Liuqiu Island, Taiwan (小琉球）

I have wanted to visit Liuqiu Island ever since I watched 食尚玩家. The travel variety show featured snorkelling and seeing giant sea turtles on the island. 

I visited Liuqiu Island in Dec 2023. It was during the off-peak season and the weather was good - sunny, yet not too cold. 

To get to Liuqiu Island, one can book a shared shuttle service from Kaohsiung to Dong Gang (~1h) via Klook, and take the next available ferry from Dong Gang to Liuqiu Island (~25min). There is no need to purchase a ferry ticket in advance as there are several ferry operators. I would recommend departing from Kaohsiung at 9am to reach Liuqiu Island at 10+am.

The first activity I did was snorkelling. You can go for 1h group snorkelling at 450 twd or 1h private snorkelling at 650 twd. I'd recommend going for private snorkelling. Equipment and costumes were provided. The snorkelling store provided lockers and shower facilities too. 

The turtles swim really close to us! So close that we could touch them but no touching of turtles as that would lead to heavy fine! Seeing the giant sea turtles made the trip so worthwhile!

After snorkelling and a quick shower, I went for a quick lunch. As it was a Monday, several eateries were not open. I wanted to eat YoYo起司捲 but it was not open that day. I would recommend visiting the island on another day to try the local food on the island.

I asked the snorkelling coach to sign me up for Standup Paddling (SUP). He arranged with a SUP coach to pick me up with a scooter to go for SUP. I paid 1000 twd for 1.5h SUP with a private coach. It was fun! I managed to stand up and paddle in the sea! I saw sea turtles again! Of course, I fell into the water too.

After SUP, I asked the SUP coach to drop me at 海龟烧 to grab a snack before taking a ferry back to Dong Gang.

It was dinner time and I had Kaisendon for 390 twd at Dong Gang Fish Market. The portion was huge! Don't worry about getting diarrhoea from eating at the fish market. The food was clean and safe for consumption.

To return from Dong Gang to Kaohsiung, simply hop into any available taxi at Dong Gang. Taxi ride costs around 200 twd.

Booking one-way transfer from Klook gives you more flexibility in terms of the time you can spend on Liuqiu Island.

If you love the sun, the sand and the sea and like water activities, you should definitely visit Liuqiu Island!