Last Updated on November 3, 2021 by Tina
Two weeks ago, my best friend told me that fully vaccinated Filipinos who traveled to Taiwan are no longer required to do a facility-based quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines as Taiwan is one of the countries included in the Philippines’ list of “green countries“. That would have been nice, except Taiwan is still closed for tourism. Since I’ve started posting about Instagrammable spots in La Union and Bali last week, I thought of doing Instagrammable spots for Southern Taiwan today and maybe one for Singapore next time.
I visited Southern Taiwan with a friend in 2019. While I prefer traveling solo, having a companion has its advantages and one advantage is that you have someone to take pictures of you. This is the reason I have a lot of photos from Southern Taiwan that I got to post on Instagram. And while preparing this post, I realized I actually have a lot of pictures that I still haven’t shared on Instagram that are IG-worthy. Below are Instagrammable spots in Southern Taiwan that you should include on your itinerary when you visit the place when it opens to tourists again.
Cijin Island
Cijin Island is a beautiful small island just a 5-minute ferry ride from Kaohsiung’s Harbor. If you are going to visit the island, I recommend you allot one day to explore it. Since it is just a small island, you can explore it on foot. Renting a bike is also an option. You can rent a bike right in front of 7-11 when disembarking at the Cijin Ferry Terminal.
Kaohsiung Lighthouse
Also called Cihou Lighthouse or Cijin Lighthouse, Kaohsiung Lighthouse sits right on top of Cihou Mountain. It is the best place to have an excellent view of the entire Kaohsiung Port and Cijin Island.
Cihou Fort
From the lighthouse, there’s a small pathway that takes you through a dense jungle then opens up to the hilltop fort. Cihou Fort was built mainly to defend Kaohsiung Harbor. You get a nice view of the sea at the Cihou Fort. My favorite photo spot there is the gate.
Cihou Starlight Tunnel
The Starlight Tunnel runs through Cihou Mountain. It was originally a military tunnel, excavated in the Japanese Colonial Era. When you reach the end of the tunnel, you are rewarded with an amazing view of the sea.
Shell House
Shell House is a giant tunnel-like clamshell that can be found near the Shell Museum. When I saw the giant shell I told my friend I want to have my picture taken there. My picture here is my second favorite among all the pictures he took of me in Taiwan.
Rainbow Church
Rainbow Church is not a church. It is a contemporary art installation that is probably the most famous attraction on the island. It has a long queue of people who want to have their pictures taken here.
The photo below taken by my friend is my favorite among all the photos he took of me in Taiwan. This one’s candid and I ended up loving this more than the one where I was facing the camera and I was smiling.
Kaohsiung
Kaohsiung is the second-largest city and is known as the Harbor Capital of Taiwan. It is home to many skyscrapers and has a diversity of parks. Its focal point is the Love River.
Fo Guang Shan Monastery and Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum
Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum is a popular religious-cultural attraction that covers an area of more than 100 hectares in Kaohsiung. The Fo Guang Big Buddha behind the Main Hall is the tallest sitting bronze Buddha statue in the world. It is 108 meters high. The area has a lot of nice spots to have your picture taken. I recommend visiting this place late in the afternoon so that you see how it is when it is still bright and when it gets dark.
Lotus Lake
Lotus Lake is a man-made lake located on the east side of Zuoying District in Kaohsiung. Located in this area are the Zuoying Yuandi Temple, the Wuliting, and the Dragon and Tiger Pagoda.
Pier 2 Art Center
Situated on the bank of the Love River in Kaohsiung City, The Pier 2 Art Center is next to Kaohsiung Port. It is a well-known art exhibition area in the city. Everywhere you look in this area is IG-worthy.
Shoushan Love Lookout
If you want to see the whole of the city, the surrounding mountains, and the port, then go to Shoushan Love Lookout. A popular photo spot here is the huge metal “LOVE” sculpture.
Kenting
When you visit Southern Taiwan, I recommend you include Kenting in your itinerary. It is a more than 3 hours motorbike ride from Kaohsiung and is located on the southern tip of Taiwan. It is a seaside town that is home to white sandy beaches and lush tropical forests.
Southernmost Point of Taiwan
If you visit Kenting, make sure you visit the southernmost point of Taiwan, and of course, have your picture taken with the sign. It’s so funny though coz I forgot to flip the picture I posted on Instagram.
Amanda Hotel Kenting
Kenting is a famous tourist destination in Taiwan. It is a seaside town and for this reason, there are a lot of nice hotels and resorts in the area. One of those is Amanda Hotel Kenting, a beautiful Middle Eastern-themed hotel surrounded by gardens. It is where we stayed during our trip to Southern Taiwan in 2019. Every spot in the hotel is IG-worthy, and my favorite was the large tub outside on a patio with privacy. I wish I had my picture taken in the tub when we stayed there back then.
Sail Rock
Sail Rock is located along the west coast. They say that from a distance it looks like a sailboat that is about to sail, from where it got its name.
Fongchueisha Beach
Fongchueisha is a roadside beach area offering breathtaking views of the sea. It is very windy and we got there when it was getting dark. It still looked beautiful though so I can just imagine how beautiful it is like when it is brighter.
Tainan
Tainan used to be the capital of Taiwan during the Qing dynasty. It is known for its centuries-old fortresses and temples.
Anping Tree House
When we say treehouse, what usually comes to mind is a house constructed among the trunk or branches of a tree. The Anping Tree House is different. It was originally a Tait & Co. Warehouse, one of the top five trading companies in the Anping area during the Japanese occupation. It was abandoned for many years and living banyan roots and branches now cover the building, that’s why it is referred to as a treehouse.
Eternal Golden Castle
When we were looking for this place, what we had in mind was a castle similar to the ones in Europe. But when we saw it, it is so different. It is actually a small fort that was built in 1876 to resist the Japanese troops who invaded Taiwan.
Hope you enjoyed this list and brought you fond memories of your past trips. I did haha. I really miss traveling and I’m looking forward to relocating somewhere nice next year, fingers crossed.
Need more help planning your trip to Taiwan? Here are a few extra posts to help you plan your future trip to Taiwan:
First Day in Taiwan: Exploring Fenchihu
7 Highly Recommended Things To Do in Kenting, Taiwan
Southern Taiwan by Motorbike: Our 8 Days Travel Itinerary
My Solo Travel Itinerary to Chiayi County and Taipei in Taiwan
