Green Island - Nature Lover's Paradise

The Map of Green Island

If you are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of Taiwan, Green Island (Chinese: 綠島; pinyin: Lǜ Dǎo) is nature-lover's paradise. Green Island is a small volcanic and tropical island located in the Pacific Ocean, about 33 km (20.5 miles) off the eastern coast of Taiwan. There are two options available for heading to the Green Island. The first option is by boat. The ferry heads from Taitung's Fu-Gang harbor to Green Island. Tickets are NT$900 round trip. The trip lasts about an hour.  Taxis from Taitung train station are NT$350 each way. The second option is to fly. Air flies three times daily from Taitung Airport to Green Island's small airport. Tickets are NT$980 one way for adults and NT$460 for children. The flights are last 15 to 20 minutes.

This island is sparsely-populated and can be circumnavigated in 30 minutes by scooter. You can found that Scooters are lining the roads around the harbor on Green Island. Also if you rent a guest house then most guest houses include a scooter rental in their accommodation packages. There is a single gas station on the island near the port which is open from 8 AM to 5 PM. Many small restaurants can be found on the road between the port and the airport. A local specialty is deer meat from the native deer.

Green Island

The climate on Green Island is tropical and the water temperature is constant throughout the year making it a great place to dive and enjoy the beach in Taiwan's winter months. The best time to visit is spring and fall (April to September is hot and also the Taiwanese peak season).December and January are the cooler months (20 to30 degree C), but also offer great visibility. There are several small villages are found around the island. Oasis Village was the main penal colony, but officially the entire island is considered as Green Island Village. The local people are specks in Mandarin Chinese just as on Taiwan. Life in Green Island is relaxed and at slows pace. The people are friendly and go to great pains ensuring our guests visit a pollution-free, clean island. Green Island is a fascinating tourist place with white beaches, magnificent coral reefs, rich flora and fauna and steep sea side cliffs. The best part about the island is that due to its size, the tourist places are situated not very far from each other.

Zhaori Hot Spring

Green Island is a locally popular scuba-diving destination for both locals and expats residing in Taiwan. Another main attraction in Green Island is hot spring; it is one of only 3 saltwater hot springs in the world. The Zhaori Hot Spring, located on the southeastern part of Green Island is a fun place to soak oneself in the sulfur water.  Hot springs are known for their medicinal values. Over 200 different hard and soft coral species and even more fish species can found here. The water life of Green Island is famous for its sheer variety. There are glass-bottom boats available for those not to keen on wetting their bodies. The island is the natural habitat for deer, goats, chameleons, giant bats, and coconut crabs as well as indigenous and migratory birds. The island is home to more than 300 species of fish.

I visited Green Island with my friends in the year of 2008. It was a great fun, but unfortunately that day weather was pretty bad. But who cares about the weather when mind and heart both want to enjoy. So, we enjoyed lot. Here are some more pictures taken by me when I visited this paradise.