Things to do in Green Island
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Green Island
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best all round window: monsoon eases, seas calm and clear, ferries reliable on most days, no summer crowds.
Peak crowding, warmest and clearest water, highest prices, and typhoon season at its most active. Build in a spare day.
September still has typhoon risk. October is a good shoulder for divers. From late October the monsoon builds and cancellations start.
Shutdown season: ferries often cancelled, many businesses closed, crossings at their roughest. Come only if extra cut off days are acceptable.
Best things to do in Green Island
Green Island White Terror Memorial Park
The former White Terror prison park: Oasis Villa cell blocks, exhibitions and the names wall. Free, and not a photo stop.
Green Island Lighthouse
A white 1938 lighthouse built after the President Hoover wreck, best for reef views and sunset, not a tower climb.
Little Great Wall
A short paved ridge path with two pavilions over Haishenping Bay, facing Sleeping Beauty and Pekingese Dog rocks.
Guanyin Cave
A small working cave temple to Guanyin on the coast road. A short, respectful stop, not a sightseeing hall.
Niutou Mountain
A grassy, shadeless headland above Nanliao for sunset and stars. Walk down before full dark unless guided.
Where to stay in Green Island
Nanliao
food, the harbour and the easiest first stay
The harbour village, with most restaurants, rental shops and the widest choice of beds.
Gongguan
quiet and the north coast
A village base near Gongguan, Chaikou and Zhongliao beaches and a short ride from the memorial park.
Chaikou
divers and snorkellers
The north coast dive base, steps from the Chaikou snorkelling entry and dive shops with rooms.
Think twice about
- Unsupervised reef and swim spots outside recognised sites
Strong currents, sharp coral rock entries and little or no supervision. Enter the sea at recognised sites, with a guide.
- Green Island as the last night before an onward flight
Ferries and small planes are cancelled by weather often, above all in the north east monsoon. Keep the last night in Taitung.
- The unlit coast road at night on a scooter
Long dark stretches, loose dogs and deer on the road. Ride slowly, or do not ride at night at all.
Best restaurants in Green Island
Feichaobuke Seafood Restaurant
The harbour village seafood dinner: family style dishes from the day's catch. Settle whole fish prices before cooking.
Wild BBQ
A rooftop skewer and barbecue place that fills with dive groups at night. Book through your guesthouse in season.
Yeahwave
A small burger joint with rooftop seating, for the night you cannot face another seafood platter.
Lin Family Noodles and Rice
A family noodle and rice shop for seafood noodle soup, garlic noodles and counter picked braised dishes at low prices.
Ice Jail
A dessert shop for shaved ice and the island's seaweed ice, a local speciality, under a prison themed name.
Outdoor things to do in Green Island
Zhaori Hot Spring
One of the world's few saltwater hot springs, tiered sea edge pools best at dawn, as its name promises, or at night.
Shilang Diving Area
Clear shore diving over coral gardens. The famous Big Mushroom coral lies on its side since Typhoon Meranti in 2016.
Chaikou
The calmer guided snorkelling side of the island, over shallow coral with an instructor choosing the entry for the day.
Fanchuanbi Grassland
A grass covered raised reef terrace beside Zhaori Hot Spring, with views to Haishenping and, in clear weather, Lanyu.
Dabaisha Beach
The island's main pale sand beach, for paddling, photographs and sunset. Follow local signs and do not assume it is swimmable.
Sika deer night tour
An arranged night ride with a host to spot free roaming sika deer by torchlight, often paired with stargazing.
Best hotels in Green Island
Tube18
The island's best known boutique style stay, sea facing with a pool and terrace. The local top end, not luxury.
Green Island Dive
A dive shop with rooms steps from Chaikou Beach, for travellers whose trip is courses, guided dives and early starts.
Slow Island Hostel
The laid back Nanliao budget base, with dorms, a garden and hosts who sort ferries, scooters and snorkel bookings.
Hostel Summer Light
A small Gongguan hostel with a shared kitchen, on the quieter north side near three beaches and the memorial park.
Is Green Island expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NT$2,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NT$3,600 a person |
| Splurge | NT$6,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Zhaori Hot Spring: a few days ahead
- Shilang Diving Area: a few days ahead
- Chaikou: a few days ahead
- Sika deer night tour: a few days ahead
- Tube18: weeks ahead
- Green Island Dive: a few days ahead
- Feichaobuke Seafood Restaurant: a few days ahead
- Wild BBQ: a few days ahead
- Ferries first in summer, at weekends and on holidays, then boutique stays, hostels and dive courses in July and August.
- Wild BBQ and other barbecue places in season, through your guesthouse.
Is Green Island safe?
- Police 110, ambulance and fire 119, coastguard 118. Basic clinic care only on the island; serious cases transfer to Taitung, weather permitting.
Green Island travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Taking no seasickness medicine before the Fugang crossing, which is rough even on ordinary days.
- Diving the Big Mushroom expecting a standing coral. It was toppled by Typhoon Meranti in 2016 and lies on its side.
- Building a winter trip around a sailing, when ferries are cancelled often and many businesses close.
Getting around Green Island: public transport and more
- Ferries from Fugang Harbor, Taitung, take about 50 minutes to Nanliao Harbor. Small planes from Taitung Airport take about 15 minutes.
- Rent a scooter or e bike at Nanliao Harbor, usually arranged by your guesthouse. A motorcycle licence is required for a petrol scooter.
- The coast road loop is about 16 to 19 km. There is one petrol station, so fill up when you pass it.
Who Green Island suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Green Island your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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