Green Island and Orchid Island | In the Out Islands, Hear the Sounds of the Sea and Culture
Auto-TranslationHow to Get There
To reach Green Island and Orchid Island, Taitung is the necessary starting point. From Taipei, you can take the Taiwan Railway's Tze-Chiang Limited Express, which takes about three hours to arrive in Taitung City, or choose to fly directly from Songshan Airport to Taitung Airport, with a flight time of about one hour. Upon arriving in Taitung, take a taxi or rent a car to head to Fugang Fishing Port, the gateway to the outlying islands.
The ferry ride to Green Island takes about fifty minutes, with multiple departures daily from Fugang Fishing Port. The journey to Orchid Island is longer, taking about two to two and a half hours, with relatively fewer departures; it's recommended to purchase tickets in advance during peak season. Currently, there are no direct ferry services between the two islands, so if you plan to visit both, you must return to Taitung to transfer. Daily Air offers short flights from Taitung to Orchid Island, with a flight time of only about twenty minutes, but their small aircraft (DHC-6) is extremely sensitive to weather conditions, and flights are often canceled due to strong winds or poor visibility. Moreover, it's quite difficult to book tickets to Orchid Island, usually requiring several months of advance notice, making it challenging to use as a last-minute option. Therefore, most of the time, ferry services tend to be more reliable.
Upon arriving on the islands, you can rent scooters or electric bicycles near the docks on both Green Island and Orchid Island to tour around. Renting is simple and only requires showing your passport. Both islands have a single circular road, with clear directions, making it difficult to get lost, making them ideal choices for independent travelers.
Green Island: Sun, Coral, and Underwater Postcards
The rhythm of Green Island is simple and straightforward. Renting a scooter to circle the island is the best way to connect with it. As you ride along the coastal road, one side features the deep blue sea, while the other showcases a landscape of rocky shores and grassy slopes. Landmarks like Niutou Mountain and Jiangjun Rock stand quietly, displaying their rugged lines against the sea breeze. The waves crash against the reefs, splashing white foam, and the sound is particularly clear in the open expanse.
The waters around Green Island are among the best spots in Taiwan for snorkeling and diving. The coral reef ecosystem is rich, with high water clarity and a diverse range of fish species, allowing you to see coral communities and schools of tropical fish clearly even while just snorkeling. For travelers with diving licenses, this place is a must-visit dive site — locations like Big Mushroom and Shilang feature moderate depths and open visibility, which attract many diving enthusiasts. There are several dive shops on the island offering equipment rental, guiding services, and experience courses, with no language barriers in English communication.
Green Island also offers a unique experience that is hard to replicate: the underwater mailbox at the Shilang diving area. You can place postcards in waterproof bags and dive down to deposit them, where postal workers regularly retrieve them to be mailed around the world. This is one of the few underwater mailboxes globally, and those who receive the postcards often find it more surprising than the senders. The Chaorih Hot Springs are also worth a visit — the sodium bicarbonate spring is located by the coast, allowing you to soak in the hot water while listening to the sound of the waves and gazing at the starry sky above, making for a rare seaside outdoor hot spring experience.
Orchid Island: Home of the Tao People, the Soul of the Island
Leaving Green Island and continuing south, you will arrive at the more primal Orchid Island. The island's contours are steeper, and the landscape between the mountains and the sea showcases an unrefined power. This is the homeland of the Tao people, the only group among the Austronesian peoples of Taiwan that resides on an outlying island. Their language belongs to the Malay-Polynesian language family and has deep historical connections to the languages of Batan Island in the Philippines, sounding both unfamiliar and yet strangely familiar.
The island is home to six villages — Lanyu, Yeyin, Dongqing, Fisherman, Hongtou, and Yeyou — each retaining its unique traditions. Upon entering a village, the most striking feature is the group of underground houses (vahay). The Tao people build their homes deep underground according to the terrain, using earth for insulation and low entrances to withstand typhoons, with the roofs just slightly above ground level. This overall design does not compromise with nature but instead embodies a symbiosis with it — a collective wisdom accumulated over centuries of survival on this island.
Alongside the underground houses, another symbol of Tao culture is the stitch-boat (tatala). This outrigger canoe is made from various types of wood, with the hull adorned with red, white, and black totem designs representing the spiritual strength passed down from ancestors. Each year during spring and summer, the flying fish season arrives with the northeast monsoon, prompting the Tao people to hold a fish-catching ceremony and sail out to sea in their stitch-boats to catch flying fish. The flying fish is not just a food source in Tao culture; it is regarded as a sacred gift, with strict norms governing its capture, processing, and consumption, and traditional customs continue to be practiced today. If you visit at the right time, you may have the opportunity to see the sight of flying fish being dried on the shore, creating a vivid memory of the island.
In addition to cultural exploration, the waters around Orchid Island are equally unforgettable. The water clarity is extremely high, and the coral reefs are well-preserved, making it excellent for snorkeling and diving. Dongqing Bay and the areas around Lanyu are popular snorkeling spots, where you can see vibrant schools of fish and coral communities as soon as you enter the water. Those with diving licenses can inquire with the local dive shops about guided diving services to explore the deeper underwater terrain.
The circular coastal road meanders along the shoreline, passing through vast green pastures. Standing at a high point and looking down, the grass sways like waves in the strong wind, while the distant coastline unfolds in layers, presenting a breathtakingly expansive view. Scattered along the road are the idle pavilions (ilaod), which are an integral part of the Tao people's daily life — these elevated pavilions are set up in breezy locations where the locals gather to cool off, chat, and gaze out at the sea, serving as a microcosm of island life.
The circular coastal road winds along the shoreline, passing through vast green pastures. From a high vantage point, the grass undulates like waves in the strong wind, while the distant coastline unfolds in layers, offering a breathtakingly expansive view. Scattered along the road are the idle pavilions (ilaod), which are a part of the Tao people's daily life — these elevated pavilions are set up in breezy spots where locals gather to cool off, chat, and gaze out at the sea, embodying the rhythm of island life.
*Important Notes: It is essential to remove your shoes before entering an idle pavilion, as this is a basic courtesy in Orchid Island. Additionally, during the flying fish season (approximately March to June), touching the stitch-boats is strictly prohibited, and there are certain restrictions for women in specific areas. Furthermore, you must obtain permission before photographing elders or entering villages and underground houses.
At night, looking up, the starry sky is bright and clear, with the Milky Way visible, as if you could reach out and touch it. Orchid Island has almost no light pollution, making it one of the best places in Taiwan for stargazing.
