Kenting Forest Recreation Area

Kenting Forest Recreation Area

The Kenting Forest Recreation Area is located within Kenting National Park in Hengchun Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan, at an elevation of approximately 230–300 meters. It features high-latitude coral reef and limestone terrain, which is a rare geological landscape in Taiwan. The forest is densely covered with tropical woodlands and rich in bird species. From August each year to the following spring, birds such as the brown shrike, Chinese sparrowhawk, grey-faced buzzard, and oriole arrive in succession, making it an unmissable ecological attraction.

The site of the Kenting Forest Recreation Area was formerly known as "Guayajiao" (Turtle Horn), originally the home of the Paiwan indigenous tribe's "Guayajiao" community (now called Shepingtop Village). During the Japanese colonial period in Taiwan, 513 species of tropical plants were introduced. After the war, it was managed by the Hengchun Branch of the Taiwan Provincial Forestry Research Institute (now the Hengchun Research Center of the Forestry Research Institute) and called the "Hengchun Tropical Botanical Garden." In 1968, the Kenting Forest Recreation Area was established, covering a total area of 435 hectares, of which 76 hectares have been developed so far.

The natural environment and ecology of the Kenting Forest Recreation Area feature uplifted coral reef rocks throughout the region, with over 1,200 plant species divided into zones such as coconut, oil, rubber, medicinal, and tropical fruit trees. There are a total of 17 scenic spots, among which the Silverleaf Buttress Root, Fairy Cave, Sea View Tower, and Banyan Valley are particularly famous. Inside natural limestone caves such as Fairy Cave and Silver Dragon Cave, various stalactites and stalagmites can be found. These are formed from calcium carbonate dissolved in groundwater and slowly accumulated, making them quite precious.

KentingForestRecreationArea

Must-visit reason: One of Taiwan’s most scenically beautiful forest amusement parks