Kenting Guojia Gongyuan and its coral-edged coast
Published on 09/01/2026 at 19:52 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Kenting Guojia Gongyuan lies on the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung, at Taiwan’s southern end. Established on 1 January 1984, it is a national park of coral shores, limestone hills and broad coastal plains.
Coral coast and limestone ground
The park’s most immediate feature is its mix of sea and land. Its shoreline includes coral reef landforms, sandy beaches and sandstone coast, while the interior rises into hills and valley plains.
That combination gives Kenting Guojia Gongyuan a varied surface. Maobitou and Eluanbi frame the southern edge, and Longluan Lake sits in the valley plain between higher ground.
The park is also known for marine and terrestrial protection together, a status that belongs to its core identity. The National Park Service describes it as Taiwan’s first park to include both kinds of territory, and that distinction remains central to its place in the island’s landscapefirst national park.
Hengchun Peninsula in the southern county
Kenting Guojia Gongyuan occupies the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County, spread across Hengchun, Checheng and Manzhou townships. The same coastal sweep places it at Taiwan’s southern edge, with the Bashi Channel to one side and the open sea to the otherHengchun Peninsula.
The park’s form is long and narrow, with east-west contrasts that are easy to grasp on a map and in the terrain. Coral cliffs, reef platforms and caves appear beside low plains, lake basins and isolated peaks, giving the place a layered coastal geography.
Eluanbi at the southern tip is one of the park’s most recognisable named points. The white lighthouse there, completed in 1883, adds a clear historical marker to the natural settingcompleted in 1883.
A park shaped by sea, wind and tropical climate
The vegetation and landforms of Kenting Guojia Gongyuan reflect a tropical coastal environment. Forested slopes, coral reef plants and coastal woodland appear alongside open beaches and marine zones.
Longluan Lake, the coral tablelands and the cliff lines give the park a strong sense of relief. That physical variety is one reason the place reads less like a single viewpoint and more like a sequence of connected landscapes.
The park’s human history adds another layer. Ancient sites appear within its boundaries, and the wider peninsula has long formed part of the cultural geography of southern Taiwanprehistoric sites. A modern visitor sees nature first, but the setting also carries traces of long habitation and coastal travel.
Visiting Kenting Guojia Gongyuan: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The park lies on the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County. Kenting Road in Hengchun Township is a common access point, and local bus services connect the area with the wider county.
- Much of the terrain is uneven, with coral rock, coastal cliffs and valley land. Around Eluanbi and the reef coast, paths pass through exposed ground and low rises.
- Longluan Lake, Maobitou and Eluanbi are all named parts of the park. They give the place a sequence of coast, cape and inland water rather than a single landscape type.
- The official language is Mandarin Chinese and the currency is the New Taiwan dollar.
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Frequently asked questions about Kenting Guojia Gongyuan
Where is Kenting Guojia Gongyuan?
It is on the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County, at Taiwan’s southern end. The park stretches across Hengchun, Checheng and Manzhou townships.
What does a visit involve?
Expect a coastal park with reefs, capes, lake plain and limestone ground. The named places inside it, including Eluanbi and Longluan Lake, are spread across different parts of the peninsula.
What makes it distinctive?
Its defining feature is the combination of marine and land areas within one protected park. The southern lighthouse at Eluanbi and the coral coast give it a clear physical identity.
