Kenting | Taiwan's Most Beautiful Highway 26

2025.12.2 Since I was a child, I have watched "Sunny Kenting." Back then, Kenting only existed on the screen for me—it felt a bit far and a bit dreamy. This time, because the exchange period is only four months, I spent the early part of the trip in the rainy eastern region during winter, and only had the chance to come to Kenting in December. I stayed in Kaohsiung myself, so it took quite a bit of time to transfer from Kaohsiung to Hengchun (Taiwan Railways says the Hengchun line will open in 2025, right?). With limited time, I’m sharing my route this time, mainly focusing on the east line, but covering all the core highlights: First, there are many ways to get from Kaohsiung to Kenting. I only tried two relatively direct options: Option 1: From Kaohsiung High School Station near Kaohsiung Station, you can take bus 9188 directly to Eluanbi. Or take bus 9117 from Kaohsiung High School Station directly to North Kenting. Option 2: Take Taiwan Railways to Fangliao Station, or take the Kenting Express Line 9189 from Zuoying High-Speed Rail Station, which can get you to Xiaowan or Kenting Police Station. After arriving at Kenting National Park, there are basically Ubike stations along the route, but beyond the Kenting Resort area, only Chuanfan Rock and Eluanbi have 7-11 convenience stores. So this time I started from Chuanfan Rock (Photos 8, 9). → Shadao, where the seawater layers into several colors, and there is a shell research institute. I stopped here for about half an hour to take photos (Photos 2, 3, 6, 11, 12). → Eluanbi, the landmark lighthouse of the Hengchun Peninsula, pure white and very beautiful. The entrance fee is 60 TWD (Photo 5). → Taiwan’s southernmost point, where you can see both the Pacific Ocean and the Bashi Channel at once. The ecology here is excellent, but this section cannot be cycled and must be walked (Photo 7). → Longpan Park, this section is almost all uphill and a bit tough, but once you arrive, there is a very vast coastline with an unobstructed view of the entire east coast of the Hengchun Peninsula. However, the wind is very strong (Photos 13, 14). → Wind-blown Sand, connected seamlessly with the coastline of Longpan Park (Photo 15). → Manzhou Beach, another highlight of this section, where you can always see the Pacific Ocean along the highway with great views (Photos 1, 4, 16, 17). If cycling, this section takes about 2 hours. Since I also wanted to visit Hengchun Old Town (Photo 10), it was about time to head back. The return trip has more downhill sections, so it’s easier. You can return the bike at Eluanbi and then wait for the bus back to Hengchun. This route basically follows the Taiwan Provincial Highway 26 E-Jia section and is one of the most beautiful highways in Taiwan. But cycling here is really sunny, so be sure to take good sun protection measures.