Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Kenting National Park
08
Kenting National Park (Kěndīng Guójiā Gōngyuán) attracted massive attention first as
one of the settings for Taiwanese director Wei Te-sheng's hit movie
Cape No. 7
in 2008,
and later for Ang Lee's
Life of Pi
in 2012. But long before this period of cinema-fuelled
tourism spike, the park, which occupies the Hengchun Peninsula (the entire southern tip
of Taiwan), was already drawing in flocks of visitors who came to swim, surf, snorkel
and dive, visit museums, hike and enjoy a little nightlife - all year round. The average
January temperature is 21°C and it's usually warm enough for you to swim. In July it can
get to a scorching 38°C.
Low mountains and hilly terraces prevail over much of the land in the park, along with
rugged high cliffs and sandy deserts. The swimming beaches with yellow sands and tur-
quoise waters are wonderfully suited to recreation, and sightseeing on a scooter or bi-
cycle is highly enjoyable.
The park is a sanctuary for wildlife, including the reintroduced sika deer. In autumn,
migratory raptors can be spotted overhead in the tens of thousands, and these are just a
few of the 310 bird species recorded in the park.
The national park covers 180 sq km. At the time of writing only the area of Eluanbi re-
quired entrance fees, but there were plans to charge entry to more sites from 2014.
