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National park on the Hengchun Peninsula, Taiwan
Photo: Sgroey, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Kenting National Park (墾丁國家公園 kěndīng gúojiā gōngyuán) is in at the extreme southern tip of Taiwan. It is famous for its beautiful beaches and lush vegetation.
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
A sculpture representing the southernmost tip of Taiwan. Famous with the locals for pictures and a great sunset spot.
鵝鑾鼻燈塔
The surrounding park area is well worth the trip past Kenting. The lighthouse is pretty bland, but the easy hiking trails are pleasant and near the ocean.
龍磐公園
A scenic geological formation formed by levels of the coast separately lowering and getting washed away by the sea. Now, a very green and picturesque coast line and cliff. Also check out this nearby location.
風吹沙
A large and picturesque dune. You can walk down it on its right flank.
出火特別景觀區
An interesting sight where natural gas escapes from under the earth through porous rock. It is alighted and constantly burns. You can even alight smaller spots by yourself with a lighter – there are about 6-7 of them where gas emerges. Best time to come here is during sunset when the place dives into the night and allows for great pictures, given you have the right photo equipment.
貓鼻頭 / 南海洞
A beautiful black cliff and coastal area, which is great for sunsets. The rock formation is supposed to look like a lying cat, with a lot of imagination. Nevertheless, the price is probably not worth the tiny walkway, seems more like a tourist trap. You should rather go for Longpan Park instead – equally or more beautiful.
後壁湖
A mildly picturesque and small harbour. Just nearby, also a coral and power exhibition can be found – quite obvious with the nuclear plant right to the east.
Sail Rock
A huge rock at this stony beach, which allows for pretty pictures.
Nice for a stroll around the centre.
This palace-like gate is worth a visit when you are in Hengshun. Located in the middle of a roundabout.
Hou Dong Shan Gong Yuan
This is either coral or volcanic rock.
屏東滿州港口吊橋
樂活南灣遊憩區
Decent and beautiful beach to take a dip.
Baisha / 墾丁白沙灣海灘
Remote and beautiful beach.
社頂自然公園
There is a free trail (about 1½-2 hours of walking) but you have to pay a small parking fee. The gorges are fairly interesting to look at and there are views of the southern tip of the coast.
墾丁國家森林遊樂區
A beautiful forest and jungle area, but it seems quite expensive, unless you are a botanist. The Stalagmite Cave closed as of Nov 2017. Also, the Fairy Cave does not seem to be open constantly – best to inquire at the entrance. If you must do this park, you definitely need to do the extended walk until the "First Ravine" – the backmost part is much more worth it.
Surf courses, tours and board rental. They also run two Balinese-style hostels, one in Nanwan, the other in Jialeshui.
At night the main road in Kenting becomes a night market, with all kinds of food sold from stalls.
Not as busy as Kenting, but worthwhile staying in Hengchun.
Delicious gelato and a great place to have an afternoon snack. There is seating in front of the storefront.
The seafood is delicious and worth ordering the fish of the day. It is very reasonably priced unlike some of the other seafood eateries offering live fish.
Cheap Thai food that is delicious and filling. Try the seafood fried rice and the basil chicken. The restaurant owner is very friendly.
Seems to be the most popular restaurant in Kenting, serving a variety of pan-Asian food. A little hard to find, and fills up quickly, but worth a visit.
Lovely place in a garden setting, great for a lunch outdoors.
Cool beach cafe with one of the rare ocean view in the area. Solid menu with a large Asian selection and a western section as well. Wine, coffee, desserts. Look for Claire, the owner. She is a local and a longtime body boarder, always ready to help you with any info you might need.
Beach Bistro is a Greek-style seaside restaurant which offers a mixture of Asian and European recipes. The owner, Chang Chung-Ho, was born in Kenting and travels to France every year, so his cooking inevitably has become French-oriented but with an Asian touch, resulting in an Asia-Euro "Nouvelle Cuisine" with unique dishes in a particularly relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Moroccan-style restaurant which offers a mixture of Asian and European recipes. The owner, Gillou, was born in France, so his food is French-oriented, but with an Asian touch. Also features a big selection of Belgium beers and wines, and cocktails. Relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
This vegetarian restaurant offers succulent Taiwanese delicates. The mushroom-dish, a must try, is recommended by the owner.
Kenting Light Blue Bed and Breakfast
Decent value for money. If you are lucky, you can get the budget room at the top with great balcony. Also, Hengchun seems to be a better base for exploring the surrounding area of Kenting (National Park), since prices are not so inflated here. WeChat-ID: david65631 (or AlingHappy21).
Cosy and clean with very friendly staff. Free Wifi.
墾丁藍海旅店
Friendly young owner and decent location near the beach (300 m). All required standards for an unbeatable price in this region.
Made famous by the movie "Cape No.7". It is the only hotel in the area with direct beach access from terraced rooms.
By train
Kenting is accessible via the HSR, or High Speed Rail which connects Taipei with Zuoying, Kaohsiung. The total travel time from Taipei to Zuoying (Kaohsiung) via HSR is approximately 90 min.
By car
Renting a car is not optimal, but nice if you wish to travel around the Kenting area.
By rental car
You can also arrange a rental car for pick up at the HSR Kaohsiung Zuoying station.
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Kaohsiung (Xiaogang) · International · KHH
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