Kenting National Park is in at the extreme southern tip of Taiwan. It is famous for its beautiful beaches and lush vegetation. Although Kenting National Park is located in Kenting, these two places should not be confused as the same destination. Kenting is the wider area that includes small townships as well as the national park.
Landscape
KenTing National Forest Recreation Area is between 150 and 300 meters above sea level and the total area is 466.8 hectares. Since the landform of Hengchun Peninsula is complicated and the weather is highly changeable, it breeds abundant and special rare plant resources. The forest landscape is roughly divided into three layers. The first layer is arbores. Moraceae and lauraceae are dominant. The second layer is bushes, primarily small palmae. The third layer is chamaephyte. Low grasses and liana are dominant. It is a rich and adequate forest with more than 1,200 kinds of both ornamental and conserved plants. Rising high coral limestone is everywhere in KenTing National Forest Recreation Area. The limestone is primarily composed of sedimentation of corals, foraminifers and nullipores. According to research, this area is supposed to be under sea level ten millions years ago. After weathering and sea water erosion, the coral limestone has gradually become stalagmites, stalactite caves, columns, notches and stalactites. Especially stalagmites and stalactites, they are formed by deposition of calcium carbonate which is precipitated from mineralized water solutions. An average growth rate is 1cm every 30 years. They are rare and precious stone resources. Entering from the memorial archway in KenTing National Forest Recreation Area, along the forest trail, there are old trees on both sides of the road. Among them, there is a 300-years-old giant Chinese pistache. Heading inside the recreation area, everywhere, there are spots worth a visit. Aquatic plants area, stalagmites cave, Silver Leaves and Roots, Fairy Cave, Labyrinth Forest, Sky in a Line, Falling Banyan Valley, Silver Dragon Cave, No.1 Gorge, Umbrella Pavilion and Ape Cliff are geographic landscape that you can’t miss.
Flora and fauna
KenTing National Forest Recreation Area is the only one tropical botanical garden in Taiwan and also one of the top 10 tropical botanical gardens in the world. Currently, there are thousands of tropical plants and adequate resources of butterflies, birds, insects and reptiles. Sometimes, you can see groups of Formosan macaques playing. Every autumn and winter, plenty of migratory birds including Chinese goshawks, oriental honey-buzzards, cattle egrets, falcon beauteous, brown shrikes and gray-faced buzzards roost at this place. It brings the original forest a more vivid aambiance
Climate
Tropical, Hot.During typhoon season, the waves can get quite rough causing all beaches to be closed.
Shopping
Kenting Rd turns into a kind of night market at night. You'll find cheap souvenirs, T-shirts, snorkeling gear, swimsuits and all the typical gadgets that are usually sold at beach resorts.
Nightlife, bars, discos
In Kenting town, there are quite a few bars and even a place or two where you can dance your way late into the night. Just walk along Kenting Rd after dusk and let your senses guide you. The liquor store has some nice surprises, and yes, you are allowed to open a bottle pretty much anywhere you want - on the road or at the beach.
Outside of town, options are limited but they exist. Eluanbi has cold beer, beetle nuts, hard liquor and cigarettes. Hengchun is the place to go for KTVs. If you plan to spend the night under the stars in Jialeshui, bring your own juice. There's a place that sells beer but it's overpriced.
Spring Scream Outdoor Music Festival
If you visit Taiwan in April, make sure you don't miss Spring Scream. This massive outdoor musical event features bands both from Taiwan and overseas. Last time I went in 2010, it lasted 4 days, there were around 300 bands playing on 8 stages, and the ticket was 1500NT$.
Camping
Camping is allowed in the National Park. It is advisable to contact the park directly to setup permits. Several bed and breakfast or small proprietor operations will rent tents and space for camping on their property.
Getting there and away
The bad news for those of you who want to visit Taiwan's southern part is that the train doesn't go all the way down to Kenting - it will only take you as far as Kaohsiung.
The good news is that long-distance buses (Ho-hsin) from Taipei, Taichung and other big cities around Taiwan are cheap, comfortable, and they even travel at night.
Another option is to take the train to kaoshiung, and then take a local bus to Kenting. Buses leave frequently from Kaohsiung train station.
Getting around
I only have 3 words for you: GET A SCOOTER!
There is no better way to travel around Kenting and explore the little beaches surrounding the southern tip of Taiwan than on a scooter. Here are the reason why:
- renting a scooter is cheap and easy (around 10US$/day)
- traffic can be alienating on weekends
- you can park for free anywhere
- you can feel the wind on your face and smell the ocean water
- easier to wander through narrow alleys in small villages
- and so much more... (I just love scooters!)
for the transportation, we can go by different transport such as :
By bus
Buses travel every hour on the hour from Taipei Bus Station (get there via Taipei Main Station MRT) to Kaohsiung. A popular company that offers such a service is known as United Bus, or "UBus" for short. Their ticket price as of June 28, 2011 is 430NT$. There is no wireless internet access (a somewhat popular rumor), but the seats recline and there is a roughly 20" screen mounted on the ceiling of the bus every 4 rows. The trip can range anywhere from 5 to 6 hours depending on the time of departure, as well as road and weather conditions.
Buses travel frequently from kaoshiung to Kenting. Take the line 88 from the Kaohsiung bus terminal (don't get confused with city buses). The price for a ticket is roughly 350NT$ (as of June 28, 2011, the price is 230NT$). The transit time from Kaohsiung to Kenting is approximately 2.5 hours, depending upon the general traffic situation.
There is both a regular and express bus. The express bus arrives on the hour. It can be difficult to discern which bus is the express bus and it is also unlikely the driver will speak English.
By HSR
Kenting is accessible via the HSR, or High Speed Rail which connects Taipei with Zuoying, Kaohsiung. The total travel time from Taipei to Zuoying (Kaohsiung) via HSR is approximately 90 mins. After arrival in Zuoying, exit the station and head outside where there is a bus stop. Line 88 bus to Kenting operates 24 hours/day, so getting back to the HSR on time is no problem. Ask your place of accomodation about shuttle buses, or you can take a taxi, which usually picks up passengers until it's full and then quotes a price per person for the trip.
It is advisable to reserve your HSR tickets by telephone or online if traveling on the weekend. Weekend trains are often sold out.
By car
Renting a car is not optimal, but nice if you wish to travel around/within the Kenting area. Having an automobile or renting a scooter in Kenting enables you to travel up and down the entire southern seaboard and visit both public beaches easily.
By tour vehicle
Transportation to / from Kaohsiung and throughout the broader Kenting area can be optimized by the use of a tour vehicle. Sun Go Travels offers a range of services and a tour vehicle can beat the price and schedule of regional private buses. Contact +886-(0)982-669783 for details.
For eat ,Thai food is currently in Vogue in Kenting, and virtually every restaurant now offers it. At night the main road in Kenting becomes a night market, with all kinds of food sold from stalls. There are plenty of restaurants too - lots of Chinese (of course), Thai, and a little western. There is also a lot of fresh fruit available and plenty of seafood.
- Chef Papa, No. 142 Kenting Rd. (On the Kenting Strip, across from Family Mart). A great little restaurant/pub with really friendly french owners. Very relaxed atmosphere, open breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night. Has other fun stuff like hookah, and doubles as a bed and breakfast during peak season.
- Chinese Seafood, Kenting (Across Cafe 85). The seafood is delicious and worth ordering the fish of the day. It is very reasonably priced unlike some of the other seafood eateries offering live fish. 200NT per person.
- Fu Dog Surfing, Kenting strip. At FuDog Surfing, Jonathon cooks up a variety of Western-style food, including delicious pizzas.
- Santosa Restaurant, Nanwan (5-10 minutes North from the Kenting Strip). Cheap Thai food that is delicious and filling. Try the seafood fried rice and the basil chicken. The restaurant owner is very friendly. It is close to the 7-11 on the Nanwan strip. About 150NT per person.
- Warung DiDi, No. 26 Wenhua Lane, Kenting Rd, Kenting (Hidden down a narrow alley off the main road - follow the signs). Seems to be the most popular restaurant in Kenting, serving a variety of pan-Asian food. A little hard to find, and fills up quickly, but worth a visit.
- The Rock Garden, (when going from Kenting, the place is 300 mt off the main road before the bridge; at Jialeshui Beach), ☎ 0925751032. Lovely place in a garden setting, great for a lunch outdoors.
- Bossa Nova beach cafe, 100 Nan-Wan road-Nan-Wan beach-Hengchuen-946-TW, ☎ 08-8897137. all day open. cool beach cafe with one of the rare ocean view in the area.solid menu with a large asian selection and a western section as well.wine/coffee/desserts. look for Claire the owner,she is a local and a longtime body boarder,always ready to help you with any infos you might need.
- Beach Bistro (Asia-Euro Nouvelle Cuisine ),, No.230, Changfun Rd.Eluan village.Hengchun Township, Pingtung County, ☎ 0919237280 08-8851281,.10:00am~22:00pm. Beach Bistro is a Greek-style seaside restaurant which offers a mixture of Asian and European recipes. The owner Chang Chung-Ho was born in Kenting and travels to France every year The restaurant offers not only delicious food but also a particularly relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Location NEXT to (Chuanfanshih“Boat Sail Rock) the village name is "Shiangjianwan" NT200$~NT400$.
posted by Lim Shi Ning A13A1467
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