I decided that if I was going to get stuck anywhere in Taiwan during the crazy typhoon, Lanyu Island would be a beautiful place to perish if the elements did their worst. The next five days, amongst hiding in my locked down hotel as the rain tried to tear the doors down, were an epic adventure. Here are 15 reasons why you MUST go to Lanyu Island, Taiwan.
1.Stand on a Volcanic Crater: Heaven Lake
2.Climb up to the Sky
3.Discover the Tao’s Underground Houses
4.Soak up the power of the Rustic Beaches
5.Hang out at Cool Cafes and Reggae Bars
6.Experience some of the Best Scuba Diving in Taiwan
Or in Teacake’s case, dance around in the bathroom with your goggles on because that typhoon isn’t letting anyone in the water.
7.Go Chasing Waterfalls
8.Marvel at the Street Art and Architecture
9.Hang out with Goats (and eat them)
10.Blow dry your Hair on top of the Weather Station
11.Encounter Unearthly Alien Rock Formations
12.Hike through the Jungle
13.Run through the Grass Fields
14.Look out to the Sea on the edge of the Cliffs
15.Pop into Church, in a Cave
Tell me more about Lanyu Island?
Lanyu Island, also known as Orchid Island is a world away from the ‘Chinese’ Taiwan. It has its own unique language and its Tao population are of Australasian descent. The island itself is rustic and wonderfully raw in its beauty. It is a volcanic island and covered in a lush, green, tropical rainforest. Teacake highly recommends a visit!
How do I get to Lanyu Island?
You have two options. You can take a boat or you can fly here. Please be aware that due to crazy weather here, the boats and plane flights can be cancelled at any time so don’t come out here if you’re on a strict schedule. You can easily find yourself on this island longer than you originally planned!
Taking the Boat
Boats leave from Fugang Harbour near Taitung or Houbitou in Kenting. Teacake got a boat from Fugang Harbour. It cost $1180 TWD one way and $300 extra to take my scooter there. The journey will take between 2 – 2.5 hours. WARNING: You will feel or be seasick. Take seasickness pills. Schedules can change easily depending on the weather so book no more than one day in advance or turn up there early on the day. Make full use of your hostel or guest house to help you book!
Taking a Flight
You’re really going to have to book in advance if you want to fly: the planes are small and typically take up to twenty passengers at a time. The benefit of flying is it only takes 20 minutes and no seasickness is involved. You can book a ticket here from Taitung Airport with Daily Air but I’m afraid the website is only in Chinese. My advice is brave the boat personally if you want to travel cheaper and with a more sporadic and unplanned schedule.
Teacake’s Top Tips
Dogs
There are lots of dogs on this island and they all want to be your friend. Be prepared to be followed and their surrogate mother. One dog insisted on hitch hiking his way round the whole island with me on my scooter.
Scooter
Bring your scooter with you or rent one on the island! It’s the ultimate way to get around this island.
Money
Bring your cash! There are no international ATMs here.
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Stop it now Alice!! You keep showing us these amazing places and I’m not getting any work done!
And your photos are looking superb! Your eye is getting better and better!
Haha thank you John! Glad you’re enjoying the photos!
The waterfalls look pretty amazing so I’ll go with that for my reason to visit. Thankfully you did not perish! Looks like it turned out to be a great trip.
Angela, I’m so happy you’re thinking of going! It is a really adventurous and magical place. I highly recommend it!
Lovely photos Ms Teacake – and ALWAYS go chasing waterfalls – totally agree. We were supposed to spend October in Taiwan, mainly for Taipei Pride but our ticket with Airasia (Bali/Taipei) got cancelled so we met you at TBEX instead :) We keep hearing how beautiful the country is by “EVERYONE” and more desperate then ever to visit.
Wow, what a turn around of events but what an awesome alternative option! Meeting you at TBEX was rad >< My new favourite boys! You HAVE to go! I still have lots of material to write for Taiwan and I only managed to get halfway round in the country in the time I was there. Need to go back and complete it asap!
I had no idea there were so many natural attractions in Taiwan – you’ve really opened my eyes to a destination I hadn’t really thought much about. Thankyou! The waterfalls, the hikes, the volcano – it all looks right up our alley! We’re very much into experiencing the outdoors when we travel, so this sounds like a really fabulous place for us to go, especially since it’s fairly off the beaten path too :)
Awesome! So happy to hear that Meg! Taiwan surprised me at every twist and turn. It’s a natural beauty and packs a punch for how small it is. I went there for 3 months and only managed to get halfway round!
Would love to go into those cave churches. Great post!
PS I love those colorful shoes
Thank you so much! They were a gift from a dear friend <3
This looks BEAUTIFUL. I LOVE islands and had never heard of this before. The viewpoints and the waterfalls look pretty.
Happy to show you something new Sonal!
Taiwan has been on my radar lately… It seems to be on the rise as far as popularity, and I’ve heard great things about its natural beauty. The underground houses look interesting, so does hiking.