Green Island
Taiwan · Taitung · 30 m
Description
Green Island (綠島), Lüdao in Mandarin, is a volcanic island of about fifteen square kilometres an hour by ferry off Taitung. Its single ring road can be driven by scooter in under an hour, which is how nearly everyone sees it. The island holds Zhaori, one of only a handful of saltwater hot springs in the world, where seawater is heated geothermally and taken in stone pools cut at the tide line before dawn. Offshore the fringing reef is in good condition and shallow enough that the snorkelling at Gongguan and Dabaisha is as good as the diving. Green Island was also a prison island. The Human Rights Culture Park occupies the compound where political prisoners were held under martial law. Ferries are cancelled often between November and March, when the northeast monsoon makes the crossing rough.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 3 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: May or October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Zhaori Saltwater Hot Spring
- Island Ring Road by Scooter
- Diving on the Fringing Reef
- Green Island Lighthouse
- Sleeping Beauty Rock and Pekingese Dog Rock
- Little Great Wall (Xiao Changcheng)
- Green Island Human Rights Culture Park
- Oasis Villa Former Political Prison
- Dabaisha Beach
- Snorkelling at Gongguan and Chaikou
- Coral Reefs of Green Island
- Guanyin Cave
- Fanchuanbi Grassland
- Youzihu Abandoned Settlement
- Guoshan Historic Trail
- Cow Head Mountain (Niutoushan)
- Sika Deer Ecological Park
- Wangong Cave
- Shilang Diving Area
- Nanliao Harbour and Village
- Elephant Trunk Rock
- Stargazing over the Pacific
- Fresh Island Seafood
Getting there
- Airports:
- GNI
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry