3 Days on Taiwan's Green Island
Green Island (綠島, pinyin: Lǜ dǎo), also known as Ludao or Lyudao, is a hidden gem off the southeast coast of Taiwan. I was amazed by its natural beauty and warm hospitality. It’s a completely different experience than the main island of Taiwan, especially the big cities, and I highly recommend a visit. I planned this trip just a couple weeks prior, and visited in June 2024 with a friend from my scholarship program. Here’s a recap of our 3 days on the island!
Contents
Day 1: Arrival in Taitung
To get to Green Island from Taipei, you can either fly directly, or take a ferry from the southeast city of Taitung. We decided to go from Taipei to Taitung to Green Island.
- Transit: Like most transit in Taiwan, the journey from Taipei Main Station to Taitung was extremely convenient. The train ride took about 4.5 hours, but went by fast.
- Stay: We splurged on a nicer stay at the Gaya Hotel, which had a good deal on Agoda.
- Exploring Taitung: After settling in, we walked to Haibin Park, a rocky beach. Taitung is more of a driving/scootering city; there were not many other pedestrians on the 20 minute walk there.
- Dinner: Delicious noodles from 老東台米台目.
- Night swim: I booked the hotel specifically romanticizing an evening dip, and the rooftop infinity pool did not disappoint.
Day 2: Half Day on Green Island
- Breakfast: The hotel breakfast was great, with a variety of western and eastern options.
- Journey to Green Island: We took a taxi to Fugang Harbor, chatting with our friendly driver about life in Taitung. The ferry ride was a bit intimidating with its seasick-preparedness (lots of vomit bags provided around the ferry), but I had no problems and slept through most of it.
- Arriving at Nan Liao Harbour: We arrived around 11am. The owners of our hotel picked us up and guided us through renting scooters. This was the biggest unknown when planning the trip, unsure how it’d work without an international license – it turns out we could rent electric scooters, which were easy and safe to ride.
- Check-in: We checked into Hai Yin Hotel (which translates to “ocean sound”), where the 老闆娘 (lǎo bǎn niáng = female boss, or boss’s wife) walked us through the island’s landmarks.
- Exploring: We practiced a bit on the scooters, before stopping at landmarks like Niu tou shan 牛頭山 (Cow Head Mountain) and the White Terror Memorial Park (this a big topic to dive into, but essentially it used to be a prison for political prisoners).
- Lunch: We learned that most restaurants are closed between meals on the island, but managed to find yummy pasta at 富富廚房fufukitchen.
- A serene dip: We took in the views from the lighthouse and swam in Wu you ku 烏油窟 right below, a naturally formed swimming spot.
- Snorkeling: We joined a guided snorkel tour in the afternoon, which we booked that morning through the hotel. It was different from snorkeling I’ve done in the US – the snorkel areas here are quite rocky, so it’s recommended to go with a guided tour. We met at the shop, changed into wetsuits, and all rode to the Chaikou Snorkeling Area.
- Dinner: We enjoyed a seafood meal at 林家麵飯小吃 followed by mango shaved ice at 憲冰隊. Oddly, the island has several jail-themed dessert shops due to the presence of an active jail on the island (different than the White Terror historical prison).
- Stargazing: At night, we rode up to the hill above Zhaori Hot Springs to stargaze. Even with the full moon, we saw more stars than I’d ever seen in my life. It was breathtaking. The scooter ride back, with the cool breeze and sound of the ocean, felt like something out of a movie.
Day 3: Full Day on Green Island
- Breakfast: Taiwanese breakfast sandwiches at 小阿姨早餐店.
- Blue Cave: We went on another guided snorkel, this time to Blue Cave, a mesmerizing spot with vibrant, blue waters. We almost chickened out, but also both cliff jumped! The guide took group photos of us like this 😂
- Lunch: Beef noodle soup at 阿牛牛肉麵.
- Circling the island: We circled the island on our scooters, stopping at natural formations like Sleeping Beauty Rock and her neighbor, Pekingese Dog Rock. The view from Little Great Wall was stunning. The ride around the full island takes about an hour without stops.
- Beach: At Da Bai Sha 大白沙, a white sand beach, we happened to run into one of the hotel workers and had a lovely chat. He’s a young guy from the main island of Taiwan who just started working at the hotel to experience change and push himself to meet new people.
- Sunset: We returned to the lighthouse and watched the sunset.
- Dinner: Korean takeout from 綠島AJS韓式炸雞店.
- Hot Springs: We ended the day with a soak in the Zhaori Hot Springs, which is prided as one of the three salt water springs on earth.
- Night cap: Another round of mango shaved ice, this time from 綠島大街冰館. This strip of restaurants and dessert spots was conveniently walking distance from our hotel.
Day 4: Return to Taipei
- Morning: Took a final spin on the scooter before packing up and heading to the harbor.
- Return to Taipei: The ferry took us back to Taitung, where we caught a taxi to the train station. While waiting for the train, we grabbed a quick bento at 悟饕池上飯包. Soon enough, we were back in Taipei.
Map
Save the map of all the food we ate and spots we went to.
Transportation
Taitung
- Taipei to Taitung
- We took the Tze-Chiang Limited Express from Taipei Train Station to Taitung Train Station. The ride was approximately 4.5 hours.
- You can book these on Taiwan Railway’s website, and pick up at the station or any major convenience store (7-11, FamilyMart).
- Within Taitung
- Since we were only in Taitung for one evening, walking worked for us. However, to properly explore Taitung, you definitely need a vehicle.
- For a longer stay in Taitung without a car or scooter, I would consider Taiwan Trip Bus Tour.
Green Island
- Ferry to Green Island
- I booked my round-trip ferry ticket on Klook (I did not choose any additional options). The ride is approximately 1 hour.
- We were warned in advance of seasickness on the boat ride (varying with weather) and were encouraged to take seasickness pills before the ride. While I usually don’t get seasick, I took a pill just in case, and had no issues.
- An alternate route is flying, which I didn’t look much into.
- Bad weather can impact all forms of travel, so be aware during typhoon season. We went in June, which is near the beginning of typhoon season, and got great weather.
- Transportation on the island
- There are no rental cars or buses, so renting a motorcycle/scooter is the way to go.
- While you can book on your own, most accommodations will help you book your rental.
- Lightweight e-scooters are available to rent, even without a scooter or international license. We were not allowed to rent a two-person electric scooter and definitely not a motorcycle.
- It was difficult to find information on this, but I believe there’s a legal limit of 25kph for riding two-wheelers without a license, which is how we were still allowed to rent an e-scooter, which is capped at 25kph.
Accommodations
Taitung: Gaya Hotel
- This was perfect for a one-night stay. Loved the infinity pool and the breakfast. The giant elevator buttons also cracked us up every time.
- Look for deals on Agoda and Booking.com.
Green Island: Hai Yin Hotel
- Could not recommend more!! A small, simple hotel owned by a husband and wife.
- We communicated mainly in my intermediate-level Mandarin, but the owners said they have many foreign guests and use Google translate when communicating with non-Mandarin speakers.
- They will help you book scooters, snorkeling tours, anything you need!
- When we were low on battery on our scooters late at night, they personally called the shop owners for us. Their kindness and hospitality was out of this world.
Travel Tips
- Meals
- Restaurants on Green Island are small and family-run, so they often close between mealtimes. Make sure to grab lunch and dinner during regular meal hours.
- Google Maps is not always accurate for open hours.
- Scooter rentals
- If you don’t have a motorcycle/scooter license, don’t worry! You can still rent lightweight e-scooters, which are easy to ride and perfect for exploring the island.
- Wear your helmet! Police were actively fining people (mostly locals) riding motorcycles/scooters without one.
- Cash
- Bring plenty of cash with you onto the island – most places won’t accept card.
- There’s an ATM on the island that, according to the internet, doesn’t accept foreign cards
- Swim caps
- Swim caps are required at the Gaya Hotel pool and Zhaori Hotsprings, which is a cultural norm in Taiwan.
- At the hotel, no one seemed to check. At the hotsprings, they checked, and sold cheap ones at the entrance.
Must-Dos
- Loop around the full island at least once! 🛵
- Go snorkeling 🤿 (scuba diving is also recommended here, which we didn’t do this time around)
- Indulge in mango shaved ice 🥭🍧🤤
- Stargaze on the hill above Zhaori Hotsprings 🌌
Cost Breakdown (per person)
| Expense | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| Train ticket to Taitung | $24.81 |
| Gaya Hotel in Taitung (per person) | $65.31 |
| Ferry to Green Island | $32.74 |
| Hai Yin Hotel on Green Island (per person) | $62.73 |
| Train ticket back to Taipei | $24.81 |
| Taxis (2 total, to and from Taitung’s Fugang Harbor) | $12.55 |
| Scooter rental (2 days) | $37.64 |
| Guided snorkeling tour | $12.55 |
| Guided Blue Cave tour | $18.55 |
| Overpriced swim cap bought before trip for the hot springs | $9.41 |
| Zhaori Hot Spring entrance | $7.84 |
| Luggage storage at Taitung Train Station | $0.94 |
| Meals | $44.46 |
| TOTAL | $354.32 |
Final Reflections
This trip was the perfect way to close out my time living abroad in Taiwan. The midnight scooter ride back from Zhaori Hot Springs truly felt like being the main character in a coming-of-age movie. 3 days, 2 nights on the island was the perfect amount of time to me, though I could definitely imagine extending the trip to fit in more time in the ocean or go at a slower pace. I’m also grateful we got so lucky with great weather – didn’t rain a single drop until we were literally riding our scooters back the final morning. I hope everyone gets a chance to experience this beautiful part of Taiwan!
Have any questions? The best way to contact me is via LinkedIn.