Overview
Like pearls scattering in the East Sea, the Penghu archipelago is located in the southwest of the Taiwan Strait. Penghu is known as the pearl of the Taiwan Strait. Composed of 90 islands, the county is steeped in history and culture, with magnificent ocean views and many other natural wonders.
Itinerary
Day 1
TAIPEI – PENGHU
Songshan Airport – Magong Airport – Check in Magong City Hotel – Free & Easy
B: X L: X D: X
Hotel: Jih Lih Hotel or comparable
Day 2
PENGHU
From Hotel – ETA 0800 take ship – Wang'an Island (Tiantai Hill: The footprint – Flower House: Osmanthus Alley) – Qimei Island (Tomb of the Seven Beauties/ Watching for Husband Rock/ Dashi Scenic Area/ Nioumuping/ Twin Hearts Stone Weir) – Back to Hotel
B: Hotel L: Local Cuisine D: X
Hotel: Jih Lih Hotel or comparable
Day 3
PENGHU – TAIPEI
Free & Easy – Magong Airport – Songshan Airport
B: Hotel L: X D: X
Description
【Wang'an Island】
Wang'an is composed of porous basalt with rich deposits of wenshi, or veined stone. The beautiful sandy beaches here have given Wang'an the nickname of "Honeymoon Island."
The island's highest elevation, Tiantai Hill, is just 53 meters above sea level and is composed by large expanses of green pasture upon which cattle graze. On the western side of the peak is an indentation in the rock which is said to be the footprint of Liu Dung-bin, one of the legendary Eight Immortals of China. On the western side of the island, Zhongshe (Jungshe) Village has a well-preserved group of Qing Dynasty houses--the only place in the Taiwan area which boasts a whole collection of historic residences. Some of them are still inhabited.
Wang'an is also home to the most stable nesting ground in the Taiwan area for green sea turtles. The nesting site is now protected as a nature preserve.
【Twin Hearts Stone Weir】
This curving weir is formed of piled rock walls in an intertidal zone. At high tide, the fish swim into the weir with the rising seawater and are trapped there when the water ebbs again at low tide. Penghu is likely to have the greatest concentration and number of stone weirs in the world. The Twin Hearts Stone Weir is the best preserved, and most romantically shaped. Make sure to time your visit for the low tide, when the weir is in full view.
【Qimei Island】
Qimei is the southernmost island in the Penghu archipelago. There is a moving story behind the name of the island, which means Seven Beauties. According to the legend, seven maidens were doing their laundry beside a well long ago when they were attacked by Japanese pirates; unwilling to submit to insult at the hands of the scoundrels, they all killed themselves by leaping into the well. The local residents filled in the well and left it as a tomb, from which, later on, sprouted seven trees. It is still there: the Tomb of the Seven Beauties. In earlier times the island was known as Widow's Island, and there is a story behind this name too. Even today, on the shore below the Nan Lake (Nanhu) Lighthouse, there is a stone formation known as Watching for Husband Rock. The stone is in the form of a reclining woman, who is said to have turned to stone there waiting for the return of her fisherman husband.