48 Hours on Green Island, Taiwan
The stunningly beautiful Green Island is just a short ferry journey from mainland Taiwan, and an unmissable stop on your visit to Taiwan. A former penal colony, this petite island boasts miles of gorgeous lush coastline, along with mini-temples, open air hot springs, and a human rights museum. Here’s my guide on how to spend 48 Hours on Green Island.
Lyudao Lighthouse
Start your clockwise journey around the Island at Lyudao Lighthouse, beautifully set on the northwest tip of the Island and surrounded by wild flowers. The lighthouse was built in 1938 with US public funds, as a thank you to the islanders who saved hundreds of lives when the SS President Hoover ran aground near the island in a typhoon.
As you make you way along the coast to the next sight, don’t miss the old boats at Zhongliao Fishing Harbour, mini temples and the crabs!
The Triple Rocks
Before you reach the memorial stop to take in the stunning views of the Triple Rocks, from the road or the scenic point.
White Terror Memorial Park + Prison
Going to Green Island was not always a pleasant island getaway. For years it was used to exile political prisoners, particularly during the ‘White Terror’ – a period of martial law which lasted lasted 38 years from 1949 to 1987. The main prison was the charming sounding ‘Oasis Village’ which can now be toured a part of the White Terror Memorial Park, along with the seafront memorial park.
Guanyin Cave
Make a pit stop at the Guanyin Cave – aside from the art shop, the main site here is lovely little underground temple. If you need food supplies, you can also pick some up here. Before you reach you next stop, take a quick look at the scenic sea cave.
Sleeping Beauty Rocks
The Sleeping Beauty rocks are the most iconic sight on Green Island and its most beautiful area. Walk up the Little Great Wall steps for fantastic views. This stretch of the Islands’ circular road is its hilliest, so it’s an idyllic place for a rest stop.
Zhaori Hot Springs Spa
If you’ve walked the Island, or you’re resting up day after, Zhaori Hot Springs is well deserved stop! You can relax in hot spring water with fantastic views overlooking the coast. Sunset is great time to go, especially as you can stay into the evening to enjoy the stars. As with all of Taiwan, make sure to check out the bathing rules ahead of time, as they can be quite particular (e.g. no pocketed bathing shorts).
Da Bai Sha + the Coast
Before you hit the final stretch towards to main town on the west of the Island, enjoy a stroll on the Da Bai Sha on the south side of the Island. The rest of of the walk is to the main town is picturesque, and you don’t need be concerned about walking on edge of the road in places, Green Island is not know for its traffic!
Main Town + Diving
The ‘main town’ is the area as you walk north of the main Nanliao Fishing Harbour, where the ferries arrive. It has a number of places to eat and drink, including seafood restaurant 綠島 非炒不可海鮮食堂, a number of ice cream places, and of the course the vital 7/11.
Green Island its one of Taiwan’s most popular diving destinations, with numerous dive sights around the Island. If you go to Shark Point in the spring, large numbers of hammerhead sharks gather there (!), and you can dive the Underwater Post Box on the west of the Island. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t allow us the go snorkelling or scuba diving, so I can’t provide a specific recommendation. There are numerous dive shops and companies, as well as some hotels/hostels running their own dive trips (including Sanasai Resort), so it is easy to book on arrival.
Accommodation
Green Island is small, but has a range of accommodation (though not much on the luxury end). I would advise to book ahead, as bookings can get taken up through package tours. We stayed at the mid-range Sanasai Inn, which has an excellent location south of the main town, with a garden overlooking the sea (though the rooms are on the smaller size). I would also suggest the beachfront TORO Ocean Front B&B, or the excellent budget Slow Island Hostel, depending where on the Island you want to stay.
Getting Around
All the sights in Green Island can be seen via it’s 10 mile /16km road circumventing the whole Island. Large sections of the road is flat, though it has some serious hills on its eastside. The primary transport method for getting around is the moped, which can be hired in the main town (apparently they (unofficially) do not require an international licence).
There is also a bus service on the island, which is supposed to circle the island around each hour. While they have bus stops, you can flag them down anywhere on the circular road. As we had no experience with driving mopeds, we opted for the bus/walk option. We took the first bus scheduled – which seemed to surprise the driver! -which got us to our first stop (the lighthouse). However, we then found that none of the other buses scheduled that day ran and so walked for the rest of the day around the Island.
We may have just had some bad luck, but if you are not using a scooter I would recommend being prepared to do the full Island walk (e.g. wear trainers or walking sandals, food and drink) and leave enough time to do so in daylight. The entire circular road is approximately 12 miles/19km – about 5-5.5 hours of walking – which makes walking the island and seeing its sights doable in one day (8-9 hours). We did that with no issues – though we slept well that night! Fully recommend soaking at the spa on your journey!
Getting There + Taitung
It’s about a 1 hour ferry ride to Green island from Taitung in south-east Taiwan. I would recommend arranging tickets through your accommodation in Taitung, or you can buy from some tour providers online (though some can have a mark up). Broadly a returned ticket should be around £20/800 NTD/US$28. Make sure to book your ferry tickets ahead of time, as they can sell out. The ferry ride itself can be a little bumpy, so recommend getting as close to the window as possible and using the old sailor trick of staring constantly at the horizon (it really does work!). While you can also fly to the Island, it is much more expensive.
I would recommend giving yourself a day to see the Tiatung city before you head to Green Island, my highlights include:
- Railway Art Village – charming outdoor cultural space in the old railway station (pictured). Go towards the evening to see the hundreds of handmade lamps lit up.
- Toyugi Hot Spring Resort & Spa (Journey to the East) – really excellent hot spring and spa. Its has a wide range of massaging water features, sauna/steam room, and gorgeous swimming pool.
- Seaside Park – lovely coastal park with viewing platform, and the Taitung White House near by.
- Tiatung Night Market – for food and what ever you want to buy!
- Blue Dragon Fried Chicken – not for everyone, but if you like dirty chicken (South London knows!), this is the place for you.
We stayed at 40 Inn Backpackers in a private room, which was one of our favourites in Taiwan. Centrally located with with tonnes of food and drink places around it.
