Orchid Island Sunrise And Sunset: Best Spots To Watch

Watching the sunrise and sunset on Orchid Island is one of the must-do activities when you visit as the island catches Taiwan’s first morning light every day, and the sunsets here are simply spectacular. In this article, I’ll share the exact locations of the best sunrise and sunset spots on Orchid Island, so you can find them easily and explore a different place each day.

More Orchid Island Taiwan travel guide to help you plan the trip smoothly:

• 🔗Orchid Island Transportation Guide: How to Get There & Around, Flight vs Ferry Pros & Cons
• 🔗5 Amazing Snorkeling Spots in Orchid Island

Orchid Island Sunset Spots

We enjoyed chasing the sunset a lot. Below I will share some amazing sunset spots on Orchid Island we found randomly while riding a scooter around.

1. Jimawawa

Jimawawa is the most surprising sunset spot on Orchid Island for me, as we actually found it while randomly riding a scooter on the way to Iranmeylek hidden spot from Iraraley village.

The best part about this place is that you can take a swim at the secret spot in front of the pavilion first, then return to enjoy music, snacks, and the moment while drying off and waiting for the sunset. It’s very peaceful here. And the sunset view is amazing!

It is also one of the 🔗hidden snorkeling spots on Orchid Island.

You can find Jimawawa’s exact location on Google Maps: 🔗here

2. Tiger Head Hill (虎頭坡)

Tiger Head Hill is one of the most popular sunset spots on Orchid Island. While you wait for and enjoy the sunset, you will have a groups of goats keep you company. They walk freely around the area and will likely photobomb your photos.

You will also notice a uniquely shaped rock that looks like a bao (steamed bun) in front of you, that is where the island’s only senior high school is located.

The spot is very convenient to visit, with a parking lot and a pavilion where you can sit and enjoy the view comfortably.

When we visited, the sky was cloudy, so we didn’t get to see the sun sink into the ocean, hopefully you will have better luck than us!

You can find Tiger Head Hill’s exact location on Google Maps:🔗here

3. Ja-langoina Grassland (青青草原)

Ja-langoina Grassland is where wide green grass meets the ocean. Once you enter Ja-langoina Grassland, just keep walking till the end, that’s where the best sunset point is.

After watching the sunset, you can relax and stay here for a while because soon you can see the moonrise from the other side.

Find Ja-langoina Grassland’s exact location on Google Maps: 🔗here

4. Lanyu Weather Station (蘭嶼氣象台)

Lanyu Weather Station is the most valuable spot on Orchid Island, as it is on top of the hill, where you can see both the east and west sides of Orchid Island, which means, you can watch sunrise and sunset.

It is also a place without light pollution, so at night time you can also come here to watch the stars and the Milky way.

But be careful when coming here, as it can get windy and the hill is very steep.

Find the exact location of Lanyu Weather Station on Google Maps: here

Orchid Island Sunrise Spots

I don’t normally love waking up early to see the sunrise, but even my non-Taiwanese friends told me that I must do it on Orchid Island, so I gave it a try, and I’m really glad I did. Watching the first light of Taiwan slowly rise from the ocean and light up the darkness was truly magical.

Here are the great sunrise spots on Orchid Island, including the most famous one and ones we randomly found.

1. Iranmeylek Bay (東清灣)

Here is the most famous spot where most of the tourists will go to watch the sunrise on Orchid Island as you can take the photos of the first sunlight of Taiwan with the most iconic Orchid Island symbol- the wooden boat Tatala.

If you only get one chance to see the sunrise on Orchid Island, here is usually the most recommended.

If catching the sunrise on Orchid Island is on your list, I’d suggest staying in the Iranmeylek Bay area so you don’t have to travel far in the early morning. On my first trip, I stayed in the west side of the island, so I had to ride a scooter for about 30 minutes in the dark wanted to get there and didn’t make it in the end, so on my second trip, I chose to stay at 🔗Balaguan Guesthouse(巴拉冠民宿) in Iranmeylek Bay, and watched sunrise from its rooftop, which was so much easier for an owl like me.

Find the exact location of Iranmeylek Village (Iranmeylek Bay) 🔗here

2. In between the Sleeping Lion Rock and the Helmet Rock (睡獅岩和頭盔岩)

On my first trip on Orchid Island, we found this nice sunrise point randomly when we were driving to Iranmeylek Bay for sunrise from Imorod village. But as we lived about 30 mins drive from it (in the dark it takes even longer), and it was very dark and windy, so we got a bit scared.

After riding the scooter for a while, we were still not quite there, and already saw the first light coming out from the horizon, so we realised we could just watch the sunrise here from the top of the hill, which is amazing! We ended up just staying here and playing music while waiting for the sun to come out.

This sunrise spot is very quiet and peaceful as there was no one around us. It’s a great spot, I’d highly recommend it to you too if your hotel is located on the west side of the island, and you don’t want to drive too far.

For the exact location of this secret sunrise point, click 🔗here

3. Ivalino Cold Spring (野銀冷泉)

Located on the east side of Orchid Island, Ivalino Cold Spring is also a good spot for watching sunrise on Orchid Island.

You also get to enjoy the cold spring while waiting for the sunrise, isn’t it great!​

For the exact location of Ivalino Cold Spring on Google Maps: click 🔗here

More information to help you plan your Orchid Island trip:

• Hotels on Orchid Island(Lanyu), Taiwan: 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).
• Orchid Island ferry price & where to buy: Full fare is NTD 2,400 per person, children (ages 3 to 12) and seniors (65 and above) are NTD 1,200 per person. 🔗This is my go to website for booking Orchid Island ferry tickets. They even offer discounts for the round-trip tickets sometimes. For full Orchid Island ferry guide, click 🔗here.
• Orchid Island (Lanyu) scooter price & where to book: it is usually 500 NTD/day on the island, but you can reserve a scooter in advance via 🔗 this discounted list. Read 🔗here for more Orchid Island transportation guide.

Hope you get to watch and enjoy beautiful sunrise and sunset on Orchid Island.
Samantha