Taiwan, Penghu, aka Pescadores, is a group of archipelagos off the west coast of Taiwan. The main island is the perfect mix between island vibes and city with most of the natural attractions on the western side of the archipelago. Magong is where the boats stop and the only city on the main island, but it offers shops, one shopping mall, lots of nice cafes and restaurants. Maybe it was due to the Dragon Boat Festival, but a lot of places were full so you had to book a place in advance.
In Magong, you can also visit Duxingshi Village, which is the oldest remnants of military housing in Taiwan with houses over a hundred years old. Right next to the city, you can also visit the Xiying Rainbow Bridge. This place is perfect to visit at night for a light show and sometimes even fireworks.
Outside the city, you’ll find loads of nice beaches, cliffs, and other natural attractions. The beaches in Penghu usually have very fine sand and clean waters.
My favorite beaches are Aimen Beach and Dream Beach. Aimen Beach had a nice line of trees for shade as well as a beach front café, Gilly Primavera, and restaurant, White Bay. There might be jellyfish in the waters depending on the season, but they’re very tiny and their stings aren’t toxic or dangerous. They just hurt… A lot. However, usually if you move a few feet then you’ll be fine.
Dream Beach is in a bay located on the western side of the archipelago. It has really calm clean waters and was practically empty when I went. Shanshui Beach is the popular choice for most travelers and is where most of the bars are located as well; however, I’m not a big fan of crowds.
Other natural attractions around the island include Whale Cave, where you can also try local food including cactus ice cream, Daguoye Columnar Basalt, and摩西分海, which translates to Moses Parts the Sea. This attraction happens twice a day when the tide goes out and a small bridge is revealed. Depending on the day, you can walk across to the smaller island. Just make sure you check the sign and the gates.
The Great Penghu Bridge that connects the east and west island together is also a popular stop for souvenirs or a quick photoshoot.
Additionally, there’s also other smaller islands to visit such as Qimei, Jibei or Wangan islands. I chose to do a day trip to Qimei, where you can see different rock formations such as Little Taiwan and the famous Twin Hearts Stone Weir that were built by fishermen to trap fish. We also passed by 藍洞 (landong), which at a certain time of the day looks blue because of the sunlight.
If you wish to visit the archipelago, you can take a plane from Taipei or a ferry from either Jiayi or Kaohsiung. Then from the main islands you can travel to other smaller islands by boat. On the islands, you can rent scooters, cars or hail taxis to get to other parts of the island. Scooters are the most popular choice, but in order to rent a scooter, you’ll need a Taiwanese license or an international license.
Also, they mainly speak Mandarin on the island, so bring a phrasebook. However, there are a few expats living on the island or tourists from Taipei who can usually help out. In general, there’s loads to do on Penghu, and I felt my four days there wasn’t enough!
Author: Ann Chang