Trip to Green Island

Ludao, a small volcanic island off the south east coast of Taiwan, has managed to snuggle up in my list of favorite places visited. Commonly known as Green Island of Taiwan, Ludao is a hidden paradise presenting mind blowing snorkeling and scuba diving locations, a lighthouse, a saltwater hot spring and a deer park. There are hiking trails as well, through lush green hills, leading to pavilions at varied elevations to witness the blue Pacific Ocean.

The island can be reached either by flight or by ferry service from Taitung.

Because of it's remote nature, reaching Ludao is not very easy. It was a long journey from Nangang district in Taipei to Taitung, in the south of Taiwan. We took the ferry from Taitung and reached Nanliao harbor of Ludao at around 3:30 pm on 13th October, 2019. The once-a-day flight from Taitung remains in air only for 15 minutes, but tickets are limited. The ferry service is more frequent and good, however it is nicknamed as the 'Vomit Comet' for a certain reason.

We had no expectation or imagination that could match up with the captivating reality we embraced on Green Island for the next couple of days. Here are a few highlights from our trip - 

A single peripheral road runs around the island for about 18 Kms. We stayed at Nanliao street on the west coast.

Ludao or Lyudao Lighthouse

We went out at 5 pm, to just be able to see the sun setting beyond the lighthouse, on the north west corner of the island. At 33 meters high, Ludao Lighthouse is the most remarkable landmark on Green Island. The Lyudao airport is right beside the light house.

The Ludao lighthouse was destroyed by an air strike during World War II but was rebuilt by the Republic of China government

As we were leaving the lighthouse area, we vowed to visit there the next day again, maybe bit earlier in the day. On our second visit the next day afternoon (14th October), we noticed a gateway towards the beach, right beside the lighthouse. It seemed so lucrative that we were pulled towards the narrow corridor, only to be bedazzled by what we saw next.

Can you feel the invisible force ushering you forwards?

It was a cove with a lagoon flooded at the high tide. We stayed there hypnotized by the divine ambience until it got dark and cold. The transition from the warm afternoon light to the muted afterglow of twilight, enhanced the display of various shades of blue in the water. With a backdrop of the white sand beach and green patches of tropical plants and the roaring ocean, it was not just a pleasant sight, it was altogether a sensational experience.

The entire area around the lighthouse is absolutely stunning and devoid of any crowd.

Corals underneath the water make it unsuitable for swimming for the untrained ocean enthusiasts. However, a walk on the white sand was rejuvenating for our feet and the clear cold water lapping at our feet was ecstatic for the soul!


Little Great Wall 

Earlier that morning, we took a clockwise route to the other side of the island. We had few glimpses of the marine blue sea as we moved uphill and paused to see the Little Great Wall. It may well be imagined as a microscopic version (it was just a few meters) of the Great Wall of China, and at the end was an opportune vantage point to take stunning photographs of the east coast of Ludao.

Little Great Wall leading to a scenic pavilion over the east coast of Ludao

Confucius Rock

Downhill from Little Great Wall we reached the coastal line of Ludao. At that point, I was yearning for a good camera but had to made do with my Lumia, which is counting it's last breaths. Instead I consoled myself, saying that it was so beautiful, it may not have been captured on a photograph.

A coalition between imagination, history and wind-and-water erosion of the coastal rocks has bloomed attractive sites like Sleeping beauty rock, Pekingese dog rock, Confucius rock, Turkey rock and many others along the wild coast.

Zhaori hot spring

The road along the east coast from Confucius Rock to Zhaori hot spring, located at the south east corner of Green Island, was extremely pleasant. Pekingese dog rock could be seen at a distance (in the middle of the picture below) from Zhaori hot spring.

Zhaori hot water spring is one of the three saltwater hot springs in the world.

To the west of Zhaori hot spring, the island features the Green Island camping area, Ziping, and Dabaisha diving area, all forming the southern border of Ludao. Ziping is the uninhabited southern tip of Green Island, and is an abode of the island's hermit crabs. The hot spring stays open till 11:30 pm but the island sleeps early. There are a few restaurants (some serve alcohol) at Nanliao street and a couple in Gonguan Village. Be ready to get spoiled for choices from the wide variety of seafood delicacies offered in the calm and comfortable restaurants.



We enjoyed the amazing seascape and delicious food at Nanliao Street.

The great thing throughout our vacation in Ludao was that we either were close to the sea shore or at the top of the hills with great views of the ocean.


Niutou Hill

We took the same route the next morning (15th October) and stopped at Guanyin cave, which is around a kilometer behind the Little Great Wall. Guanyin cave is a natural limestone formation on the hill, formed by erosion and is visited by pilgrims and tourists across the year. 

The bright gates of Guanyin cave adds a different flavor to Green Island scenary 

There was not much to explore, so we took the way back. A few meters back downhill from Guanyin cave, is the detour that leads the entrance to Niutou hill. Here are some pictures.

 In comparison to the blue lagoon entrance, the entrance to Niutou hill was quite ordinary. 

'Niu' means cow and 'tou' means head in Mandarin. Although I found resemblance in the structure towards the right of the picture below, but that does not contribute to the nomenclature of the hill. We will come to that later.

A great grassland scene but wait till we go to the edge.

When we reached the edge of the cliff, we were literally almost swept off our feet to see the flashes of aquamarine and white complimenting the deep blue color of the vast expanse of the ocean. My expertise with color shades is crippled, but I can safely say that I had never before seen so many shades of blue together. It was a phenomenon which I excitedly called out as 'the Pacific Blue'.

Niutou hill constitutes the north east cape of Green Island, facing the mighty winds and waves of the Pacific Ocean. I was astounded by what I saw. It was equally thrilling to realize that the horizon before me spanned across half of the globe, since the next continuous land mass was the continent of North America.

The wind from the ocean was ferocious and it blew my bag away back towards the grassland. I could hardly take a decent photograph because it was that difficult to hold my hands straight in the extremely wild rush of wind. The spray of cool ocean water was surprisingly not salty, but rather very refreshing. Perhaps, I was just spell bound by the magic of the place.

The rock ahead also has a name - the Gateway Rock or Loumen Rock 

Then we took the trail downhill back to Gonguan Village, the other residential area on the north coast of Ludao, through the Sika deer ecological park. We were not lucky enough to spot a deer on the way, but we stopped at several locations to see the vast expanse of blue water. There is an alternate route along the coast, which I learnt later.

Gonguan Village with Niutou at the right.

Yes that's right. The structure on the right (in the picture above) which looks like the head of a cow lying comfortably on the sea shore is Niutou. Pretty cool pose I must say, with the cool blue waves tickling the chin. When we were at the top of the hill, we would barely be visible from the current location.

Niutou is clearly visible from as far as the Green Island Human Right Memorial park, where we disembarked our exploration and moved towards the west side of the island. Recently renamed as the Green Island White Terror Memorial park, it represents a dark chapter in Taiwanese history, as well as associated with the origin of the island before tourism inflated. Green Island was once used as a prison or exile for those who did not share the same ideology as the reigning regime.

Entrance to the Memorial Park. Ludao reminds of the 'White Terror' phase of Taiwan

Snorkeling & Scuba diving

This out-of-the-world experience in Ludao should not be missed by anyone, as the main tourism industry on the island thrives on the water sports and activities over the coral reefs. Pristine clear blue water, ample of tropical fishes and other colorful sea creatures beneath, and lots to tell, which I have tried to capture on my other blog - An amateur experience of Snorkeling (Coming Soon).

Nanliao, Dabaisha and Chaikou are the three most popular spots for scuba diving and snorkeling. Equipment can be rented from diving centers (many associated with PADI) in Nanliao village. Complete arrangements can be done from the hotels as well. There is also an underwater postbox in Shilang diving area near Nanliao harbor. 



Swimming with the fishes in a blue world.

Extras :

• You need to know a bit of Mandarin to enjoy your stay at Ludao. Some of the local people understand English if spoken slowly. However, any where in the world, if you speak or at least greet the local people in their native language, you are guaranteed for prompt response and additional convenience.

• The immediate realization as you settle on Green Island is to hire a scooter to roam around. Scooter is the most convenient, encouraged and available mode of transport on the little island. 

This is the best way to enjoy your vacation at Ludao with complete freedom. 

• There are exciting hiking trails as well on the island. So even if you hire a scooter, keep your sports shoes handy, as you would love to get up those stairs to get a panoramic view.

• The body of water surrounding Green Island is actually Philippines Sea. However Philippines sea is a peripheral sea of the Pacific Ocean, so I am not technically incorrect in getting excited and calling out it out as the Pacific blue or ocean.

Location of Green Island on the left screen. It is barely visible on map.

• Hermit crabs and wild crabs cross the road at many places every now and then, as they switch their habitat from the green hills to the sea beach and vice versa. Please be mindful while walking or riding through the barren roads, so as to avoid hurting them. At some places we came across more crabs than human beings! 

• As I said, Green Island is a very small tourist destination and hence please do not expect sound logistics. There are a couple of resorts which should provide you better service. However most of the restaurants and shops and hotels accept only cash. There is only one ATM on the island now in Nanliao post office which not always accepts foreign cards. So it is advisable to be equipped with enough cash from the mainland Taiwan before you come to Green Island.

• We were on the island at the time when Typhoon Hagibis crashed on the east coast of Japan. Although Ludao is around 2000 miles south of Japan, the winds were stronger than usual and even the water activities were suspended for a day.

Be a responsible and environment-friendly tourist. There is little to no administration on Green Island, given the population hardly crossing 2000 mark. You may well see plastic wastes at some of the sea shores. Please do not add to them. Even when no one is watching you. There are abundant disposal bins on the island, and hence there are no excuses for littering. Please carry cloth bags with yourself if you wish to purchase memento or other items from the island. Please do not accept plastic bags even if offered from the stores.

Let us make some travel ethics and habits like these where ever we go. Together let us make this world a cleaner and better place. Happy travelling!