2024 Lanyu Island Guide| 5 Amazing Snorkeling Spots in Orchid Island (Lanyu) Taiwan
Among all the must do things in Orchid Island (Lanyu), snorkeling at some hidden nature pools is my favourite, and I recommend you to take the opportunity to see the beautiful and diverse underwater world here too.
Some spots are not easy to find, so in this post, I will provide you the exact location of hidden snorkeling spots I found and what you can expect from each places.
- More travel information about Orchid Island (Lanyu Island)
- Orchid Island travel guide for adventurers: hidden gems, snorkeling spots and more!
- Check the available ferry spots and price for going to Orchid Island
- Book an Orchid Island snorkeling trip here if you prefer to have a guide and underwater photos taken.
- Book an Orchid Island SUP experience + underwater photos taken.
- Orchid Island attractions and restaurant recommendations at each side of the island
Orchid Island is just amazing on the land as it is surrounded by ocean, every bit of Orchid Island look just like paintings.
- Tide pools at nuclear waste dumpsite
- Iraraley secret spot
- Jimawawa
- Iranmeylek secret spot
- Ivalino cold spring (only for swimming)
Keep reading for the exact locations of these places!
If you prefer to snorkel with more safety way and have underwater photos taken, then you can book this guided snorkeling tour.
List of Contents
1. Tide Pools at Nuclear Waste Dumpsite
I know the name “Tide Pools at Nuclear Waste Dumpsite” sounds horrible, but here is my favourite snorkeling spot in Orchid Island (Lanyu), not only because the visibility is great, but also its the home of nemo (clown fish), parrotfish, butterfly fish etc and beautiful corals.
Exact location for snorkeling spot, Tide Pools at Nuclear Waste Dumpsite : click HERE
2. Iraraley Secret Pool
My second favourite snorkeling, swimming spot is Iraraley secret pool!!! It is well deep here, you can also do cliff jumping and see a few tropical fishes, parrotfishes, and lots of crabs. I was literally swimming here for more than 2 hours and still didn’t wanna leave.
If you want to do the cliff jumping, make sure you check where all the big rocks located before you jump!
You may also have chance meeting local aboriginal kids here, they are just like mermaids, all the great swimmers!
Exact location for snorkeling spot, Iraraley Secret Spot: click HERE
3.Jimawawa
Exact location for snorkeling spot, Jimawawa: click HERE
4. Iranmeylek Secret Spot
Iranmeylek Secret Spot is actually a relatively famous secret spot in Orchid Island. However, it is the hardest to find. Even if it’s pinned on Google Maps already, we still had to drive back and forth a few times to find the exact location of it. Funnily, even the second time I went, it took me a while to find it, but now I know.
So, how to get to Iranmeylek Secret Spot and where is the exact spot where you need to go down? Keep reading.
When I went to Iranmeylek Secret Spot in 2024, there was already a well-paved path leading to its small parking lot that is in the same direction as the Lover’s Cave, and you will see a little sign of Iranmeylek Secret Spot here.
Once you park the scooter, you will see a little path in the field on the front left side. If you just walk on that path for about 7 minutes towards the ocean, you will find a big sea cave, and that is Iranmeylek Secret Spot.
But to reach the natural pool, you need to go to the back side of the cave, where you’ll see a wooden ladder. This is the entrance to the Iranmeylek Secret Spot where you can climb down for a swim.
The interesting and my favourite thing to do here is climbing down the wooden ladder to the pool at its low tide, as it provides a mysterious, adventurous feeling and the serene vibe.
Even if there aren’t many fish here, it is still an amazing place to explore.
But one important thing to be aware of is that there are some poisonous sea snakes at this secret spot.
I met 2 sea snakes at Iranmeylek Secret Spot within 1 hour when I visited there for the first time. One swam towards us, and one was resting in the cave. I also encountered a sea snake on my second visit to the spot. It swam past us in the water and stayed near the entrance for a while as we tried to get up and leave. I freaked out every time I saw them.
If you are scared of sea snakes, be careful and stay alert of it. The chance of meeting them here is pretty high. And make sure you don’t provoke or scare them.
Here is actually a relatively famous secret spots in Orchid Island. However, it is the hardest to find…even it’s on Google Maps.
The interesting and my favourite thing to do here is climbing down the wooden ladder to the cave at its low tide. It gives a mysterious, adventurous feeling of this hidden place!
There aren’t much fishes here, but there are some poisonous SEA SNAKES… I literally saw 2 with less than 1 hour. I freaked out because there were tourists tried to get them while snakes were resting at the rocks, so the sea snakes came into the water and swam towards us.
I’d say people must respect the wild animals, do not disturb them when we are visiting their home!
If you are scared of sea snakes, watch very carefully here.
Location of Iranmeylek Secret Spot: Click HERE
5. Ivalino cold spring
You wouldn’t want to miss out this nature cold spring after a whole day driving scooter in Orchid Island.
We found this spot on the way to Ivalino tribe. It was a great swim as the water is freaking cold! You can walk further, this milky nature pool is huge, you may smell the sulfur and feel little fishes biting your feet here!
Though here really isn’t a great place for snorkeling! If you want to go for snorkeling, it is better to visit above 4 spots.
Exact location for swimming spot, Ivalino cold spring: click HERE
How to get to Lanyu Island (Orchid Island)
1.Take a flight from Taitung to Lanyu Island (Orchid Island)
The price for the flight from Taitung to Orchid Island (Lanyu) is around NTD 3000.
It only takes about 30 minutes to get there, and there are flights every hour.
But due to the small size of the airport, the flight is actually really small, the seating capacity is like 19 only, it got fully booked well fast and the operation of the aircraft is highly dependent on the weather.
For flight information and booking, you can check Daily Air website HERE (though it’s in Chinese, you can ask for help from locals)
2.Take ferry from Taitung or Kenting to Orchid Island (Lanyu Island) & ferry ticket price
You can choose to take a ferry from Taitung (east of Taiwan) or Kenting (south of Taiwan).
- Departure from Taitung
If you are setting off from the North or East side of Taiwan, the best is to take a ferry from Taitung Fugang Fishing Port. It takes approximately 2-2.5 hrs to get to Orchid Island (Lanyu), and there are 4 scheduled ferry runs daily.
Round-trip ferry ticket from Taitung to Orchid Island for adult cost about NTD 2300
(click here to book your ticket)
Note: Taxi from Taitung Train Station to Fugang Fishing Port takes about 16 minutes, and to be on time and easily arrange your trip, id’ recommend you to book your taxi in advance here (you can start your journey from Taitung or Huailian city in this way)
- Departure from Kenting
If you are already in the middle or south of Taiwan, you can just go down to Hou-pi-hu Fishing Harbor, in Kenting, Taiwan. From there, it also takes about 2 hours to get to Orchid Island, same with 4 ferries per day.
Round-trip ferry ticket from Kenting to Orchid Island for adult cost about NTD 2300
(click here to book your ticket)
Note: for going to Kenting Hou-pi-hu Fishing Harbor for the ferry, you can drive there by yourself or you can take HSR (high speed railway) or train to Kaohsiung, and take taxi from either places to the harbour, to arrange and easily find a taxi, I’d advise you to book it in advance here.
Either you decide you want to depart from Taitung or Kenting, I suggest booking your ferry tickets in advance, this way you can secure the seats and time. Also, on the day of departure, you will not need to wait for the long queue in the super early morning to buy tickets, and worry that tickets might be sold out.
I bought ours from HERE, and it is cheaper if you buy a round-trip ticket.
Once you have completed your purchase HERE, on the day of boarding, you only need to go to the ticket booth and show them the QR code they send to you via Email, then they will give you the physical tickets right away. And you will be all set for boarding.
Make sure YOU ARRIVE AT THE TICKET BOOTH 40 MINS BEFORE DEPARTURE.
(If you do not buy your ticket online in advance, you’ll need to arrive at the ticket office much earlier for the same ferry. Plus, during the peak summer season, tickets often sell out quickly. I highly recommend you to get it when you are planning your Orchid Island trip).
Transportation in Orchid Island (Lanyu Island)
The easiest way to explore Orchid Island (Lanyu) is to rent a scooter, in this way you can easily stop at random beautiful places you find for taking photos or enjoy the views.
That is how we discovered most of the secret spots in Orchid Island.
- Price for renting a scooter on Orchid Island(Lanyu): NTD 500/day (pretty much the whole island is offering the same price). You can BOOK your scooter HERE in advance, and get it at the port in Orchid Island or at the airport when you arrive. And sometimes they offer discounted prices.
- Gas station: there is only ONE gas station on Orchid Island (Lanyu), which is right at the port. So make sure to check your gas every time when you pass by the port while driving on the island.
Hotels on Orchid Island (Lanyu Island)
Orchid Island is a simple, cultured, traditional island, so the places to stay are mainly guest houses; Fancy hotels are not yet present on the island.
To find the hotel on Orchid Island, the easiest and quickest way is to check the availability from here and here (the latter one you need to choose specifically for Lanyu Township, Taitung, Taiwan).
If there aren’t many options left on both sites, then you can check this guest house site, but it’s all in Chinese, and you will need to check availability and book it via each owner by yourself.
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