Kenting Forest Recreation Area

　　The Kenting Forest Recreation Area is situated within Kenting National Park in Hengchun Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan, at an altitude of about 230–300 meters. It lies on high-altitude coral reef and limestone terrain, which is a rare landform in Taiwan. The forest is dense with tropical vegetation and rich in birdlife. From August each year to the following spring, birds such as the brown shrike, Chinese sparrowhawk, grey-faced buzzard, and Chinese oriole can be spotted here in succession — an ecological spectacle not to be missed.

　　The area where the Kenting Forest Recreation Area is located was formerly called “Guayajiao” (Turtle Horn Corner), originally home to the indigenous Paiwan tribe’s “Guayajiao” community (now known as Shepingding 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 named 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 to date.

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

　　KentingForestRecreationArea

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