Su Huai is a man on a mission. A licensed dive instructor and lauded underwater photographer based on Taiwan’s tourist-hot Xiao Liuqiu Island, he runs a popular eco-focused dive-excursion enterprise, an eco-themed bookstore, and an ever-expanding sea turtle census. His mission:...
Quitting the rat race to live on a tropical island is many a city worker’s dream. Few, however, ever find the courage to truly make the leap and leave the creature comforts of life in the big city. California native Ray...
Just a short ferry ride off the coast of Pingtung County is Taiwan’s only coral-reef island, not too big yet not too small, offering a bountiful harvest of recreational fun – breezy seafood barbecues, round-island scooter rides to unusual rock formations...
Linluo (麟洛) & Neipu (內埔) Linluo and Neipu are located in the north of Pingtung County; the two areas are quite flat and have mostly plain terrain. Linluo belongs to the “Front Settlement” area of the Hakka Liudui (“Six Settlements”) and...
If you have ever felt that a visit to an oceanographic museum was too short and wished you could stay a little bit longer to admire the wonders of the marine world, you might consider signing up for the National Museum...
Happy Times in Hakka Land Text: Han Cheung; Photos: Maggie Song The Hakka people are proud of their culture and heritage, which are both presented in informative and entertaining ways in museums and theme parks around Taiwan. One of the best and...
From the Taiwan Strait to the Pacific Ocean Text: Steven Crook; Photos: Vision Taiwan’s first railway line, between the cities of Taipei and Keelung, was established in 1891; but round-the-island rail travel wasn’t possible for another hundred years. The opening in 1991...
Indigenous Impressions in Pingtung, southern Taiwan Text: Francesca Chang; Photos: Maggie Song One of the best locations to not just learn about, but also to experience, the cultures of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples up close is the Sandimen/Beiye area in northern Pingtung County....
Ask locals about the best pig trotters on the island, and chances are that they will reply “Wanluan.” If you head to this rural township in southern Taiwan’s Pingtung County in search of succulent pig feet, note that the historical villages...
Where Some of Nature’s Most Beautiful Tropical Art Awaits Below the Waves Text: Rick Charette; Photos: Ray Chang, Taiwan Dive Center Sun-drenched Kenting National Park is a veritable giant nature-built health and fitness center, serving up swimming and surfing and biking and...
Let’s go on a Kenting Trip! Kenting National Park is one of Taiwan’s premier international-tourist attractions. Taking up island Taiwan’s southern tip, it is a vast sun-drenched playground. Nobody visits for just a day; to do it justice, three are recommended....
landmark hotel, Howard Beach Resort Kenting has 405 rooms, plus private-access villas with themed décor – Greek, Spanish, Balinese, Indian, and Zen. Indigenous artwork crafted by members of the region’s Paiwan tribe brightens the lobby and other public spaces, and Paiwan...
his famed facility stands between Highway 26 and the coast on the western edge of Kending town. First and foremost, it is known for the quality of its beachfront. It sits on Dawan (“Big Bay”) – as opposed to the “Small...
e spent one night on Little Liuqiu, staying at the Hao Ho Homestay. The three-story guesthouse is on a narrow, quiet street in Little Liuqiu’s Baisha town, a short distance from the ferry dock. The friendly owner-couple keep their breezy, bright-colored place spic-and-span....
Dongyuan in Pingtung County is like a “botanical garden,” a hidden-away mountain gem bursting with color where nature is allowed to be herself by her Paiwan Tribe custodians. Text: Rick Charette; Photos: Chen Cheng-kuo s we turned off Pingtung County’s east-west Provincial Highway...
Dapeng Bay is a mainland/offshore island “water world” national scenic area, in Taiwan’s deep southwest, is built around a massive lagoon, Taiwan’s southernmost mangrove forest, a large upraised-coral island just a short ferry sprint across the sun-sparkled, brilliant-blue Taiwan Strait waters,...
