Jeju, Slowly: A Retreat with the Sea Women: Three Days to Listen, Eat and Slow Down
Three days with a haenyeo in her own village, built around listening rather than performing. This founding-guests pilot brings nine people together for meals, conversation, yoga, meditation and a temple visit. It is not a dive trip: nobody swims, dives or puts on a wetsuit.
Presented by Vamos Travel Korea · Jeju, Slowly
About the Retreat
The haenyeo have worked Jeju's sea on a single breath for generations. This retreat is built around sitting with them in their village and at their table, not following them into the water.
Soraya, founder of Vamos Travel Korea and a licensed Korean tour guide, is currently enrolled at Jeju's haenyeo school. She hosts the retreat with Kylie, a licensed haenyeo from Yeongnak village. Vamos Travel Korea is a licensed and bonded travel agency registered in Korea.
The pilot brings together nine founding guests. Applications are reviewed personally rather than accepted first-come, first-served.
A deliberately small group selected through an application, not first-come, first-served booking.
People connected to yoga, meditation or freediving, especially those who thoughtfully document their practice.
October 29-31, 2026. Three days and two nights on Jeju Island, with airport pickup and local transport.
September 27, 2026. Applying does not guarantee a place; selected guests are contacted personally.
Highlights
The Three Days
Airport pickup, a tea ceremony class, and the Haenyeo's Kitchen theatre-dinner, where the sea women perform their own story. Overnight in a private room at a wellness hotel on Jeju's east side.
Morning meditation and yoga, an English docent tour at the Jeju Haenyeo Museum, then an afternoon in Yeongnak village meeting Kylie's fellow haenyeo and sitting down for an interpreted interview. Dinner together and a second private hotel night.
A half day at Baekjesa temple with a walk through the grounds, optional 108 bows, tea and conversation with the monks. Lunch, a closing circle and transport to the airport complete the retreat.
US$100, with the KTO Grant Covering the Difference
The planned regular price is US$1,090. Jeju, Slowly was selected for the Korea Tourism Organization's 18th Tourism Venture Program, and its grant covers the gap for this founding-guests pilot. The US$100 payment confirms a selected guest's place.
Apply by September 27What's Included
Flights, personal expenses and required travel insurance are not included.
Why This Pilot Is Different
Spend time with haenyeo in their village and at their table, with space to listen to their experiences in their own words.
Only nine founding guests are selected, allowing the experience to stay personal and conversational.
Tea, yoga, meditation, meals and a temple visit create a slower rhythm than a conventional sightseeing itinerary.
This is the founding-guests pilot. Honest feedback and thoughtful sharing will help refine the full program before its wider launch.
A Glimpse of Jeju, Slowly
Frequently Asked
October 29-31, 2026. It is a three-day, two-night founding-guests pilot on Jeju Island.
Applications are open through September 27, 2026.
No. Soraya reads every application and contacts the people selected for the nine-person group.
The pilot price is US$100 per person, compared with the planned regular price of US$1,090. Jeju, Slowly was selected for the Korea Tourism Organization's 18th Tourism Venture Program, and the grant covers the difference.
Your own room for two nights, six meals, all listed activities and entries, local transportation, airport pickup and a keepsake photo gallery.
Flights, personal expenses and travel insurance. Every guest must arrange their own travel insurance before arriving.
No. There is no diving, swimming or wetsuit activity. The retreat is about listening to the sea women, sharing meals and spending time in their community.
The founding group especially welcomes people who practice yoga, meditation or freediving and have a social account around that practice. People who enjoy creating thoughtful photos or video are also encouraged to apply.
Apply through the official Jeju, Slowly application page.
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