But Also Helpful for All Xiaoliuqiu Visitors

Welcome to Xiaoliuqiu (full tourist guide here), an island paradise a short distance off the coast of Taiwan! This magical place is full of beautiful beaches, crystal clear waters (most of the time), and an abundance of water-based activities.

If you're visiting for the first time, you should know a few things before you come. Here are 12 must-knows for first-timers to Xiaoliuqiu and also helpful to frequent visitors as well.

And join our Facebook group Xiaoliuqiu for Foreigners if you want more information on this island.

Google Maps Not So Accurate

Shortly after I moved to the island, I went to visit my friends over at VD Freediving for the first time. I did the same as billions of people across the world, and I pulled out my trusty Google Maps to show me the way.

Unfortunately, I ended up about 300 meters from where they actually were, and I needed to call them to help me find the way.

And during my time here on this island, this has happened to me a few times.

Solution? All businesses here have signs, so knowing that Google Maps could be off by a couple of hundred meters helps make you aware you'll have to have a look around.

One F****** Petrol Station

And it only opens until 5pm (opens at 8am)

If you, like nearly all tourists here, rent a gas-powered scooter, this might be a life saver preventing you from running empty late at night.

You will unlikely need to fill up your tank at all as scooter rental places will give you a full tank, and many don't require you to fill it up before returning it. Moreover, you'll unlikely go through a full tank if you are here for only a few days unless you've done a few laps around the island.

Nonetheless, for those who plan to dart all around the island or stay for more than a few days, make sure to get your tank filled up before 5 pm if you are running low.

Only 20 Minute Ferry Ride

One of the first questions friends ask me about Xiaoliuqiu is how long the ferry ride is. And nearly every single one of them is super surprised when I tell them it's only 20 minutes.

I think this because Xiaoliuqiu is an outlying island (along with Penghu, Orchid Island, Green Island, Matsu, and Kinmen). All these outlying islands have something in common except for Xiaoliuqiu; they all require substantial time on a ferry or taking a plane. This is why I think people are so surprised to learn that it's only 20 minutes on the ferry.

Moreover, ten years ago, the ferries would take 40 minutes to reach the island, so there's been a big upgrade over the years.

Check out my how-to guide to taking the ferry to Xiaoliuqiu. Or watch my YouTube video on how easy it is to get to the Donggang ferry terminal from the Kaohsiung High-Speed Rail station.  Check out the ferry schedule on our Xiaoliuqiu Guide website.

Not One Single Stop Light on the Island

There are perhaps one or two intersections on the island I think one could justify putting in a stop light, but this is part of the appeal of living on a small island and I LOVE IT!

Just be careful at those intersections, even if you have the right of way. Look both ways and don't assume people will stop for you.

Some say that there SHOULD be stop lights at some intersections, but I think even if they did, they would be ignored.

Those 90-second stop lights in Taipei and Kaohsiung, can't say I miss them at all. Can you blame me?

ATM For Domestic Banks Only

This is especially important for our friends traveling here from abroad or if you live in Taiwan and, for some reason, you don't have an account with a domestic bank, it's important to note that there are no ATMs on the island that dispenses cash to non-domestic bank cards.

So if you don't have a card from a domestic bank, make sure to take enough cash with you to last you the trip. The last place to get cash from an ATM with a foreign card would be the two convenience stores directly across from the ferry terminal in Donggang.

Though some places take credit cards, it's very rare. I can count on one hand how many times I've used my credit card here in the past two years.

Beaches Are Hardly Ever Crowded

If you love the beach,  but not the crowds that often come with it, you'll be in heaven on Xiaoliuqiu.

I go to the beach nearly every day to go for a swim, walk, meditate, check out the sunset or sunrise, work on my Kuta cowboy-level tan, or just get my feet wet and I can only remember once was there an uncomfortable number of people, and I often go during weekends and extended public holidays.  (UPDATE - now that I've been here through a true summer holiday season, i.e., July-August, it does get a bit congested on the beach July-August.)

Admittedly Xiaoliuqiu does not have the best or biggest beaches, but they are not crowded and very accessible as you can make your way to a beach in just a few minutes from any point on this small island. 

By the way, there is a Secret Beach here, but it is not so secret as you can see it off a high-traffic road. It's not even called Secret Beach in Mandarin. And I have no idea about the provenance of the English name.

Businesses Take Random Days Off

Don't be surprised if you show up at a restaurant or cafe to find that they are randomly closed despite their Google Maps listing saying they should be open.

Such is small island life, where a balanced lifestyle takes priority. Also, nearly all businesses here are run by a small crew or family, and if they need to attend to some matters on the main island,  they usually don't have a backup to run the business.

Thus, it is best to call ahead or have a backup in mind when heading to your destination.

Google Maps is often not updated to reflect random days off and local businesses here are pretty good about posting updated schedules on their Instagram account, oftentimes in their Stories.

Snorkeling Tips

This is one of the most popular activities here on the island. And it's easy to see why with it's clear waters and the abundant sea turtle population you are assured to see one nearly every time you get into the water (WARNING - touching the turtles can subject you to heavy fines)

If you are not a confident swimmer in the ocean or don't know how to swim at all, I highly recommend taking a snorkeling tour which requires everyone to wear a safety vest, does not require any swimming ability and you just need to know how to breathe from a snorkel. This is also highly recommended if you have children, I've seen kids as young as 3 years old going on one of these tours.

If you decide to venture out on your own here are some tips:

• Avoid Venice Beach as there are reports of rip currents there
• The small beach in Sanfu Fish Harbor is arguably the safest and best to start there as its more protected from waves and current and you can still see a decent amount of sea life including turtles (I've seen five of them there before)
• Check the wind direction on the Windy website or the app to check the wind strength and direction. If the wind direction is west to east then best to stay on the east side of the island and if west to east, then stay on the west side of the island.  Any wind strength stronger than green, probably best to avoid going out.
• Current can be an issue here as they can become quite strong. The current is different from waves as it's the flow of water from one area to another. As a freedive instructor, this is the hardest thing to predict, but generally, high and low tide is when it's the calmest. If you find yourself in a strong current, best to swim directly to shore where it's the weakest and then swim parallel to shore to where you came from.

WARNING - do not go snorkeling without a tour if you are not a strong swimmer and/or not comfortable in the ocean. If you are, please proceed with the utmost of caution and do not do it alone. I have had to drag some students back to shore in strong currents as they didn't have the fitness level or technique to come back on their own. The ocean can always turn dangerous very quickly.

Bring Reef-friendly Sunscreen

There was a lot of press coverage recently regarding the corals of Xiaoliuqiu are showing the most degradation in Taiwan.

This doesn't surprise me because Xiaoliuqiu is the only place where you can enjoy year-round water activities because of the temperatures and wind, and thus the coral reefs here do not get any months where they can rest and regenerate from human activity like other outlying islands.

Human activity stresses the corals and although no sunscreen is completely reef safe, let's do our part by using reef-friendly ones, they can be found at Costco (brand ThinkBaby), and a few places on the island sell them like the new bikini shop Peachy Lil Things (a fantastic name I reckon).

Cafes Open Late, Close Early

Cafés have become the place to work in the city, and they stay open long into the night. And they're always ready to serve from early in the morning, your caffeine kick before you begin your work day.

But being a tourist center here in Xiaoliuqiu, coffee is a pure source of pleasure rather than the obligatory jolt of caffeine to prime your brain for the workday or just to get you through another tough day in the city.

Most of the cafes here open around 10-11 am and close around 6 pm. So if you want your single-origin hand-poured coffee, it'll have to wait till later in the day.

The earliest opening cafe would be Manban Cafe which opens at 7:30 am Friday through Wednesday and is closed on Thursdays. Limited sitting outside, though.

And if you are in a pinch, the coffee at 7-11 and FamilyMart has really come a long way since I first lived in Taiwan over 24 years ago. There are three 7-11s and one FamilyMart on the island. 

Check out my blog post about my favorite coffee spots to work from on the island.

Dinner Reservations Suggested

The food scene in Xiaoliuqiu has come a long, long way in the last few years, but to be honest, demand far outstrips supply if you are a restaurant that is even above average.  The halfway decent Thai place Good Thai with an aesthetically pleasing and Instagram-worthy interior and exterior, doesn't take reservations and has a mob of people waiting outside every weekend.  With that said, there are many restaurants that do take reservations, and you definitely should. . For example, the best sushi on the island 肆不惑 壽司．丼 requires a booking through their Facebook messenger only.

Here is a list of other restaurants in which reservations are suggested, not in any particular order (please let me know if there are more): Hard Rock Gastropub, Island Bistro, 夏味鮮海鮮, 海岸海景熱炒, and 品軒在地風味小館.

Duty-Free

Xiaioliuqiu is a tax-free island, meaning goods and services exchanged on the island are not subject to any tax. This includes alcohol and tobacco products.

There is one duty-free shop by the main port of Baishawan and a new one is being built at the port of Dafu which is where passengers disembark and embark on the public ferry and the Dafu ferry which goes to Yanpu.

Head to the duty-free store and make your purchase one hour before your intended departure. Once you walk through the doors on the right side will be a desk, tell them your ferry company and departure time and they will give you a ticket to give to the cashier when making a purchase.



You are welcome.

Concierge Service

If you need help planning and booking your trip to this island, my wife and I run a concierge service called Escape to Lambai.

We help guests arrange their transport to the island and on the island, and plan and book activities.

And here's the best part, it won't cost you anything. The vendors pay us a small commission for guests that book through us and you'll get the same price whether you book through us or book directly with the vendor.

Check out our reviews on Facebook and Google Maps.

If you are interested in trying out our services, please fill out this form which lists all the services and activities offered including prices.

And..........



Instead of writing a perfunctory conclusion here, I thought I mention that I am a freedive instructor and run courses on this beautiful island. If you are interested in freediving and don't know where to begin, please click here to join my free online "Intro to Freediving" workshop.

If you have any questions about Xiaoliuqiu or freediving please don't hesitate to e-mail me at ray@freedivenomad.com.