Pingtung Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 屏东县 (péng hú xiàn)
Population: 820,000
Area: 2,775 square kilometers (48.98 square miles)
Location: in the south of Taiwan Island, southeast China
Administrative Division: 1 county-administered city (Pingtung); 32 townships
Area Code: 88608
Zip Code: 900
GDP (2019): CNY 114.2 billion (USD 16.6 billion)  

Pingtung County is the southernmost administrative region of Taiwan, and also the narrowest county in the west of Taiwan. People who visit Pingtung for the first time mostly covet the hot beaches of Kenting in Hengchun Town. The final landing place of the actor in Life of Pi is the initial impression of Kenting by tourists. But with the Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium which is the only aquarium in Asia that can stay at night and Kenting Street full of snack stands, Kenting shows its unique charm further.

Riding a motorcycle around the coast cannot be missed. If you happen to be a lover of culture and history, you may visit Wutai Township and Sandi Township to feel the strong traditional cultures of the aborigines there, and sing and dance with the local people. The mountain forest and waterfall landscape of Laiyi Township which is the largest gathering place of Paiwan People is another beautiful site different from the coastline.

 Kenting: You may not know Pingtung, but you must have heard of Kenting National Park which is on Hengchun Peninsula. It is enormous and where you can enjoy bright sunshine, beautiful sea, soft beach, and colorful coral reefs. Many scenic spots are there including Longhang Ecological Protection Area, Ngoluanpi Park, Sail Rock, Kenting Forest Recreation Area, Longluan Lake, Houbi Lake, Maobitou Park, White Sand Beach, Guan Mountain, and the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium.

Ngoluanpi Park is known for its lighthouse, formerly the icon of the southernmost Taiwan. Coral reefs, limestone, and tropical plants are everywhere. The roads crisscross like a maze. It is also a place to view the ocean. The Longhang Ecological Protection Area is shaped by coral reefs and Sail Rock is a big coral rock which looks like a sailing boat. Longluan Lake is a good place for bird watching. Houbi Lake has a fishing port and a dock, where you can buy catches of the day. There are various flourishing algae swaying in the waves at Maobitou Park. White Sand Beach is a shell beach where you can do water sports, camp, ride a bicycle or star gazing. The best place to watch the sunset and the entire Kenting should be on Guan Mountain. National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium has an undersea tunnel and you can stay here overnight.

 Lamay Island: Lamay Island, also called Little Liuqiu Island, is a small island on the open sea of Pingtung. It is the only coral reef island in Taiwan, complete with cliffs, caves, beaches, temples, and zoos. What’s more, you can do snorkeling in the water here.

 Hengchun Old Town: This is the sole old town in Taiwan, situated in the southernmost of Hengchun Peninsula. It maintains its original structure and scale, but most of the walls were damaged with only four gates still standing.

 Air: You may fly to Hengchun Airport from Taipei. The airport is 10 minutes’ to Kenting by bus. However, the flight is not always available. Wind conditions may cause delays or cancellations. Thus many visitors choose to use Kaohsiung International Airport, which has more flights and less affected by weather. Upon arrival, there are buses taking you to Pingtung downtown, Hengchun, and Kenting.

Train: Only Taiwan Rail Line stops in the county. It takes about 5 hours from Taipei to Pingtung Station. One thing to note is that if you are going to Kenting, you’d better get off at Fangliao Station, which is closer.  A bus ride to Kenting takes about 1-1.5 hours.

If coming by Taiwan High Speed Rail, you should get off at the southern most station Zuoying in Kaohsiung, and then change to a bus to reach the county.

 See more about Taiwan Train

Long-distance Bus: Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung all have bus service to Pingtung. Among them Kaohsiung has the most and has direct buses to Fangliao, Hengchun and Kenting. For transportation inside the county, there are buses available at Pingtung Passenger Terminal. To travel around Kenting, you can take Kenting Streetcar.

 Local Food: The local special products include coconuts, black pearl wax apples, pettitoes, dried fish and blue fin tunas. Kenting Street is the best place to taste these foods and buy souvenirs. What’s more, you can eat braised pork rice, plain noodles and fried salty chickens at Pingtung Tourist Night Market. The shaved ice can be found in every corner of the county, which is very popular among the locals.