Green Island is one of my personal favorite offshore islands in Taiwan, right up there with Penghu.
This small island off the coast of Taitung has a long list of draws: tropical island vibes, some of the country’s best snorkeling and scuba, unique foods and accommodations, a haunting history, and one of the world’s only saltwater hot springs.
I’ve visited Green Island three times – once with my family from Canada, once with my Taiwanese wife, and most recently in mid-2025, as a solo traveler to collect the most current travel information for this article – and updated constantly since then with feedback from members in my Facebook group.
Below I’m going to provide everything you need to know to plan an epic trip to Green Island Taiwan!
Green Island Introduction
Green Island (綠島, also written Ludao, Lüdao, Lvdao, or Lyudao) is a volcanic island 15-17 km2 (depending on the tides) in size and located 33 km (21 miles) off the southeast coast of Taiwan.
Just like Orchid Island further south, Green Island is part of Taitung county, but unlike Orchid Island it lacks a significant Indigenous Taiwanese population today.
Green Island was originally home to the Amis and Tao Indigenous peoples. The Amis called it Samasana Island – I even saw this word used on some snacks there. Taiwanese used to call it Fire Island (火燒島) due to its volcanic origins.
It was renamed Green Island in 1949, around the time that the arriving Republic of China government (in exile after losing the Civil War in China) started to use it as a penal colony.
From the 1940s to the 1980s (dubbed the “White Terror” period), the ROC leaders sent all manner of political prisoners, from accused dissidents to intellectuals, to be incarcerated at the ironically named Oasis Village (綠洲山莊) prison settlement on the island.
Many were tortured there or never made it off the island. Some who were exiled there would later go on to form the DPP (the opposing political party once Taiwan democratized).
The 2017 historical novel Green Island by Shawna Yang Ryan is based on (and named after) this brutal chapter in Taiwan’s history – find it in my list of favorite Taiwan books.
From the 1990s onward, Green Island became an increasingly popular tourist destination. Oasis Village remains as a human rights memorial and open-air museum.
The island’s economy today is based almost totally on tourism. Of its registered population of around 4000, only half live there permanently. Another 1000-2000 tourists visit daily in the tourist season, from around April to September.
Green Island is a verdant island with andesite and breccia cliffs/rock formations.
It has a large population of wild sika deer, Reeve’s muntjacs (listen for barking sounds in the morning), Ryukyu flying foxes (a type of bat), and rare big headed stick insect.
It is especially known for its underwater world, as it is located in the warm and nutrient-rich Kuroshio Current.
This makes it ideal for coral growth and tropical fishes. My personal best snorkeling and scuba diving experiences in Taiwan have been on Green Island.
Also see my guides to other Taiwanese islands: Penghu, Xiaoliuqiu, Cijin, Matsu Islands, and Orchid Island.
When to Visit Green Island
The best time to visit is from April to September. Taiwanese visitors flock to Green Island at this time, but note that temperatures can be roaring hot.
The tourist season opens around the long weekend at the start of April. I visited at that time in 2025. Unfortunately the weather was still crappy (hence why you’ll see lots of cloudy sky photos in this article), but usually it’s already hot by this time.
Typhoons can strike Green Island anytime from July to October and result in ferry cancelations.
When my family and I were on Green Island, it was announced that a typhoon was coming. As a result, we had to leave the island a day early to avoid the possibility of getting stuck there.
The crowds peter out in September (which can still be very hot), then October to March is the off-season.
Like most of Taiwan’s offshore islands, you’ll want to avoid visiting in winter. At that time, the island tends to be cool, very windy, and many restaurants and hotels close.
See my Taiwan weather guide for more info about each month.
Day Trip vs. Multiple Days
It is possible to do a day trip to Green Island. If you take the first ferry (usually 9:30 AM) and depart on the last one (often but not always 4:30 PM), you’ll have around seven hours to explore the island.
This is enough to ride a scooter or bicycle to multiple sights around the island, enjoy a soak in the hot springs, or do some snorkeling / scuba diving.
However, you’ll enjoy Green Island more if you spend a few nights there. I’d recommend spending two nights so you can enjoy one full day there. This is enough time to see and experience just about everything the island has to offer.
If you want even more time to relax and/or do lots of scuba/snorkeling, go for three nights.
Package Deals
They are some high value packages to Green Island like this one. It includes return ferry tickets, scooter rental (IDP needed), hotel, snorkeling tour, and a BBQ dinner.
You get the option of 1 or 2 nights. It’s cheaper than booking all these things individually.
Here’s another similar one on KKDay.
Popular Activities
Water activities are very popular on Green Island and I suggest you try at least one of them.
Scuba Diving
The best scuba diving I’ve ever done in Taiwan was on Green Island.
The island has three main diving locations: Shilang (just south of Nanliao harbor, featuring an underwater postbox), Chaikou (on the north coast), and Dabaisha (on the south coast, the one I tried and it was excellent).
You can book your dive here, here, or here. The location could be at any of the above three spots, depending on time of day and conditions. You can also book scuba diving through most hotels.
Freediving can also be doen on Green Island.
Snorkeling
Snokeling can also be done at the above three locations, plus a fourth, particularly stunning location: Blue Cave on the east coast. They bill it as a “secret” location, but I’ll tell you how to find it on your own below in the article.
Book here for the first three locations and here for Blue Cave. Green Island package tours also include snorkeling.
Something important to note – if you’re an experienced snorkeler, you may find that they are overprotective on snorkeling tours not just on Green Island but everywhere in Taiwan.
For example, they may make you stay closely with the group hold and onto a rope the whole time. This is because many Taiwanese and visitors from other Asian countries can’t swim well or are not used to being in the sea.
You could also just rent your own equipment from any of the shops and do it on your own.
Paddle Boarding
Stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) is also a popular activity on Green Island. Usually it’s done on the north coast. You can book it here.
Getting to Green Island
To get to Green Island, you’ll first need to travel to Taitung. The fastest trains from Taipei get there in just under four hours.
From the west coast, the train from Kaohsiung takes about two hours, while the train from Fangliao (for connections to Kenting or Xiaoliuqiu) takes 1.5 hours. These are mostly express trains and must be booked in advance.
See my train booking guide for more info.
You can also fly from Songshan Airport in Taipei’s city center to Taitung (book here).
Pro tip: I arrived at Taitung station in the evening and spent this night at the very cute and welcoming Xiu Xiu Guesthouse (see on Booking / Agoda) near the station. Then I took a taxi to the ferry terminal the next morning.
By Flight
DailyAir offers around three flights per day (TWD 1100 one-way, 15 minutes) from Taitung to Green Island.
These can be booked from two months in advance and sell out quickly. The site is mostly in Mandarin – Select 台東 (TTT)→綠島 (GNI) and use a translation app as needed.
The small planes land at Green Island Airport here at the northwestern corner of the island and just north of Nanliao, the main town. Most hotels on the island will offer free pick-up from the airport.
By Ferry
Most visitors go to Green Island by ferry. The ferries depart 2-5 times per day (depending on the day and month) in each direction and take about one hour.
I always book my ferry tickets here on Klook.
The full ferry schedule is here. In the table at the bottom, X means no ferry at that time, o means the ferry is available and • means it is canceled or sold out.
There are different ferry companies, but Klook gives access to all of them. You can check in at any counter.
The ferries depart from Fugang Harbor (富岡漁港) here.
The harbor is about 15 minutes by taxi (TWD 300) or 25 minutes by bus from Taitung station, or 25 minutes by car or 1 hour by bus from Taitung airport. You can book a car from anywhere in Taitung to Fugang here.
The ferry ride to Green Island is notoriously bumpy. There are plastic bags available for those who end up vomiting (in my experiences riding to Green Island, there are always at least a handful of seasick passengers per sailing – you’ll hear them).
If you are prone to seasickness, ask for 暈車藥 (motion sickness medication) from any pharmacy in Taiwan.
The ferries arrive at Green Island Nanliao Harbor here, just south of Nanliao, the main town.
Pro tip: On my way back to Taitung after visiting Green Island, I walked from Fugang Harbor to Dalu’an Indigenous restaurant. After an incredible meal, I asked them to call a taxi to take me back to Taitung.
Getting Around Green Island
The most common and convenient way to get around Green Island is by scooter. I rented mine here on Klook (pickup spot here, TWD 300/24 hours) but you can also easily find one on arrival.
To rent a scooter in Taiwan, you typically need an IDP with a motorcycle endorsement (stamp in the A box). Read more about renting a scooter in Taiwan.
There are numerous scooter rental shops at Nanliao Harbor.
Workers from the shops will start offering you a scooter as soon as you get off the ferry, and you’ll walk past hundreds and hundreds of available scooters. Don’t be afraid to say yes – no one is going to rip you off here.
The scooter may come full of gas and you have to return it full, or it may come empty and you return it with as close to empty as you can.
There’s only one gas station on the island here near the harbor. The rental shop will tell you whether you should put 92 or 95 type gas. A full tank would be enough to drive around the whole island (roughly one hour) multiple times.
Even though most of the scooters look pretty new, some are not in the best condition. The battery on mine died while I driving around the island. I had to call them and wait for them to bring me a new one.
Most hotels offer free pickup from the harbor and can arrange a scooter rental for you if you ask.
You *might* be able to get a scooter in this way if you have an IDP with no A stamp, or possibly even without any IDP at all, but that will totally depend on the hotel.
If you don’t have an IDP, your main options for getting around will be to rent a bicycle (TWD 200 per day, free at some hotels), which will be fine for exploring the town, beaches, and museum.
However, it would be a pretty long ride all the way around the island, with a steep hill on the eastern side.
Or you can rent an electric scooter (TWD 600/24 hours), which doesn’t require a license. In the same link I shared above for renting a regular scooter, choose the “TR9 Electric Scooter”.
These are of course faster and less strenuous than regular bikes. But they are less powerful than a normal scooter and may not be able to get up the steep hill on the eastern side of the island. You could still at least explore the town area, main beaches, and hot springs. The rental shop can further advise on how far you can go.
You’ll note that the electric scooters cost quite a bit more (TWD 1000/24 hours vs 350 for normal scooters). That’s because they are more limited, have expensive parts, and battery charging is not easy on the island.
There’s also a very limited bus service on the island. The bus travels from Nanliao Harbor in a clockwise circle around the island roughly every hour from 8:30 to 5 PM. A tickets costs TWD 100. Ask your hotel for more information.
Where to Stay on Green Island
There are dozens of simple guesthouses on Green Island, heavily concentrated in Nanliao and along the north coast. Some places have a sea view but none are right on the beach.
Without a scooter, staying in Nanliao would be convenient for access to restaurants and the island’s only 7-Eleven and FamilyMart. With a scooter, pretty much anywhere is good – go out of town for a quieter vibe.
I loved my stay at Tube 18 (see on Booking / Agoda) south of town. The super unique rooms here are made from giant sewer pipes (with no smell, I promise!)
Not only did I have a nice sea view from my room but also there’s a small pool and the owner is super friendly and helpful.
The accommodation is a 5-minute drive or 20-minute walk drive south of Nanliao Harbor and town. The owner offers free pickup and laundry service. He even gave me a free plate of fresh sashimi one night!
For a hostel, try Reading Backpack (see on Booking / Agoda) in Nanliao or 走走潛水背包旅宿 (see on Booking / Agoda) on the north coast.
For a super convenient location if you don’t have a scooter, try Twinkle Ocean (see on Booking / Agoda). The colorful hotel has cat-face balconies (see image below) and is right next to Nanliao Harbor.
Or try Green Island Padi 9 (see on Booking / Agoda) overlooking the harbor. Both can arrange snorkeling or scuba.
Visitors with kids will enjoy 綠島Gt大叔民宿 (see on Booking) on the north coast, which has quad rooms and a small pool.
There are many more similar options around the island – just search around on Booking or Agoda and read the reviews.
Things to See and Do around the Island
Now I’m going to take you on a clockwise tour around Green Island, starting from Nanliao Harbor, where you would arrive by ferry.
Nanliao Harbor
Nanliao Fishing Harbor (南寮漁港, here) is where you are most likely to arrive at Green Island.
Stepping off the ferry, locals will offer you scooters right away. Most accommodations offer pick up from here, and the driver will likely be standing there with a sign for their hotel.
Just north of the harbor is the only gas station on the island and a duty free shop here. Green Island, like a few others in Taiwan, has tax free status to encourage tourism there.
Shilang Scuba Diving area (石朗潛水區, here), one of the three main scuba diving spots on the island, stretches along the coast south of Nanliao Harbor.
It features an Underwater Post Box (海底郵筒, here), shaped like a seahorse, which scuba divers can mail a postcard from.
To arrange your diving, try here, here. or here, but it’s not guaranteed which location they will take you to.
Nanliao Village
Nanliao (南寮) is the main town on Green Island. It runs along the island’s west coast from Nanliao Harbor to Green Island Airport.
Many hotels, the only 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, and the majority of the island’s restaurants and services are concentrated here.
For shopping, I recommend:
- Brother Story (大哥的故事, here) Prison-themed shop with variety of Green Island souvenirs
- King of Snack (饕海王綠島特產文化館, here), with local specialties like bird’s nest jelly drink (海燕窩), seaweed mochi, and fire roasted biscuits (火燒島的餅). They also have seasickness meds.
- Master Tang’s Seaweed Mochi (唐師傅海草麻糬創始店, here) Right next to 7-Eleven, with similar snacks to the above.
For restaurants, I recommend (from south to north):
- Hang’s Green Island Buffet BBQ (綠島夯自助BBQ, here) One of two all-you-can-eat DIY barbecue restaurants on Green Island – many locals consider DIY BBQ a must when visiting the islands.
- Ganquanxiao Station (甘泉小站, here) Iced drinks with konjac, seaweed, grass jelly, and coconut, just north of harbor
- Lin Family Noodle Shop (林家麵飯小吃, here) Whole deep-fried flying fish (I really enjoyed this special and highly photogenic dish!), braised pork rice, noodles, etc
- Yakitori Restaurant (島上串串, here) Japanese grilled meats and ice-cold draught beer, my vote for top restaurant on the island
- Jusen Breakfast (巨森早餐吧, here) For Taiwanese breakfast, but might be a wait in peak season
- Green Island Crispy Chicken (綠島品香脆雞, here) For deep fried chicken, seafoods, veggies, tofu, etc. I got some quick take-away food here on my own.
- Green Island Prison Ice (綠島監獄冰, here) Prison-themed shop with shaved ice including the island’s signature seaweed.
- Green Island Food House (綠島派吃所, here) This one goes for a police theme, with shaved iced served in seashells – a must-eat dessert unique to Green Island.
- Mr. Dog Restaurant & Bar (綠島哈狗俱樂部, here) Pizza, pasta, and creative cocktails.
- Doraemon Brown Sugar Seaweed Ice (小叮噹黑糖海草冰, here) Another spot with the shaved ice served in seashells.
- Wang Ice Cream (王記綿綿冰, here) 70-year running running “famous” traditional ice cream shop, but every time I tried to visit, they told me it wasn’t ready yet.
Lyudao Lighthouse
Just north of the airport, and at the northwestern tip of the island, is Green Island Lighthouse (綠島燈塔, here).
The 33-meter lighthouse was built in 1939 after a US ship sank offshore. My family took some nice sunset photos here, with the lighthouse reflecting in Wuyouku (烏油窟, here), a small wading pool beside it.
Chaikou Beach and Snorkeling Area
Chaikou (柴口浮潛區, here) is the second snorkeling and scuba spot on Green Island. It is located off a long beach just past Zhongliao village (中寮), where many of the island’s permanent residents live.
Chaikou features a 30-meter cement path for scuba divers and snorkelers to walk out into the sea. For diving, try here, here, or here, but it’s not guaranteed which location they will take you to.
Even if you aren’t doing snorkeling or scuba diving, Chaikou is a nice beach to take a stroll or swim. It has a long, thin strip of sand. At low tide, we enjoyed exploring the narrow pools of water between sections of exposed reef.
We also found the view from this beach towards mainland Taiwan, with its mountains visible on the horizon, to be stunning. Sunsets are also beautiful from this beach.
There are many hotels near this beach and a few restaurants:
- SeeSeaToast (熱壓吐司, here) Cute toasted sandwiches, with some normal and some unusual choices, like 1000-year egg with cheese, but I found them to be nothing special
- Fire Cave BBQ (火窟BBQ碳烤, here) The second all-you-can-eat BBQ place on the island.
Gongguan Cape & Fishing Harbor
At the end of Chaikou Beach, Gongguan Cape (公館鼻, here) is a rocky cape that you can climb up, possible to watch sunrise or sunset.
Right after it, Gongguan Fishing Harbor (公館漁港, here) is a very small fishing harbor where I’ve enjoyed jumping off the docks into the water. Scuba divers sometimes start here.
Sika Deer Ecological Park
A small road veers inland to Sika Deer Ecological Park (綠島梅花鹿生態園區, here). You can meet sika deer and a few other animals here.
Based on reviews, which mention poor living conditions and animals chained down, and some of the sika deer are raised for meat, I’ve never visited here and don’t recommend it.
White Terror Memorial Park
The former prison on Green Island is now an expansive, free, open-air museum dedicated to this sobering period of Taiwan’s history. Once referred to as “Oasis Villa” (綠洲山莊), it is now called White Terror Memorial Park (白色恐怖綠島紀念園區).
The first thing you’ll pass is the underground Human Rights Monument (人權紀念碑) on the left (ocean) side of the road. It includes the names of the thousands of political prisoners who were interred or died here.
The main complex is a little further ahead and on the right side of the road.
The main entrance is opposite a cape with several interesting rock formations, including the Triple Rocks (三峰岩) and Elephant Trunk Rock (象鼻岩), which inmates used to refer to as the “gateway to hell”.
The complex includes the main Bagua Prison (named after its traditional Chinese shape 8-sided shape – look up at the skylight to see it), a solitary confinement block, and an exhibition hall with wax models and informative displays.
There is a free two-hour guided tour at 10:00 and 15:00 (subject to change), but in Mandarin only.
Further down the coast, there is another newer prison complex called New Life Correction Centre (新生訓導處碉堡, here), which we’ll pass by in the next entry.
Gate of Revolution and Swallow Cave
Just past the main prison complex, the road splits. If you turn right you’ll drive under the Gate of Revolution (革命之門, here), which I forgot to photograph, then you’ll go up a very steep hill to the island’s east coast.
But before I did that, I continue straight pas the gate to where the road ends next to a small temple on a patch of grassy land that was cleared by prisoners and sometimes used to play baseball.
From the parking spot, I walked 15 minutes along the coast to find Swallow Cave.
I passed a couple “pillboxes” belonging to the New Life Correction Center. These were surveillance towers but also sometimes used to place prisoners in solitary isolation.
Then I passed a small cemetery where inmates used to be executed.
Finally I crossed a 400-meter stretch of stone beach to find the surprisingly huge (37m wide, 20m tall) Swallow Cave (燕子洞, here).
The cave served as a natural amphitheater where prison workers watched Chinese opera performances. Locals also collect swallow nests here for making bird’s nest jelly.
Cow Head Mountain
At the northeastern corner of the island, Cow Head Mountain (牛頭山 or Niutoushan, here) is a grassy promontory looking out over the sea. When viewed from the prison area, it looks like ox head with two visible horns.
To get there from Swallow Cave, I returned to my scooter, drove back and then under the Gate of Revolution, up a steep hill (with view looking down on the prison complexes) to find the small turnoff to Niutoushan.
A 15-minute trail leads up Niutoushan, with a few military lookouts. Some people come up here for sunrise or sunset.
Guanyin Cave Temple
The next stop, and a must-see on the island, is Guanyin Cave Temple (觀音洞廟, here).
The cave is formed by a small stream through the east coast’s uplifted coral. In the next entry, I’ll share how you can swim in a natural pool formed by this stream.
The cave contains some stalactites and stalagmites, one which looks like the goddess Guanyin.
There are many other natural Guanyin statues around Taiwan, including one on Xiaoliuqiu and another in a temple on Shoushan (Monkey Mountain) in Kaohsiung.
A set of stairs go down into the caves. Because they aren’t very big, they can get a little crowded at peak times. There are also restrooms and a small shop on site.
Youzihu, Secret Waterfall, and Blue Cave
From the main road, a turnoff goes steeply downhill to Youzihu (柚子湖, here), a long, rocky beach.
As I was driving down, I could see the ruins of an Indigenous village (咾咕石古厝, here) that used to be just off the beach. You can see the foundations on the right side of the above photo.
At the northern end of Youzihu, there’s a natural stone arch called Wangong Cave (彎弓洞). It makes for an impressive photo spot.
At the southern end of Youzihu lies two of Green Island’s hidden gems. First, I had heard about a natural swimming pool just up the cliff from the beach.
After scrambling along the rocky shore for some time, I spotted the creek trickling down from the cliff above.
I climbed up some steep stones and found it – a tiny grotto inside a crack in the cliff with natural shower inside. This would be super refreshing on a hot summer day!
Just a few minutes past the swimming spot, and at the far southern end of Youzihu, I found Blue Cave (綠島藍洞, here), which is billed as a “secret” snorkeling spot on Green Island.
While I didn’t try it, you can see more photos and book a snorkeling experience in Blue Cave here.
Airplane Crash Memorial
At the turnoff to the next stop, and at the highest point of the round-island road, there’s a small memorial next to the road.
The four simple pillars commemorate the Formosan Airlines crash on February 28, 1993, of a flight from Taipei to Orchid Island.
All six people on the flight died, including one Japanese person, hence the Japanese writing included on the memorial.
Great Little Wall
Great Little Wall (小長城, here), also called Haishenping (海參坪) on local signs, is perhaps the most “Instagrammable” spot on Green Island.
It features a long walking path up to a promontory overlooking the sea – reminiscent of similar ones at Heping Island Geopark and Bitoujiao Trail in northern Taiwan.
Great Little Wall is also the best vantage point for viewing Sleeping Beauty Rock (睡美人岩, here), a long cliff that looks like a reclining woman.
Just above her head is Pekinese Dog Rock (哈巴狗岩, here), a dog-shaped island. This one is a little less obvious, but the dog is resting its head on the ground as it looks out to sea.
Confucius Rock
After Great Little Wall, the round-island road descends steeply to the coast. You’d have to stop your scooter and look back to see Confucius Rock (孔子岩, here, see it from here).
If you were driving in the other direction, you could spot it without even stopping. There’s actually a little sign on the ocean side of the road at the best spot for viewing it.
As the name suggests, the rock looks like Confucius standing at end of a long cliff, with his back turned to the sea.
Dahu Settlement
Next I drove through a small village called Dahu (大湖, here). I mention it only because I stopped at this small shop to purchase some fresh fruit juice made from lintou (林投果), a fruit associated with Orchid Island and Green Island.
A family there had a huge pile of the photogenic fruits and was selling small bottles of juice made from them.
The fruits look like bright orange pineapples but taste nothing like them. The juice is supposedly quite laborious to make and tastes light, refreshing, earthy, and not sweet.
This restaurant in Dahu looks nice but wasn’t open when I visited.
Guoshan Historic Trail
Right after Dahu settlement, I passed the entrance to Ocean View Trail (觀海步道), which leads up to Guoshan Historic Trail (過山古道, here).
While I didn’t personally do it, the two-hour return hike used to be used for crossing the island. From a lookout point at the top, you can look out over much of the island, including its tallest peak, Huoshaoshan (火燒山, tallest, 280m) .
The trail is a little overgrown in parts, and you need to look out for snakes and spiders. You can walk back the way you came or down a different route that ends at Dahu settlement.
I tried to cheat and drive my scooter up to the near peak (the road starts near the airport). It was a long drive with limited views, then I didn’t even do the hike because there were some stray dogs there (probably fine, but I’d had a bad experience with a stray dog on a hike to Lisong Hot Spring previously, so I’m overly cautious with them).
For more info on this hike, see this video (he gets to it in the middle, not English but with subtitles).
Zhaori Hot Spring
Zhaori Hot Spring (朝日溫泉, literally “facing the sun hot spring”, also spelled Chaori or Jhaorih, originally called Asahi by the Japanese, here) is one of the main reasons I love Green Island so much.
I have one particularly fond memory of sitting in the ocean-side springs with my family one evening, with a sky full of stars above, the milky way visible, and waves from the ocean splashing into the hot pool as we bathed in it.
This is one of only three saltwater hot springs in the world, where volcanic-heated seawater bubbles up from beneath the island’s shore.
The open-air facility is right on the coast and faces the sunrise – and yes, it’s even open early enough so that you can watch it from the springs.
Opening time is 5:00-11:00 and 16:00 to 23:00 in winter, and it opens at 4:30 in summer. For sunrise, try to arrive at least 30 minutes before the sunrise time.
Update: After some damage from a typhoon in 2025, it currently only seems to be open for the evening slot. Check GoogleMaps for the current opening times.
Entrance is TWD 250 at the door (or here on Klook).
Zhaori Hot Spring consists of two sections. There are some upper pools which are open year-round.
But my personal favorite is the lower pools, which feel more natural and are right on the shoreline. Unfortunately, though, the lower pools have been closed and under renovations since Typhoon Kong-rey damaged them in 2024.
See my list of all the attractions in Taiwan which are currently closed.
When I asked, the staff told me that the lower pools usually close in winter and open in summer.
However, it’s now summer as I write this and the lower pools are still closed. Hopefully these will reopen again someday as they are what make this my favorite hot spring in Taiwan.
Also note, you have to wear a bathing suit and swimming hat here, like most pools and hot springs in Taiwan. They sell small towels and swimming hats for TWD 50 each. They also have baskets for storing your clothing.
You can cook a variety of foods in a hot spring basin on the beach. At the check-in counter, you can purchase eggs, corn, or shrimp. I tried a bag of eggs.
They told me to place the eggs in the center (which is 90 degrees) rather than the outer ring (70 degrees) and cook them for 12 minutes (soft) to 14 minutes (dry).
I only did 12 minutes but the eggs were already dry, so I recommend trying 8-10 minutes.
Last but not least, there’s a staircase next to the parking lot leading up to Fanchuangbi Grassland (帆船鼻大草原).
This is a grassy promontory with goats and a view looking down on the hot spring and coast – also a nice spot for sunrise, when there is one.
Ziping Ecological Area
On the south side of the island, Ziping Ecological Area (紫坪生態保育區, here) has a boardwalk path down to a bay with many tidal pools to explore.
I wouldn’t say this is an absolute-must, but when I visited I had the whole area to myself so it was very peaceful.
There’s also a campground (here) with some cabins next to the entrance to Ziping, but at the time I write this, it appears to be closed.
Dabaisha Beach
Also on the south side of the island, Dabaisha (大白沙, here) is the prettiest beach on Green Island and I even put it on my list of top-20 beaches in Taiwan.
This beach is white due to the high concentration of crushed shells and coral. It has a long path out into the sea called Diving Trail (潛水步道).
This is the third and final scuba diving spot on Green Island (note all the coral reef in the above photos). I did a dive here many years ago and it was excellent, with a wide variety of tropical fishes and huge, colorful walls of coral.
At low tide, there’s a lot of exposed reef here, which can be fun to explore. The beach faces west, so it’s also a great spot to watch sunset.
Staying at Tube18, I was able to walk to this beach in just under half an hour.
Hoseshoe Bridge
Between Dabaisha and my hotel, which will bring us full circle back to Nanliao village, there are several cool caves and deep cracks in the cliffs, some which contain pools of water.
I’d read that it’s possible to climb into and swim in some of them, but I found that this is no longer possible.
One notable spot is Horseshoe Bridge (白沙橋, here), where the road splits, with the inland side of it going around a small inlet where some divers enter the sea.
Last but not least, there’s a cute little resto-bar along the coast called Sushot (here). It’s got a small pool, hammocks facing the sea, light meals, and I even found a Green Island wheat beer here.
The perfect way to end my Green Island trip!
Do things tend to stay open during the off season? Not deep winter, like mid October? Trying to plan my trip 🙂
Your articles are great!!!
Some guesthouses and restaurants take a break during the off season, starting around October. Which ones do and don’t, and exactly what date they will start their break, is a little tough to know. But you could still surely find many places to stay and places to eat at that time – just expect that a few might be closed.
We just had a fantastic trip to Green Island, this guide was super helpful thank you! Worth noting that due to damage from Typhoon Podul in Mid-August, the Zhaori hot springs are fully closed. Unclear when they will reopen, but seemed not close as of early September. Little Great Wall trail is also closed due to damage to pagodas. Still had plenty to do and recommend!
Thanks for the update – I will add some notes to my articles about this.
Hi! The hot springs are open again, currently from 16:00 to 23:00 and the lower pools remain closed. Little Great Wall is still closed, but it’s still worth it to pass by and take a picture from the road. I can also confirm those electric scooters take all possible hills just fine!
Thanks for the update! I’ve added some notes about it to my articles.
Thank you for the great article, I’m taking my 17 year old daughter there in Late March, but do you recommending waiting to April 1st? Also since we both get sea sick, how is the flight? do you recommend that? Also She is excited to Snorkel and explore, would this be a good place to learn Scuba, or stick with snorkeling? thanks for all the links!
Xie Xie
I have only tried the ferry to Green Island because I don’t get seasick. But yes, it can be a very bumpy ride and people often get sick on it. The airport and airplanes are very small. But if you prefer not to do the boat ride, then it’s a good option. Airplane tickets aren’t usually released until around 3 months in advance. There won’t be a big difference between end of March or start of April. Usually spring weather starts around that time, so it could already be quite warm. However, when I went at that time last year, I was unlucky, and spring weather didn’t start year. It was quite cold, windy, and a little rainy when I was there. But I don’t think that’s usually the case, just some bad luck for me, and it usually is warm enough at that time. It’s a good place for either snorkeling or scuba. Even though it was cool when I was there, there were people still doing it with wetsuits.
I am on Green Island atm, Little Great Wall is open, but most of the island is closed, so food selection is a bit limited. Tube18 is open and it is great 🙂
Snorkelling and scuba is really weather and tide dependant, today most spots were closed due to the choppy sea.
Otherwise it is sunny, warm and it is only a bit windy 🙂
17 March 2026, path to Great Little Wall is open
Lower pools at hot spring is still closed
Thanks for the update. Hope you had a good stay!
Thanks for the update!
Bonjour, à part au centre de l’île, avez-vous croisé d’autres chiens errants en faisant le tour? Je compte le faire à pied mais j’ai très peur d’en rencontrer (chiens plutôt agressifs en campagne taiwannaise, personnes mordues à la ferme sika…)
Merci
Hi, I didn’t do much hiking on Green Island. I only drove on a small road to the center of the island, for accessing the upper end of the trail, and I did see some stray dogs there, so I didn’t leave my scooter and gave up on trying to access that trail. Otherwise, I just rode my scooter around the coastal road of the island and didn’t notice many dogs while doing that. I understand your concern, as I got attacked by a dog before in Taitung.