Green Island, Taiwan
Haisenping Bay viewpoint
The lowdown
We learned about Green Island from Taiwan travel blogger extraordinaire Nick Kembel when doing research on where to go in Eastern Taiwan. Green Island is a small volcanic island 33km off the Eastern coast of Taiwan. One of Green Island’s biggest draws is that it’s home to one of the only natural salt water hot springs in the world. We didn’t care too much for that and it turns out the hot springs were closed due to rough spring sea conditions when we visited. For us, the biggest draws were that it looked beautiful, the go-to mode of transportation for getting around the island was motorbiking, and diving (as well as snorkeling) was one of the key activities. While we didn’t realize it when we booked our travel, we learned at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial museum that Green Island was home to a gruesome political prison during the White Terror period. This prison complex still exists today as a museum on the period and political prisoners that spent time there.
When all said and done, Green Island was an amazing place to explore with so much to offer and was our favorite nature-oriented stop in Taiwan. The terrain and scenery from the island was so different than what we had experienced elsewhere on the mainland, reminding us of the coast of California, Iceland, and Ireland. The prison complex-turned-museum was also a dark and interesting piece of history that broke up the nature stops. It is worthy of a spot on any Taiwan itinerary, even when considering the treacherous 50 minute ferry ride to get there from the mainland.
Day 1: Laundry and cup of noodles
We had a big travel day to get to Green Island from Hualien. The first step was taking our second HSR train from Hualien to Taitung. The train route went right through Taiwan’s bread basket revealing beautiful farmland and rice paddies. Once at Taitung, we boarded a local city bus that was really more of a shuttle van than public bus. We rode the local shuttle van packed like sardines to Fugang harbor. We then boarded the infamous ferry bound for Green Island. We had read that the sea was notoriously choppy making the ferry ride turbulent (to put it lightly). When we boarded the ferry we noticed vomit bags hanging from beams across the passenger cabin – this did not instill confidence.
We were lucky to head to the island on a relatively benign and sunny afternoon. Even then, shortly after the leaving the harbor the rocking started. It wasn’t treacherous but it did feel like the boat was going over long, prolonged bumps as if riding on a flooded carpet. While Jessie closed her eyes and focused all her energy and attention on not getting sick, Doug’s eyes were glued to the sea out the window of the boat watching flying fish jet from the wake and two sets of dolphins swim alongside the boat. Less than an hour later we had arrived! Unfortunately, the weather for the trip back would not be as benign and the 50 minutes would feel like a lifetime (read more about it in our Kenting post here).
We stayed at a cozy B&B that was a short walk from the harbor, Lian Chinq Diving B&B. As the name suggests, they operate a diving and snorkeling business out of the front, hosting group snorkeling excursions three times a day and a newly refurbished B&B out of the back. The rooms themselves were clean, spacious, charming, and provided great views of the harbor. They also rented motorbikes; although, we would come to learn that everyone in Green Island is in the motorbike rental business. There are an absurd amount of motorbikes lining the streets of the main town, Nanliao. We think that there are more bikes than people on the island.
Once settled into our B&B, we grabbed our laundry bag and walked towards the downtown Nanliao area in search of a laundromat that the B&B owner informed us about. Downtown Nanliao boasts a series of Green Island’s souvenir shops serving up local staples like dried flying fish, restaurants, and convenience stores. We located the laundromat at the end of the Nanliao stretch of road, put our laundry in, and decided to walk up and down the road to kill time. We popped into a small, beachy looking storefront Jessie had recognized from an article on foods to try in Green Island – Green Island Living Seaweed Ice. As the name suggests, this restaurant was known for serving seaweed ice, a local desert dish of shaved ice covered in coconut milk, local seaweed, and a series of sweet jelly-like toppings. We sat at a wooden picnic table that had an enclosed glass case of sand and shells while dining on our sweet treat which was served in a large seashell. It was better than we expected and we got a kick out of the “beachiness” of the experience.
With our laundry wrapped up and a light rain starting, we resorted to picking up instant noodles from the nearby 711 to prepare in our B&B room. Slurping our noodles we both laughed at the difference between the picture on the front of the noodles container and the reality of what you end up putting in your mouth. They were tasty nonetheless.
Day 2: Green Island in a day
The forecast for our only full day on Green Island called for clear and sunny skies. After breakfast, we gathered out front at the dive shop to get ready for our 10am group snorkeling session. The whole process of getting ready and over to the dive site nearby the harbor was equal parts confusing and hilarious. Our guide was a towering and animated older Taiwanese man already in a wetsuit that did not speak a single word of English. The language barrier did not slow down the process whatsoever and we developed a common understanding around the use of hand gestures. Our snorkeling group included a pair of Taiwanese friends, Laura and Rose, who spoke English well and would kindly help us out on multiple occasions, and another couple consisting of an impatient British man and his partner. Once at the dive site next to Nanliao harbor, we fumbled through a quick tutorial on cleaning and fixing our masks and holding on to a rope tied to a buoy for safety while snorkeling. Then, we walked in a line until we reached a steep coral reef drop-off falling ungracefully into the deep sea.
The water off the coast of Green Island is famous for being deep blue in color and having some of the deepest visibility for diving (up to 35m). When we regained our composure from the turbulent entry and started snorkeling from the surface of the sea, we were blown away by the expansive reef and colorful fish below so clearly visible and close to the shore. The reef itself was more vibrantly colored than in Flores (maybe due to healthier sea conditions) and the fish were plentiful and spectacular. The highlights included a neon green, blue, and pink fish that looked like a swimming embodiment of vintage ski gear, a gigantic red fish that looked like a grouper fish, and the most vibrant Nemo fish among sea anemone that almost looked fake. The only pictures we have to show for the experience include funny and blemished photos of the group taken from the guide’s old school waterproof camera. It was an awesome, efficient, and funny snorkeling experience.
After cleaning ourselves up and renting a motorbike from our B&B, we were off on our clockwise loop around the island, including stops at:
Lyudao Lighthouse: Our first stop was Lyudao Lighthouse overlooking the northwestern point of the island. Interestingly enough, it was a gift from the US after a naval ship hit a coral reef near the island and needed rescue assistance. We parked our bike after a short drive from Nanliao and walked down to the beach. The lighthouse was a simple and beautiful white structure perched on a rocky green cliff overlooking the sea. Part of what makes Green Island’s shoreline so stunning are the black lava rocks and fluorescent light blue tide-pools that sit between the white sand beach and the dark blue sea. We walked up and down the beach along the lava rocks to take it all in with the lighthouse in the backdrop
General Rock: General Rock is a collection of three imposing and rugged teardrop-shaped lava rocks sitting on a small peninsula in front of the White Terror Memorial Park and old prison turned Human Rights Museum. The name refers to the site’s resemblance to a military officer wearing a helmet (though we didn’t really see it). Up for an adventure, we decided to maneuver around the tide pools and black lava rock field past the beach out to the three rocks. The views from the peninsula were stunning and we found a collection of smaller rocks for stable footing right on the edge of the peninsula to watch the dark blue water cascade from light Gatorade blue to foamy white as the waves crashed into the black rock shore
White Terror Memorial Park and Human Rights Museum: The White Terror Period refers to the time following Chiang Kai-Shek’s declaration of Martial Law in 1949 where thousands of innocent citizens were imprisoned, tortured, and killed. We first stopped by the Memorial Park on the sea where a sobering structure contains the 8,000 names etched in the stone walls of those imprisoned and killed during this time period. We then walked up the road to the old prison (sinisterly nicknamed “Oasis Villa” at the time) turned museum to learn more. We were impressed by how honest and blunt the museum was at calling out the horrors committed by the government at the time. The highlights were the vignettes of select prisoners lining the atrium of the main prison cell building. The one we found most interesting was an overseas student from Malaysia studying in Tainan who was framed as the mastermind for a bombing of the US Information Service Building. He spent 9 grueling years in the prison before being released and was still refused from returning home to Malaysia. What was most amazing about this story is that he eventually received a Taiwanese ID card and now apparently happily calls Taiwan home
Nitou Hill: Nitou Hill, situated on the northeastern point of the island, is a particularly tall hill among a series of paths in a grassy meadow leading to epic cliffs overlooking the sea. We had the entire meadow and its network of paths and viewpoints to ourselves when we visited. The whole place is spectacular and reminded us of our time roaming the windy shoreline meadows in the Westman Islands in Iceland. We a found a nice spot perched over the sea to sit and marvel at the deep blue colors of the clear water against the large lava rocks jutting out from the sea. We then hiked up Nitou Hill to catch the 360 degree views of the meadow and beautiful shoreline in both directions
Little Great Wall to Pekingese Dog and Sleeping Beauty viewpoint: After a steep and windy climb with the motorbike, we arrived at one of our favorite viewpoint stops on the island. To access the viewpoint, we walked up and down a traditionally decorated set of stairs that undulated with the terrain somewhat ironically named the “Little Great Wall” (in reference to the considerably longer and larger “Great Wall” in mainland China). We then arrived at the viewpoint platform settled on one of the highest points of the shoreline. Down the coast to the south, we took in the breathtaking views of moon-shaped Haisenping bay and two large rock formations that resembled a Pekingese Dog and Sleeping Beauty. Unlike General Rock, we could actually see the resemblance between the names and formations, with the Pekingese Dog resting on on its arms and legs to the left and Sleeping Beauty reclined on her back to the right. We couldn’t get enough of that deep and clear blue water from high up above the bay
Fanchuanbi Grassland: Unfortunately, the widely touted Zhaori natural salt water hot springs were closed due to rough sea conditions. We made the most of the stop by heading up to another beautiful grassland viewpoint situated just behind and above the hot springs complex that was worthy of a stop in and of itself. With the sun beginning its descent in the later afternoon, we took in the last of the beautiful Green Island shoreline views from the cliffs at the edge of the meadows. From here we could also see the natural hot springs along the water. We also suspect that we saw one of the large Chinese Naval ships running military drills around Taiwan in response to US House Speaker’s meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen. No one else alongside us seemed at all alarmed, so we continued on with our day. Before hopping back on our motorbike, we hung around with a spastic group of adorable baby goats that had made their way to the parking lot while we were at the grasslands
Southeast shoreline motorbike cruise: Worth a mention on its own, motorbiking along the southeast shoreline road of the island between Haisenping bay and Nanliao was perhaps the most spectacular motorbiking we had experienced on all our travels. The road is well-paved and hardly traveled, but for the occasional motorbiker often headed in the opposite direction. The road hugs the shoreline providing some of the most beautiful and unobstructed views of the sea. We were lucky to catch this stretch of the ride at sunset and it was pure bliss. We loved it so much we covered this stretch twice so we could each take a turn at driving and taking in the views as a passenger
After a full day of exploring, we walked up the main stretch of Nanliao in search of dinner. We popped in and out of a few places before settling on a solid looking seafood restaurant with an open outdoor table called Green Island Must-Fry Seafood Canteen. Over a large Taiwanese beer and some solid non-fried seafood dishes, we fell into conversation with an awesome and engaging British and Peruvian couple living in Hong Kong that was on a diving vacation with their son and daughter. It was the perfect way to cap off one of our favorite places in Taiwan.
