island. The wind was so loud and so strong that I couldn’t hear my own voice and it nearly knocked us all over multiple times. Still, it made for a really interesting experience. The rain jackets worked well to block the wind and the kids all handled it well. Honestly, I wouldn’t have even blamed them if they whined the entire time, but they were champs. Of course, we didn’t make it out without ANY complaining, but I think given how cold it was (and how bipolar the weather was), we managed just fine.

The entire walk out to the island is easy and completely flat. We were able to push H in the jogging stroller we borrowed (thanks, Missy!) without any problem and the four older kids were able to walk easy enough, even in their rainboots. We had hoped to climb up to the observatory and lighthouse (those who have been here a while know how I feel about lighthouses), but found the gate at the entrance closed and padlocked, much to our disappointment. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t a little peeved.

Still, we wanted to get a decent view from the island. On one side of the island there’s a tall staircase that leads to the top of the mountain. We climbed the 130+ steps to the top and were blown away by the view. I’m a sucker for beautiful views – and this one felt epic. We followed the trail at the top for a while, concluded that it didn’t actually lead anywhere, and then headed back down the way we’d come.

We didn’t stay out on the island long – the tide was starting to come back in by the time we’d circled the whole thing. It wasn’t a huge hurry to get back to the port – although by the time we got back to the other side, a good portion of the path was partially covered in water. And had the kids not been very cold and VERY hungry, we would have liked to watch the tide come in fully. But sometimes hungry tummies come before fantastic views and pictures, so we stopped at a café to get some small treats (they didn’t have much in the way of actual food), loaded up the car, and headed home, grateful for the adventure.

We’ve got more adventures ahead of us and our bucket list is growing by the hour. With winter coming and the weather turning nasty, we’re hoping to find more appropriate cold-weather adventures to keep us busy, curious, and loving South Korea!