Orchid Island travel guide for adventurers: Hidden Gems, Snorkeling Spots, Transportation 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 attract numerous tourists every summer. This Orchid Island (Lanyu) travel guide will provide information about the amazing snorkelling spots, hidden gems, how to get to Orchid Island, transportation on the island, sunrise & sunset points, and essential items to bring with you to the island. Hope it can help you plan your Orchid Island trip easier and find more fun adventures.

Useful travel information about Orchid Island (Lanyu Island):

• 🔗Orchid Island Transportation Guide: How to Get There & Around, Flight vs Ferry Prices & more.
• 🔗Orchid Island ferry guide: Taitung vs Kenting Route Comparison & Tips to Avoid Seasick.
• 🔗My go-to website for booking Orchid Island ferry tickets.

How big is Orchid Island (Lanyu)? How many days is enough?

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 want to do both mountain and ocean activities on Orchid Island and wonder how many days will be enough to explore Orchid Island, then I’d suggest you spend 4-5 days for a relaxing trip

For me, both times I went, I spent 4 days and 3 nights on 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 mainly ocean activities.

You can check🔗 20 Orchid Island attractions list to get inspiration of where to go and decide how many days you need for your Orchid Island tirp.

How to get to Lanyu Island (Orchid Island)

There are two ways to get to Orchid Island from Taiwan: by small aircraft or by ferry.

• To get to Orchid Island by flight, you will need to go to Taitung (Fong Nien) Airport and depart from there. The flight only takes about 30 minutes, and costs 3000 NTD.
• If you want to take ferry to Orchid Island, you can choose to depart from either Taitung or Kenting. The ferry ride takes around 2 to 2.5 hours, and cost NTD 2,400 per person for full fare, NTD 1,200 per person for children (ages 3 to 12) and seniors (65 and above). You can read this 🔗Orchid Island ferry guide to know which departure point is better and how to avoid seasick.

I highly recommend you book your ferry tickets early, don’t leave this to the last minute! Tickets sell out fast during peak season (summer). 🔗This is my go to website for booking Orchid Island ferry tickets. They even offer discounts for the round-trip tickets sometimes.

So yeah, each option has its own pros and cons, and the right choice really depends on your travel style and how much time you have. You can 🔗read this article about Orchid Island transportation, which I shared more detailed information about both transportation options, so you can decide which one works best for you.

Transportation on Orchid Island (Lanyu)

The easiest way to explore Orchid Island (Lanyu) is to rent a scooter. This way, you can easily find places to park when randomly finding some beautiful spots. That’s how we discovered most of the secret spots on 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 in advance here in advance, and get it at the port in Orchid Island or at the airport when you arrive. And they usually 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 you pass by.

Swimming & Snorkelling spots on 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”.

We found below surprising snorkeling spots while randomly drove a scooter around Orchid Island with our own snorkelling masks, snorkels and fins.

1. Tide pools at nuclear waste dumpsite
2. Iraraley secret spot
3. Jimawawa
4. Iranmeylek secret spot
5. Ivalino cold spring (only for swimming)

For the detailed information, photos and exact location of each spots, you can 🔗read this Orchid Island snorkeling spots.

If you prefer to snorkel with more safety way and have underwater photos taken, then you can 🔗book this guided snorkeling tour.

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.

You can read this 🔗Orchid Island food guide to know where to find great food to eat in each villages.

Read this🔗Orchid Island attractions guide to get inspiration of where to visit on the island.

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!