Xiao Liu Qiu (琉球嶼)


Flower Base Rock
Xiao Liu Qiu is a coral island off the western coast of Southern Taiwan that is known for walking snorkeling, biking, and walking trails along the coral coast. Getting there proves to be a bit of an adventure. From Kaohsiung Main Station, take the exit on the side with the Metro. Walk past the metro and turn left on the main street. Continue about a block and a half until you see the Ibus sign. Here you can buy your round trip ticket to Donggang (190 NTD per person). Take Bus 9127 or 9127A. Note, the first bus departs at 6 a.m.

The bus ride to Donggang takes 60-90 minutes depending on traffic. Once you arrive in Donggang, walk about 12 minutes to the High Speed Ferry terminal across from the Hua Qiao Fish Market. To get there, go to the intersection with the hospital and walk west until you reach the bridge. Then, turn left and keep walking.

There are many different ferry companies operating out of the terminal. We picked the one which offered the next ferry. A round trip ferry ticket costs 410 NTD per person. The ferry ride is about 30 minutes long.

There are two piers on Xiao Liu Qiu. We arrived at Baisha Port. Right after disembarking, there are multiple scooter and electric bike rental shops. We opted to rent traditional bikes (100 NTD/ day) to cruise the 13 km road that traces the circumference of the island.

Next, we headed to the Visitor Information Center next to Lingshan Temple. Staff here were very friendly and spoke fluent English. They provided us with maps and restaurant recommendations on the island. In addition, they warned us that many people who do not ride scooters on Taiwan's mainland try riding them here, so be careful.

Then, we peddled down to road to the toll gate to purchase the combined ticket for the islands different caves and sights (120 NTD).  We started at Beauty Cave, continued southwest to Mountain Pig Ditch and Gabon Beach (where we were warned not to swim due to the dangerous rip current), and rested at Black Ghost Cave. Each stop included restrooms and food vendors.

Light House
After a rest, we continued south to Indian Rock, Houshi Reef, and Guanyin Rock before cutting inland to see the Lighthouse and Old Banyan Tree. We then connected with the Island Ring Road and biked to Longxia Grotto and back to Baisha to return the bikes.

As we had sometime before the final ferry was going to depart, we walked down to Zhongao Beach and up to Vase Rock.

Finally, we returned to the ferry terminal with an hour to spare to line up for the ferry back. We were glad we got there early as the line was quite long, and we caught the final ferry out while many tourists were left behind. I'm not sure if the company continues additional ferry runs if people are in line or if the remaining tourists had to book accommodation on the island for the night. The last private boat leaves Xiaoliuqui at 5:30 p.m. and the last bus returns to Kaohsiung departing Donggang shortly after 9:30 p.m.

Trail in the Wild Boar Trench
Xiao Liu Qiu is popular among Taiwanese. If you want to stay overnight, I'd recommend booking in advance. Agoda.com lists some hotels on the island. Our research indicated that hotel reservations need to be made in Mandarin as many hotel owners don't speak English; however, the Visitor Center staff updated us that this is no longer true. We would recommend staying the night if possible.

We had a fun-filled day and would love to return to this beautiful coral island.
 
Location: Lambai Island, Liuqiu Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan 929

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