Kenting, the Hawaii of Taiwan

Kenting is kind of like the Hawaii of Taiwan - it’s where people go for nice beaches, generally in the summer months. We’re a little unusual in that we visited during the winter off-season. This meant colder temperatures, but it also meant much less crowds to deal with while exploring all Kenting has to offer.

Kenting’s picturesque scenery makes it a great place to have photoshoots or shoot movies. The beach we visited (Baishawan or 白沙灣) was one of the settings for both Cape No. 7, a popular Taiwanese movie, and also the internationally acclaimed Life of Pi. The beach can apparently get shoulder-to-shoulder crowded in the summer, but we only saw one other group when we were there.

Movie masterpieces were made here

Warm water and soft sand at Baishawan

Many interesting natural features dot the landscape in the Kenting area. On the inland side, there’s a place known as the “Eternal Flame”, where natural gas vents out through the ground. The gas can light on fire and remain lit indefinitely when conditions are right (or when someone purposely starts a fire). On the southwestern tip of Taiwan there’s a nice viewpoint where you can see sheer cliffs dropping off into the ocean. One of the rock formations at the bottom of the cliff is said to resemble a cat, giving it the name “Maobitou (貓鼻頭)”.

Spotted a small flame at the Eternal Flame

Maobitou is the rock a bit out in the ocean towards the center-left

On the southernmost tip of Taiwan to the east is a place that could be accurately described in terms of both location and character as the end of the world. Longkeng (龍坑) ecological preserve is a relatively less traveled area, partly because they limit it to 300 visitors a day. Entrance is only allowed by guided tours with wait times up to 1.5 months in advance. It’s well worth a visit if you can schedule it in though. The guide will bring you all the way to the coast where you can experience the incredible power of the Pacific Ocean. It’s most impressive in the winter when waves can get higher than a two story building, and you can feel the spray from 100 meters away. 

Waves at Longkeng

It's no wonder why so many Taiwanese people flock to Kenting for getaway vacations. Whether it’s great scenery, relaxing beaches, or nature hikes you’re looking for, there's something there for everyone.

Seaside Day-trip from Taipei

Hello from Taiwan! We’ve been spending our first few days over here exploring, recovering from jetlag, and eating all the delicious food. I am currently on the high speed rail now finally with a bit of downtime to write about our recent day trip to the northeast coast of Taiwan. 

Our first stop of the day was Yehliu Geopark, about a 40 minute drive from Taipei. It was kind of like a huge rock garden measuring a few kilometers out the long way, but with most of the rock features formed naturally. There were some really interesting mushroom and checkerboard rocks shaped by the wind and waves. It’s a neat attraction worth at least a quick stop.

Yehliu Geopark

Mushroom rocks in the park

Most of our afternoon was spent 30 minutes east in Jiufen, a picturesque seaside town that was also the inspiration for Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away”. The town itself is pretty small, with mostly small streets and shrines and a few larger buildings. Looming over the town is Mt Keelung, a tall peak from the top of which you can see panoramic views of the ocean and Taipei 50 miles away on a clear day. We didn’t hike all the way to the top, but even from the lower platforms you can get some great views of the surrounding area. 

View of Jiufen from Mt Keelung

Top of the main food street

As the sun started going down, we made our way over to Shifen, another small town farther inland known most for being the tourist destination for lighting sky lanterns. All along the main Old Street were stores selling lanterns. They were pretty cheap, only about 200 NT per lantern, and really big with plenty of space to write all your hopes and wishes for the future.

Lighting sky lanterns in Shifen

This day trip was a nice contrast from the big city sightseeing of Taipei. For anyone in the area looking for something different and relatively close by, I’d recommend checking these places out.