Orchid Island travel guide for adventurers: Hidden Gems, Snorkelling Spots and More
Orchid Island, in Chinese we call it Lanyu, is a unique island located in the Southeast of Taiwan. Its rich aboriginal (Tao tribe) culture, paradise-like sceneries, vibrant underwater world, and a sky full of stars attracts numerous tourists every summer. This Orchid Island (Lanyu) travel guide will provide information about the amazing snorkelling spots, hidden gems, must-do activities, where to find gas station, ATM and convenient stores, sunrise & sunset points, must-bring items, and transportation. Hope it can help you plan your Orchid Island trip smoother and find more fun adventures.
- More travel information about Orchid Island (Lanyu Island)
- 5 amazing snorkeling spots in Orchid Island, including hidden gems
- 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
List of Contents
- Size of Orchid Island (Lanyu)
- How to get to Lanyu Island (Orchid Island)
- Transportation on Orchid Island (Lanyu)
- Swimming & Snorkelling spots in Orchid Island (Lanyu Island)
- Orchid Island sunrise and sunset spots
- How many villages are there in Orchid Island?
- Hotels on Orchid Island (Lanyu)
- What to Bring When Visiting Orchid Island (Lanyu Island)
Size of Orchid Island (Lanyu)
The size of Orchid Island is only about 46 km², so it only takes around 1-2 hours to travel the whole island (non-stop).
If you are wondering how many days will be a good amount to explore Orchid Island (Lanyu), I’d suggest you to spend 4-5 days in Orchid Island for a relaxing one if you want to do both mountain and ocean activities.
For me, I spent 3 days and 3 nights in Orchid Island, and still got a few mountains I didn’t go to, but it was pretty enough for me, since I was there for snorkelling!
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 on Orchid Island (Lanyu)
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.
Swimming & Snorkelling spots in Orchid Island (Lanyu Island)
Orchid Island is already amazing on land and every bit of Orchid Island looks just like paintings.
But when you walk over the sharp volcanic rocks, put your snorkelling mask on, and dive into the ocean, the underwater view in Orchid Island is what I call ” blue heaven”.
This time we mainly just randomly drove a scooter around Orchid Island with my own snorkelling masks, snorkels and fins, and we stopped for a swim once we found spots that seems appealing, and that’s how we found the following places in Orchid Island, includes 4 hidden snorkelling spots and a cold spring. (The list is ordered according to my preference)
- Tide pools at nuclear waste dumpsite
- Iraraley secret spot
- Jimawawa
- Iranmeylek secret spot
- Ivalino cold spring (only for swimming)
If you prefer to snorkel with more safety way and have underwater photos taken, then you can book this guided snorkeling tour.
For the detailed information, photos and exact location of each snorkelling spot and cold spring, you can read this article.
Orchid Island sunrise and sunset spots
Getting up early to enjoy the sunrise is one of the must-do activities on Orchid Island! Why? Because the sunrise seen from Orchid Island is the first light of dawn in Taiwan!
The best sports for enjoying sunrise are as follows:
- Iranmeylek Tatala wooden fishing boat area (Iranmeylek Fishing Port)
- Ivalino Cold Spring
- Lanyu Weather Station
- Between Lanyu Elephant Rock and Helmet Rock (it was an unexpected discovery!)
The best sports for enjoying sunset are as follows:
- Lanyu Weather Station
- Jimawawa(also an unexpected find)
- Tiger Head Hill
- Ja-langoina Grassland
For detailed information, photos and exact location of the best sunset sunrise spots on Orchid Island, you can check this article.
How many villages are there in Orchid Island?
There are 6 villages in Orchid Island, names are as follows:
- Ivalino
- Iranmeylek
- Iraraley
- Yayo
- Imaorod
- Iratay
Each village has its own customs, unique attractions to see and restaurants to enjoy.
Some of them even have night markets! Get more travel information about each village, you can read this article.
Hotels on Orchid Island (Lanyu)
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.
What to Bring When Visiting Orchid Island (Lanyu Island)
1.Vomiseda Tablet : I am not exaggerating, but the way to Orchid Island from Taiwan is really wavy and tough. I didn’t care about getting pills for it, but thank god my friend did bring and told me to have one. And guess what? During the journey, most of the people around us were vomiting… SO!!! I’d suggest you take it as well, and don’t have too much food or eat too oily beforehand.
2.Cash: credit card is not accepted and there’s only 2 ATMs in Orchid Island, make sure you’ve got enough cash (NTD) with you!
3.Sunscreen: the sun can be intensely hot on Orchid Island, and you probably need to constantly put on more sunscreen. If you can, get the ocean friendly one, so as to protect the creatures in the ocean!
4.Aloe vera gel: in case you get sunburnt (which happens all the time here), this could sooth your pain!
5.Snorkel mask, snorkel and fins: for hygiene reasons and to enhance your snorkelling experience, I suggest bringing your own gear. Having your own equipment also allows you to stop anywhere appealing for snorkelling whenever you find a spot.
6.Swimwear: as swimming and snorkelling is a must do, and you might do it everyday, so it’s nice to bring up 2-3 swimwears when visiting Orchid Island (Lanyu).
7.Diving boots: There are many reefs (quite sharp) and rocks around Orchid Island, especially the spots for snorkelling. Therefore, I highly recommend bringing diving boots with you or waterproof sandals.
8.Waterproof camera: you wouldn’t want to miss out on underwater photos in Orchid Island! I use a GoPro, and I find it very convenient for recording and carrying. The sound and photos are all very clear! If you’re considering getting a waterproof camera, you can’t go wrong with a GoPro! Also, don’t forget to bring extra memory cards!
9.Hair conditioner: as i’m assuming you are going to be in the ocean all the time, don’t forget to bring a good shampoo and hair conditioner to protect your hair!
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