Kenting: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Kenting is Taiwan's tropical end, a peninsula of raised coral reef where the island runs out into the sea. The whole southern tip is a national park, the first in Taiwan, and the road east from town circles it past rocks, a fortified lighthouse and grassy coral cliffs. This is a half-day drive or scooter ride of about 40 km. Go in the morning in summer, and in winter be ready for the strong northeast wind on the east coast.

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A short history of Kenting

Kenting lies at the southern tip of the Hengchun Peninsula, the southernmost point of Taiwan. In the 19th century many foreign ships were wrecked on the reefs here, and sailors who reached the shore were sometimes killed by the local tribes. After an incident in which seamen from the Ryukyu Islands were killed, Japan sent a military expedition to the area in 1874, the first Japanese invasion of Taiwan. As a result the Chinese authorities built the Eluanbi Lighthouse at the tip of the cape in 1883. In 1984 the area was declared Taiwan's first national park. The 2008 film "Cape No. 7", shot in the nearby town, made the area one of the Taiwanese people's favourite destinations.

The ten best sights in Kenting

1
Eluanbi Lighthouse
The white lighthouse at Taiwan's southern cape, in a park with coral paths; paid entry
2
Sail Rock
A coral block standing in the shallows by the road; look for the face people see in it
3
Longpan Park
Open grass over coral cliffs on the east coast; windy, no shade, great for sunrise and stars
4
Fengchuisha
Sand blown up the cliff from the beach by the winter monsoon; a short stop on the coast road
5
Jialeshui
Sandstone shapes along the shore at the end of the east coast road; a shuttle runs inside
6
Sheding Nature Park
Coral forest paths and grassland where sika deer were returned to the wild; free
7
Nanwan
The big curved bay west of Kenting; jet skis and banana boats in summer
8
Houbihu Harbour
Fishing harbour with sashimi stalls and glass-bottom boats over the reef
9
Maobitou
The southwestern cape, where the Taiwan Strait meets the Bashi Channel
10
Baisha Bay
White sand and clear water on the west coast; calmer than Kenting's own beaches

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Kenting →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Kenting:

Free walking tours in Kenting

The southern tip

Sail Rock · The rock is a block of coral limestone about 18 metres high that broke off the cliff and stands in the shallows. From one angle it looks like a sail, and from another like the head of Richard Nixon, which is what many visitors call it.
Eluanbi Lighthouse · The Qing built the lighthouse in 1883 after foreign ships were wrecked on these reefs and their crews killed ashore. Because of the danger it was built as a fort, with gun slits in its walls and a moat, which makes it one of very few armed lighthouses in the world.
Southernmost Point of Taiwan · A short path through the coral forest beside the lighthouse park leads to a marker at the southern tip of the island, at about 21 degrees 54 minutes north. On a clear day the sea in front of you runs to the Philippines.
Longpan Park · Longpan is a plateau of raised coral reef, full of cracks and sinkholes where rainwater has dissolved the limestone. With no towns to the east and few lights, it is one of the best places in Taiwan to see the stars.
Fengchuisha · The name means wind-blown sand. In winter the northeast monsoon drives sand from the beach up the cliff and across the road, the opposite of how dunes usually form, and in the rainy season the streams carry it back down.
Jialeshui · The shore here is a gallery of sandstone shaped by waves and wind into holes, ridges and honeycomb patterns. In winter, when the northeast swell arrives, it is also one of the best surf spots in southern Taiwan.

The walled town

Twenty minutes north of the beaches is Hengchun, the old town of the peninsula, which the Qing walled after a Japanese army landed here in 1874. It has kept all four of its gates, and in 2008 a film made it famous across Taiwan. This half day starts at the morning market, walks the gates and the film lanes, and ends out of town with an eternal flame and the sunset. Easy on foot in town, with a short drive for the last two stops.

Hengchun Market · The Hengchun peninsula is famous for its onions, which grow sweet in the dry winters and the salty sea wind. In spring they are piled high in the market, and the rest of the year you meet them in the breakfast stalls' fried pancakes.
Hengchun South Gate · Construction of the walls began in 1875, a year after the Japanese expedition showed how weakly the Qing held the south of the island. Hengchun's walls are the best preserved of their kind in Taiwan, and the South Gate stands on a roundabout in the middle of town.
Aga's House · Cape No. 7, released in 2008, tells of a failed rock musician who comes home to Hengchun and ends up delivering the mail. It became one of the biggest box-office hits in Taiwanese history, and his house in the film still draws visitors to this lane.
Hengchun East Gate · The East Gate keeps one of the longest stretches of wall, and you can climb up and walk along it. It is the gate on the road out to Chuhuo, and from the top you see how small the walled town was.
Chuhuo · Chuhuo means fire comes out. Natural gas rises through cracks in the ground and keeps small flames burning in an open field, which is what gave the place its name.
Guanshan · Guanshan is a coral hill on the west coast with a small temple to the Earth God on top, and it is known as the best sunset point of the peninsula. From the terrace you look over Houbihu and the Taiwan Strait.

The west coast and the old wars

The calm west side of the peninsula faces the Taiwan Strait, with white sand bays, fishing harbours and, further north, the places where the peninsula's history was decided. In 1871 shipwrecked Ryukyuan sailors were killed here, and three years later Japan sent an army, Taiwan's first modern foreign invasion. This route starts in the sea and ends in that history. A full day by car; the aquarium alone is half a day with children.

Houbihu Harbour · Houbihu is the largest fishing harbour on the peninsula, and the boats land fish that is cut into sashimi at stalls a few steps from the quay. Glass-bottom boats leave from here over the coral reef, which is protected as part of the national park.
Maobitou · Maobitou means cat's nose, after a coral rock below the cape that was said to look like a crouching cat. The cape divides two seas, the Taiwan Strait to the west and the Bashi Channel to the south.
Baisha Bay · Baisha means white sand, and the beach is made of crushed shell and coral rather than rock. Ang Lee used it in Life of Pi as the Mexican beach where Pi finally comes ashore.
National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium · The aquarium opened in 2000 and follows the water from a mountain stream in Taiwan down to the coral reef and the open ocean. Families can book a night's sleep beside the big tanks.
Checheng Fu'an Temple · The temple is dedicated to Tudigong, the Earth God who looks after a place and its harvest, and its roots go back to the seventeenth century. It has grown into one of the largest Earth God temples in Taiwan, and worshippers come from all over the island.
Shimen Battlefield · In 1874 Japan sent an expedition to punish the Paiwan villages of Mudan for killing Ryukyuan sailors three years before. At this narrow stone gate in the hills the Paiwan fought the Japanese from the cliffs before they were outflanked, and their chief and his son died here.

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Getting to Kenting and getting around

Hengchun Bus Terminal · Kenting Express buses from Kaohsiung and the high-speed rail station stop here on the way to Kenting
Fangliao Station · The nearest railway, about an hour north; buses to Kenting pass outside

Cheap eats in Kenting

The peninsula eats from two places, the sea and the dry fields. Houbihu sends sashimi and grilled fish, Hengchun grows onions and the mung beans for its favourite dessert, and the hills of Manzhou grow the southernmost tea in Taiwan. Kenting Street is for evenings; for lunch go to Hengchun, where the old shops are cheaper and more local.

Houbihu sashimi · A plate of sashimi about NT$100-300
A-Bo Mung Bean Dessert · A bowl about NT$40-60
Xiaodu Baozi · Steamed buns with pork or vegetables, a famous stop on the road into Hengchun, about NT$20-30 each
Hengchun Market breakfast · Rice dumplings, soy milk and onion pancakes, about NT$30-80
Gangkou tea · Taiwan's southernmost tea, grown near the sea in Manzhou; a bag about NT$300-600
Checheng onions · Sold by the sack at roadside stalls from about February to April

Museums in Kenting

Eluanbi Lighthouse · Paid entry to the park; the lighthouse itself is closed inside
Hengchun Old Town walls · Free; walk from gate to gate in about an hour
Aga's House · Film set in a private house; look from the lane
Shimen Battlefield · Free; a roadside stop
Kenting National Park Visitor Center · Exhibitions on the reef, the forest and the park; free

Nature and day trips near Kenting

Sheding Nature Park · Free; deer most likely early morning
Kenting Forest Recreation Area · Coral reef raised into a forest, with caves like Xiandong; paid entry
Longpan Park · Stars on moonless nights; hold on to your hat
Longluan Lake · Best from October to March
Jialeshui · Sandstone coast; strong waves in winter
Nanrenshan · Protected lowland forest; entry by permit with a daily limit

Things to do in Kenting with kids

The aquarium tunnel · Paid entry; book the overnight in advance
Glass-bottom boats at Houbihu · About half an hour over the reef; fish and coral without getting wet
Deer at Sheding · Easy paths; walk quietly to see the deer
Fire from the ground · Free; best after dark
Nanwan Beach · Shallow sand and water sports for older children

Where to eat in Kenting

Kenting Street Night Market · From about 6 pm; snacks NT$50-150
Mung bean and milk ice · A bowl about NT$50-80
Seafood dinner at Houbihu · Restaurants by the harbour cook the day's fish; about NT$300-600 a person
Xiaowan Beach at dusk · The small beach in town; a drink by the sea after the market

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Frequently asked questions about Kenting

What is there to see in Kenting?

The top sights in Kenting are Eluanbi Lighthouse, Sail Rock and Longpan Park. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Kenting?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Kenting without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Kenting?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Kenting, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The southern tip.

How do you get to Kenting and get around?

The main ways are Hengchun Bus Terminal and Fangliao Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Kenting, and for how much?

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