Kenting National Park
Facing the Bashi Channel with the emerald mountains in the background, Kending National Park has the most beautiful beaches in Taiwan. The deep blue sea gently laps onto the soft sands. Tropical plants supply the necessary shade. Lingering on the beach and basking in the sea breeze, you will feel relaxed and refreshed. Kending National Park was the first national park established in Taiwan.
Kenting National Park is situated at the southernmost tip of the Hengchun Peninsula and was the first national park to be established in Taiwan. With three of its sides surrounded by sea, it is the only national park to include land and marine environments, as well as the only tropical national park in Taiwan.
Kenting Forest Recreational Area
In 1901, during the Japanese colonial period, Taiwan''''s Provincial Forestry Research Institute set up the Hengchun Forest Experiment Center in an area 240 meters high above sea level. 513 species of tropical plants were transplanted there. After Taiwan’s retrocession from Japanese rule, the center was taken over by the KMT, and transformed into the Hengchun Forest Experimental Institute. In 1968, the tropical botanical garden was renovated and renamed as today''''s Kenting Forest Recreation District. This recreation district is responsible for forest recreation development and management, while the experimental institute does research in the botanical garden. This district is one of the ten great tropical botanical gardens in the world, facing the Pacific Ocean on the east, the Taiwan Strait to the west, and the Bashi Channel to the south.
The recreation area is situated at an altitude of 150 to 300 meters, covering an area of 466.8 hectares. It includes 72 hectares of botanical display areas, 137.6 hectares of Kending coral reefs and higher altitude reserve areas, as well as virgin forests. 1,200 tropical plants are under protection, including some which are nicknamed for their peculiar looks and shapes.