What Makes a Perfect Weekend Trip?

A perfect weekend trip should be restful and relaxing. You've worked hard enough Monday through Friday already. And return back on Sunday evening in time to get a full nights sleep before facing the work week on Monday.

I've done quick weekend trips to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila or Tokyo from Taipei. Getting to the airport, going through crowded security and then being stuck in a metal tube traveling hundreds of kilometers an hour for a few hours and then doing that all over again less than 48 hours later arriving late Sunday night is tough. It takes its toll and I feel like I need another few days just to recover from that weekend trip.

Since living here, I've met many and heard of many people who have made Xiaoliuqiu their go-to destination for the weekend.

And why not? Shouldn't weekend trips be painless and easy?

Xiaoliuqiu Quick Facts

Xiaoliuqiu is a tiny island located 13 kilometers off the Southwest shores of Taiwan proper.

Xiaoliuqiu is also known as Lamay, Liuqiu Island, Ryukyu Island, and Lambai Island and officially as Liuqiu Township, which reflects its rich history.

Originally inhabited by an aboriginal tribe until they were wiped out by the Dutch nearly 400 years ago in retaliation for the murders of a shipwrecked Dutch crew decades before.

Back in the day a tuna fishing powerhouse, its still relatively unknown or at least not visited by most residents of Taiwan. Tourism on the island started to boom in 2004 when it was included as part of the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area.

For more information, read my tourist guide to Xiaoliuqiu blog post.

Easy To Get To

I usually greet my friends and freediving students at the ferry pier when they arrive and the comment I get the most is "I can't believe how fast and easy it was to get here" as I notice their joy and amazement of the ease of getting to this beautiful destination.

Most people get here door to door in 4.5 hours thus if you leave Taipei in the early morning you can get nearly two full days on the island before taking the last ferry at 5pm and getting to your place in Taipei ready for a full night of sleep before you schlep yourself to the office on Monday morning.

You can see the video below my friend and student Tyler telling us he left his house in Taipei at 7:15am and arrived on the island at not even 11:15am.

Xiaoliqiu has by far the easiest access out of all the outlying island. It'll nearly take you the whole weekend to get to Orchid Island or Green Island and taking the plane is the only way to do Penghu, Matsu or Kinmen over a weekend.

How to Get To Xiaoliuqiu

For a weekend trip, I suggest  taking the Taiwan High Speed Rail. Once you are in the THSR station in Taipei, its just another 1.5-2 hours on the bullet train followed by another 40 minute car ride to the ferry terminal in Dong Gang and then another 20 minutes on the ferry.

The cost for the train is about NT$1500 and you can buy it at 7-11, at the train station or on the app. I love using the app as I can just use the QR code generated by the app as my ticket to enter and exit the train.

Of course there are other ways to get to Xiaoliuqiu other than the high speed rail, but not ideal for a weekend trip., Once I took an overnight bus from Taipei to Kaohsiung for one of my freedive courses on the island. But I did arrive pretty tired.

You can either take a car (Uber, taxi or private car service) which will set you back about NT$1000-1200, a shuttle bus from Zuoying HSR station (NT$139), or book a shared van to Dong Gang (NT$200).

You have a choice of four ferry companies to get to Xiaoliuqiu costing NT$230 each way which you can read more about on my blog post about the Xiaoliuqiu ferry.

Year Round Destination

Not only is it easier to get to Xiaoliuqiu than any other outlying island, you can come to Xiaoliuqiu year round. Obviously summer you can enjoy all the other outlying islands but certainly not in the winter.

Its not that its too cold but the winter brings strong winds from the north which Xiaoliuqiu is the only one which is naturally protected from.

Summer is probably the worse time to come to Xiaoliuqiu because it's crowded, hot and lots of rain. Though it can still be an enjoyable trip, just check the weather forecast ahead of time.

What to Do On Xiaoliuqiu

There's something to be said about doing nothing and just enjoying the small island vibes and nature. Dig your feet in the sand on the beach, swim in the ocean and watch the turtles, buy a can of beer at the 7-11 and bring it to the west side of the island to enjoy the sunset.

Enjoy the noticeably slower pace of life here versus the big city. This is a place to unwind and enjoy the simple pleasures in life, especially if its just a weekend you need to rest and recharge.

However, if you are more inclined to an active weekend, there is snorkeling, SUP, kayaking, scuba and freediving of course. If you are into endurance sports I've seen people running, hiking and cycling around the island. Even walking, the most under rated form of exercise, is very enjoyable with the views.

If you are interested in taking a one day discover freediving course you can book through Tripadvisor or contact me directly.

Guaranteed to See a Sea Turtle

The sea turtles are the major attraction here and if you are doing a water sport be it freediving, scuba, SUP you are almost guaranteed to see one and take a photo with one when you make it to the water. I can't remember the last time I've been in the water and not seen a sea turtle.

But What About Kenting

You're right, Kenting is also a great place for a weekend trip from Taipei. It takes about the same time to get to as Xiaoliuqiu and also is relatively protected from the winter winds. You have a better and wider choice of activities and the beaches are better than Xiaoliuqiu, though they aren't bad at all on this island.

But Kenting is more spread out and going from one place to another can take awhile versus on Xiaoliuqiu the longest it takes for you to get from point A to point B is 10 minutes but almost everything will only be a few minutes away on a scooter.  Personally for a weekend trip, I like to visit smaller and more quaint places.     

This blog post about 3 days in Kenting from Tricky Taipei gives an honest view about her time in Kenting. Read through the comments to get some balance on Kenting.

And as big and wonderful as Kenting is, Xiaoliuqiu is small and quaint. Small island vibe is much different than big beach resort vibe. It's like comparing Phuket, Thailand to Boracay, Philippines.

And you aren't guaranteed sea turtles in Kenting.

Xiaoliuqiu is Changing

For the better or worse? That's up for everyone's own interpretation.

Having been a resident here for nearly a year, I see big changes happening. New hip businesses to serve tourists and big buildings being erected seemingly overnight.

Cool cafes have sprung up, a big luxury hotel is in the works, and there's even 3 really good burger places which opened up in a span of a few months.  A really cool bazaar just started operations recently with an Iranian store and really nice Japanese bbq place with more cool and hip businesses to come, possibly a beer garden.

I had the privilege to visit Koh Samui, Thailand and Bali, Indonesia 20 years ago and seen them develop and change massively from a backpacker/eclectic type destination to an all out tourist development. Xiaoliuqiu, in my opinion, is going through the same transformation.

Come soon, come often.  Enjoy the vibes, observe the changes.

If you want more English language resources I suggest you join the Facebook group Xiaoliuqiu for Foreigners and ask any questions you may have there.

CONTACT -
Address: 66 Xiangpu Road, Liuqiu Township, Pintgung County 929

Phone: 0981163838

E-mail: ray@freedivenomad.com