3-Day Tour: Southern Taiwan from Taipei with Cijing Island and Tainan

Itinerary

Day 1: Taipei - Kaohsiung

Stop At: Taiwan High Speed Rail, Taipei High Speed Rail Station, Taipei Taiwan
Taiwan High Speed Rail has made Taiwan’s public transport system more convenient, because it brings cities and towns closer. Today, passengers can even travel between Taipei and Kaohsiung in one day. Along the “Western Corridor” of Taiwan are 12 THSR stations: Nangang, Taipei, Banqiao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan and Zhuoying. Moving among the corridor’s stations at 300km per hour the fastest, THSR offers truly convenient rides.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Fo Guang Shan, No.153, Xingtian Road, Dashu District, Kaohsiung 84049 Taiwan
At the north-east of Dashu Township in Kaohsiung county on the left bank of the Gaoping (Kaoping) river, a famous tourist destination is located. Here you will find the Buddhist center of South Taiwan, established by Master Hsing Yun and his disciples. The architecture of the temples is very characteristic, and at the southeastern side of Fo Gunag Mountain (Gunag Shan) Monastery the most prominent landmark of the region is found: a huge golden statue of Buddha Amitaabha which measures some 120 meters.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Cijin Island, Haian Rd., Qijin Dist., Kaohsiung Taiwan
Qijin is a long slender island known as Qihou in earlier times. The Lilliputian island has numerous visitor attractions and is today accessible by both ferry and car. Tianhou Temple on Miaoqian Road is a grade two historic site dating back 300 years. There are also rickshaws with drivers decked out in Tang dynasty attire. Qijin Old Street is lined with restaurants selling fresh and budget-friendly seafood alfresco style.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: The Pier-2 Art Centre, No.1, Dayong Rd., Kaohsiung 803 Taiwan
It was once an abandoned and forgotten warehouse buried in history due to the move from an industrial based segment to the service sector. However, with a group of persistent artist who injected waves of creativity and inspiration into the area, the Pier-2 area was released and re-born making the region a place where tourist and locals can come together to enjoy fine art. With the collision of an old area and new fine art, Pier-2 becomes an area of new vitality and liveliness.
Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Liuhe Tourist Night Market, Liuhe Rd, Qianjin Dist, Kaohsiung 800 Taiwan
You will not be considered to visit Kaohsiung if you miss out Liuhe Night Market. As early as in 1950, more and more stalls came to stationed in Dagangpu of Xinxing District in Kaohsiung, finally forming the well-known "Dagangpu Night Market". No matter what you like to have, a variety of delicious food, specialties, cold drinks, ices and seafood here are offered for your choice. Just remind you, don't miss the opportunity to taste the papaya milk and steamed salty shrimps in Kaohsiung.
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Howard Plaza Hotel(5-star), Kaohsiung or equivalent

Day 2: Kaohsiung – Kenting – Kaohsiung

Stop At: Kenting National Park, No.596, Kenting Rd., Henchun Township Taiwan
Established on Jan. 01, 1948, is Taiwan’s first National Park. The park is superbly located. Spanning the Hengchun Peninsula, it faces the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Bashi Channel to the south, and the Taiwan Straits to the west. Some of Taiwan’s largest coral reefs lie off the coast and the forests along the park’s western edge are the last of Taiwan’s coastal tropical forests. The name Hengchun Peninsula says much about the area’s attractions. ” The fantastic climate, lush forests, beaches, and reef environments make Kenting a rival to internationally famous tropical resorts like Bali and Phuket.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Maobitou Park, No. 100, Xiaquan Road, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan 946
Maobitou is located in the west cape of southern Taiwan, right on the demarcation point of Taiwan Strait and Bashi Channel. Since there is a rock falling from the sea cliff which looks like a crouching cat facing toward the sea, it is named Maobitou. The whole area of Maobitou is a typical erosional landform of coral coast which just faces windward and has abundant sea erosion. It is an excellent landform classroom with various scarps, reef columns, sea trenches, sea erosion caves and pot holes.
Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Eluanbi, Eluan Road, Hengchun Township Taiwan
Kending's rugged coastline provides some of the area's most outstanding attractions. The most prominent of these must be Eluanbi, also known as "Taiwan's Tail". This is the island's southernmost point. Eluanbi Park was created in 1982 to provide an appropriate venue for people coming to visit Taiwan's southernmost point and one of the peninsula's most notable landmarks, the Eluanbi Lighthouse, also called "The Light of East Asia". It stands 21.4 meters high and is reputedly the brightest lighthouse in Asia. The park covers an area of 59 hectares. Within the park there are a number of recreational facilities and a wide range of interesting geological, botanical, and ornithological features. The area covered by the park is also one of the sites of Kending's prehistoric cultures.
Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Longpan Park, Jia'e Highway, Hengchun Township Taiwan
Longpan is the great grassland beside the Jia-Oh highway and near the beach of Pacific Ocean. This area is based on the tableland of coral reef limestone. Eroded by the rain, the terrain of limestone shows a variety of crumbled ridges, subterranean limestone caves, and red soil.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Hengchun Old Town, Zhongshan Rd., Henchun Township Taiwan
The city of Hengchun is the entry way to Kenting National Park, the southernmost National Park in the country. With pristine beaches and a vibrant tourist industry, the Hengchun area often attracts more travelers than local residents. The city itself was once completely surrounded by a city wall; now about half of the wall remains intact, as well as the four city gates. On weekends, the streets of nearby Kenting are filled with cars and tour buses.The 2008 Taiwanese film Cape No. 7, the top-grossing film in Taiwan's film history, features Hengchun
Duration: 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Howard Plaza Hotel(5-star), Kaohsiung or equivalent

Day 3: Kaohsiung - Tainan - Taipei

Stop At: Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia), No.212 Section 2, Minzu Road, Zhongxi District, Tainan Taiwan
Tainan Chikanlou is built by the Dutch in 1652. It was originally called Provintia. In Dutch it means eternity. The Chinese called the building "Chikanlou", "Fanzailou" or "Honmaolou". Although Chikanlou has gone through Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty and the Japanese Colonization Period, it basically still maintains its original look.During the Japanese colonization period, Chikanlou was changed to be army hospital. There were some restoration and repair. After Taiwan was returned to R.O.C., the wooden structure was changed into steel concrete structure. The main entrance was changed. Thus they created the look of Chikanlou today.
Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Anping Fort (Anping gubao), No 82, Gousheng Rd., Anping Dist., Tainan 703 Taiwan
In 1624, Dutch built the first fort in Anping, Taiwan, called "Fort Zeelandia", now known as Anping Fort, where has been the administrative center of the Dutch regime, and the hub for trading. The building was originally constructed in square inner fortress and rectangle outer walls. In 1661, the fort was renamed as Anping to commemorate his home town when Guoxingye (Cheng Cheng-Kung) has driven the Dutch out of Taiwan. Therefore, Fort Zeelandia was also known as "King's Fort" or "Taiwan Fort", nicknamed Anping Fort.
Duration: 40 minutes

Stop At: Anping Tree House, No.106-108 Gubao Street, Anping District, Tainan Taiwan
It was the original warehouse for British trading company Tait & Co. The aerial roots and branches of trees wrapped around the building, combine with soil, red brick and partial concrete wall creates an unusual sight.
Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Koxinga Shrine, No. 152, Kaishan Rd., West Central Dist, Tainan Taiwan
The Guoxingye's Shrine (Yanping Junwang Temple), located by Kaishan Road surrounded by trees, is the only Fujianese style shrine in Taiwan. This is the shrine built in memory of the work and achievement of Cheng Cheng Kung, the pioneer of Taiwan. Cheng Cheng Kung was originally called Cheng Sun, a native in County Fujian. In addition, daily items of Tainan city of the old like the street signs, bedding equipment, land deeds, money bills are on exhibition so that the public can understand the daily life of the past generations. It is a cultural spot very worth visiting.
Duration: 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.