Volcanic island off the southeastern coast of Taiwan

Orchid Island (Lanyu)

Orchid Island, known as Pongso no Tao by the indigenous Tao people, is a 45 km2 (17 sq mi) volcanic island located off the southeastern coast of Taiwan.

Plan a trip to Orchid Island (Lanyu)→

The island and the nearby Lesser Orchid Island are governed by Taiwan as Lanyu Township in Taitung County, which is one of the county's two insular townships. It is separated from the Batanes of the Philippines by the Bashi Channel of the Luzon Strait.

Get in

Getting to Orchid Island (Lanyu)

01
Lanyu Airport
Daily Air (website in Chinese only) has around 6 flights a day from Taitung to Orchid Island's airport on the central west coast.
02
Lanyu Kaiyuan Harbor
Ferries run from Taitung City's Fugang Fishery Harbor year round, while in the summer, there is a ferry from Houbihu port in Kenting.

See

Worth seeing

Visit churches: Christianity is pretty big here; each of the six villages on the island has exactly one Catholic and one Protestant church. (The Protestant ones are larger and in better repair.) Access and times of services vary. Ask around!

01
Orchid Island Weather Station
02
Lanyu Lighthouse
03
Dragon Head Rock
04
Lover Cave
A natural stone archway with association with young love.
05
Jimavonot
06
Datienchih
A lake inside the crater of a dormant volcano, covered in vegetation which feeds on the rich volcanic soil.

Things to do

Tour the beautiful island on a scooter. Talk and dine with the local Tao people. Enjoy relaxing on this quiet island

Eat

Where to eat

Tribe Bar is probably the most popular place for western tourists and offers a mix of Asian and Western dishes.

01
Bayang Bar
02
Rover
A seaside restaurant serving a variety of more international cuisine.
03
A Li Gei Breakfast Restaurant
A popular breakfast restaurant, just down the road from the airport.

How locals move

Getting around Orchid Island (Lanyu) the local way

Two ferry ports and a 19-seat aeroplane, all of them at the mercy of the sea; once ashore a hired scooter on one ring road, plus a township bus twice a day that most visitors never notice.

01
Fugang (Taitung) to Kaiyuan Harbour ferryferry
Taitung Fugang Fishery Harbour to Lanyu Kaiyuan Harbour; peak-season return sailings often call at Green Island
Where
Book online at ferry.tw, then collect at the Fugang waiting hall at the counter of whichever company is rostered that day. Three companies share one roster and you cannot choose the boat: Longhong / Green Island Star 089-280226, Fanli / Kaixuan 089-281047, Dafa / Jinxing 089-281477. One-way legs are not sold online; at Kaiyuan Harbour buy at the port window about an hour before departure, cash only.
When
Scheduled 07:00 and 12:30 from Fugang, 09:30 and 15:00 back, but a sailing only runs once enough tickets are sold. From October the subsidised winter service is fixed on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and alternate Sundays; other days are the companies' choice.
Fare (2026)
NT$1,300-1,500 one way at the counter, NT$1,200 booked through ferry.tw; NT$2,460-3,000 return, NT$2,400 through ferry.tw. Half fare for under-12s and over-65s.
Takes
about 2 to 2.5 hours direct; returns calling at Green Island take 40 to 50 minutes longer
Season
year-round; the peak runs mid-March to mid-October
Booking
ferry.tw up to the day before; same-day and one-way seats at the harbour window
Sources: ferry.tw (2026-09) · ferry.tw (2026-09) · eastcoast-nsa.gov.tw (2026-09) · confidence high
02
Houbihu (Kenting) to Kaiyuan Harbour ferryferry
Houbihu Yacht Harbour, Hengchun, to Lanyu Kaiyuan Harbour
Where
Houbihu is the marina south-west of Kenting town. Same three shipping companies, same ferry.tw booking; ticket collection is at the Houbihu yacht harbour office. Coming from western or southern Taiwan this is the shorter way in than going round to Taitung.
When
07:00 and around 12:20 out, 09:30 and 14:45 back, and again only when the boat fills
Fare (2026)
NT$1,300-1,500 one way at the counter, NT$1,200 through ferry.tw; NT$2,460-3,000 return, NT$2,400 through ferry.tw
Takes
about 2 to 2.5 hours
Season
Not year-round. The East Coast National Scenic Area says the Houbihu to Lanyu sailings stop in the October to March low season, and ferry.tw says the north-east monsoon swell closes the route in winter. Plan on roughly April to September.
Booking
ferry.tw, or by phone with the shipping company
Sources: eastcoast-nsa.gov.tw (2026-09) · ferry.tw (2026-09) · ferry.tw (2026-09) · confidence high
03
Daily Air, Taitung to Lanyuscheduled flight
Taitung Airport (TTT) to Lanyu Airport (KYD), Hongtou village
Where
Daily Air (德安航空) counter at either airport, 089-362675. Only four seats a flight are released online; the other fifteen go through a paper queue at the airport counter, where locals register an ID number and wait. Do the same with your passport number, note your queue position and watch it in the airline's app. After days of cancellations a queue of a hundred can clear fast, because half the names have already left by boat.
When
The airport publishes eight departures each way, 07:50 to 15:50 southbound and 08:50 to 16:45 back; its travel page says eight out and seven back, so treat the last rotation as soft. Aircraft is a 19-seat DHC-6.
Fare
not confirmed here; Daily Air's own site did not answer from outside Taiwan
Takes
about 25 to 30 minutes
Season
year-round; the published pattern thins from November to March, and flights are cancelled at winds well below typhoon strength
Booking
Daily Air app or the airport counter; in July and August the airport queue is the realistic way on
Sources: tta.gov.tw (2026-09) · tta.gov.tw (2026-09) · cna.com.tw (2023-09) · confidence high
04
When nothing sails and nothing fliesservice status
both ferry routes and the Taitung air link
Where
Two pages decide your day. ferry.tw's 船班訊息 notice board posts each cancellation the afternoon before, naming which sailings are dropped and which ticket you can transfer to. The Taitung Airport Administration's Lanyu page carries a live departure board. Ask the guesthouse too: locals run LINE groups for the third-party boats and sometimes an extra sailing is laid on after a blank day.
When
Whole days go in June to October. In late August 2026 both routes were cancelled outright on 26 and 27 August, then again on 2 September. The decision sits with the shipping company on sea state, and with the county harbourmaster once a sea warning is issued.
Fare
no charge to transfer; unticketed outbound passengers get a full refund by email, return tickets are simply carried to the next running boat
Takes
typically one to three days; Typhoon Koinu cut Lanyu and Green Island off for four days in October 2023
Season
typhoon season June to October, north-east monsoon November to March
Booking
leave four spare days at the end of a trip and carry enough cash for them; card payment on the island works only at the airport and the 7-Eleven
Sources: ferry.tw (2026-08) · cna.com.tw (2023-10) · cna.com.tw (2023-09) · confidence high
05
Scooter hire at Kaiyuan Harbourscooter hire
the 37 km coastal ring road and the mountain road that cuts the island east to west
Where
The rental shops are on the slope above Kaiyuan Harbour beside the coastguard inspection post, next to the island's only petrol station. Xiao Jia Ban (蘭嶼蕭家班), 0975-586059, 08:00 to 17:00, is the one ferry.tw sells as an add-on to a boat ticket. Bikes are SYM GT125 or equivalent. The ring road is a slow half day with stops; the six Tao villages sit along it.
When
walk-up most of the year; add it to the boat booking for a summer weekend
Fare (2026)
NT$500 for 24 hours at the counter, NT$450 added to a ferry.tw boat booking, plus NT$100 taken on the spot so the bike comes fuelled; NT$50 an hour over time, and overnight charged as another 24 hours at NT$500
Takes
allow 2 to 3 hours to ride the ring road without stopping, a full day with villages and viewpoints
Season
year-round; the ring road floods in convective rain, with the township office's response team on standby to clear it
Booking
You must produce a valid motorcycle licence. Foreign visitors must show an International Driving Permit, and the shop checks it against your passport when you collect. Cancel inside a day of pick-up and you lose the money.
Sources: ferry.tw (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · cna.com.tw (2024-05) · confidence high
06
Lanyu Township ring-road busbus
round the coastal ring road, serving the six villages, the harbour and the airport
Where
Run by the township office, not a bus company. The airport's own travel page tells arrivals either to walk right from Kaiyuan Harbour along the ring road or to take the daily bus. It is a full-size coach and it is the only scheduled road transport on the island, which is why almost every visitor ends up on a scooter instead.
When
two runs a day around the island, and it keeps running in weather that floods parts of the road
Fare
not confirmed; no published tariff could be reached from outside Taiwan
Takes
a full circuit of the ring road
Season
year-round
Booking
none, flag it down
Sources: tta.gov.tw (2026-09) · zh.wikipedia.org (2026-09) · cna.com.tw (2024-05) · confidence medium
07
Harbour shuttles: Taitung station to Fugang, Kaohsiung to Houbihushuttle bus
Taitung railway station to Fugang Fishery Harbour; HSR Zuoying, Kaohsiung station or the Zhongzheng interchange to Houbihu
Where
Add the shuttle when you book the boat on ferry.tw. At Taitung the driver waits under the rain shelter to the right as you come out of the station; on the way back you meet at the door of the Fugang passenger terminal. Shuttle company 0933-102099 for Taitung, 0903-511799 for Houbihu. Both call you the day before and again on the morning.
When
timed to each sailing. For the 07:00 Houbihu boat the Kaohsiung pick-ups leave at 04:20; for the midday boat, 08:20 to 09:15.
Fare (2026)
Taitung station to Fugang NT$150 one way, NT$300 return. Kaohsiung to Houbihu NT$520 one way, NT$1,040 return, and NT$720 one way on the 04:20 run, which needs two passengers to go. Child seats cost extra and count as a passenger.
Takes
15 to 20 minutes Taitung station to Fugang; 2.5 to 3 hours Kaohsiung to Houbihu
Season
follows the sailings, so the Houbihu shuttle stops when the Houbihu route does
Booking
add-on at boat booking; cancel inside a day and there is no refund. If you have an onward train, count on the boat arriving an hour and a half later than scheduled.
Sources: ferry.tw (2026-09) · ferry.tw (2026-09) · confidence high
08
Weekly freighters from Taitungcargo boat
Taitung to Kaiyuan Harbour, goods and vehicles
Where
Three shipping companies, Julong, Xinfa and Hanming, each run roughly one sailing a week. This is how a car, a motorbike, building material or a pallet of shop stock reaches Lanyu, and after a typhoon the county charters them to carry food and fuel. Passengers are not the point; ask at Fugang if you need to move a vehicle.
When
about one sailing a week per company, weather permitting
Fare
no published passenger or freight tariff could be confirmed
Takes
not published
Season
year-round but the first casualty of bad weather
Booking
by phone with the company at Fugang
Sources: zh.wikipedia.org (2026-09) · cna.com.tw (2023-10) · confidence low
09
Green Island (Ludao), the island people confuse this one withferry
Taitung Fugang to Nanliao Harbour, Green Island
Where
Same Fugang harbour, different counter. Green Island is 33 km off Taitung with a saltwater hot spring and the political-prison museum; Lanyu is 90 km out with the Tao villages. The two are not interchangeable and the transport is not alike: Green Island has many sailings a day year-round, a 50-minute crossing, cheaper tickets, and a bookable dial-a-ride minibus on the island. Lanyu has a boat that leaves only when it fills, a crossing over twice as long, and no minibus.
When
several sailings daily year-round, roughly every two hours; Lanyu returns to Taitung often call here in peak season
Fare (2026)
NT$660-700 one way full fare, NT$560 through ferry.tw; NT$1,320-1,400 return, NT$1,120 through ferry.tw. On the island the Green Island Happiness Bus is NT$25 a stage, booked two days ahead and running with three passengers.
Takes
about 50 minutes
Season
year-round
Booking
ferry.tw; the Green Island minibus on 089-814100
Sources: ferry.tw (2026-09) · eastcoast-nsa.gov.tw (2026-09) · en.wikivoyage.org (2026-09) · confidence high
10
Guided visit to the Yeyin (Ivalino) underground housestour package
Yeyin village on the east coast, near Dongqing Bay, off the ring road
Where
Yeyin is the village where Tao semi-subterranean houses are still lived in rather than preserved. You go in with a village guide who explains the layout, not on your own: the ring road runs past, but the lanes between the roofs are people's homes and their front terraces are where the household sits. Arrange it through your guesthouse or at the village. The same applies island-wide to the plank boats and the drying racks of flying fish you will pass on the road; they are working property, and photographing them or their owners without asking is what causes friction.
When
daylight hours, by arrangement in the village
Fare
a village guide fee is charged but no published rate could be confirmed
Takes
about an hour
Season
The Kuroshio brings the flying fish between March and June and the Tao ceremonial year built around them runs from late February to October, when boats, launching beaches and some shorelines are in ceremonial use. Ask before walking onto a beach in that window.
Booking
through a guesthouse or on arrival in the village
Sources: tour.taitung.gov.tw (2026-09) · cna.com.tw (2020-06) · zh.wikipedia.org (2026-09) · confidence low

Not yet confirmed: Correction to the brief: the scooter is not quite the only transport on the island. The township office runs a full-size coach twice a day round the ring road, and cars and bicycles are also hired locally, with some visitors bringing their own bicycle over on the boat. The bus times and fare could not be confirmed: lanyu.gov.tw resolves to 117.56.33.89 but would not answer on port 80 or 443 from outside Taiwan.; Correction to the brief: the Houbihu route is not simply a summer extra. The East Coast National Scenic Area states it is suspended for the October to March low season, and ferry.tw says the north-east monsoon closes it. Treat it as an April to September service.; Daily Air's fare and its booking endpoint could not be checked. www.dailyair.com.tw resolves to 61.66.29.136 but the connection times out on both 80 and 443 from outside Taiwan, so the read-the-booking-page-source trick could not be attempted. The airline app (tw.com.dailyair.booking) is the other place to look for an endpoint.; The village guide fee at Yeyin is not published anywhere reachable. Ask at the Lanyu Township Office or any Hongtou guesthouse.; No passenger fare could be found for the weekly cargo ships, and it is not clear whether they take passengers at all or only vehicles and freight. Ask at Fugang for Julong, Xinfa or Hanming.; Wikivoyage's Green Island article says the Fugang boat runs to Green Island and then on to Orchid Island. ferry.tw shows the Green Island call on the Lanyu to Taitung leg in peak season, not reliably on the outbound. Confirm with the company on the day.; The Taitung County government site (www.taitung.gov.tw) and the Taitung County bus portals did not answer from outside Taiwan; tour.taitung.gov.tw and www.tta.gov.tw did..

The field note on Orchid Island (Lanyu) reads this entry in full, one option at a time, with every source beside it.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.