Top 10 Lighthouses in Taiwan
Taiwan stands at one of the most strategically significant junctions in the Pacific, where the East China Sea meets the South China Sea through the Taiwan Strait — a passage carrying a substantial fraction of world maritime trade. The island's lighthouses were built largely during the Japanese colonial period (1895–1945) and reflect the sophistication of the Japanese Imperial Government's lighthouse engineering service, which constructed towers to British and French standards and installed first- and second-order Fresnel lenses at the major headlands. Several Qing Dynasty-era structures predate the Japanese period, while modern Taiwanese maintenance has kept the network fully operational. Taiwan's lighthouses range from the elegant octagonal towers on its northern capes to the dramatic iron-column structure at the island's southern tip, set in a tropical headland park visited by millions each year.
1. Eluanbi Lighthouse (Cape Eluanbi), Pingtung County
At the southernmost tip of Taiwan, Cape Eluanbi Lighthouse is the most powerful lighthouse in the Taiwan Strait, earning it the informal title 'the Light of East Asia.' The current cast-iron tower was built in 1883 during the Qing Dynasty, making it one of the oldest surviving lighthouse structures in Taiwan, and it stands about 21 metres tall within a fortified compound — the only lighthouse in Taiwan historically enclosed within defensive walls, reflecting the turbulent period of its construction when indigenous resistance and foreign threats made fortification necessary. The light originally displayed a fixed white beam visible around 27 nautical miles; subsequent modernisation has maintained its exceptional range. The lighthouse sits within the Kenting National Park, the southern end of Taiwan's mountainous spine where coral reef, tropical forest and a sandy bay converge. It is fully open to visitors and draws enormous numbers, particularly on public holidays.
2. Fugui Cape Lighthouse, New Taipei
Fugui Cape is the northernmost point of Taiwan, and its lighthouse marks the junction of the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait — one of the most heavily trafficked marine corridors in the world. The white octagonal tower was built during the Japanese colonial period in 1896, with the current structure dating from a rebuild after World War II. The tower stands about 14.3 metres above its base, though the elevated headland gives it a total height above sea level of around 33 metres. The light displays a flashing white character visible around 17 nautical miles, guiding vessels making the transit between northern and southern approaches to the strait. Fugui Cape is accessible from the coastal road running north from Danshui, and the headland combines the lighthouse with rocky coastal scenery and a small fishing village.
3. Cape Sandiao Lighthouse (Sanzhi), New Taipei
Cape Sandiao — 'Three Bamboos' — projects into the sea at the northeastern extremity of Taiwan, where the Pacific Ocean directly meets the island's coastline. The lighthouse here is a white masonry tower built during the Japanese colonial period, positioned to mark the corner that vessels must round when proceeding south along the Pacific coast or northward toward Japan and the Ryukyu Islands. The cape is notorious for rough seas, strong currents and frequent low visibility in the winter months, when the northeast monsoon drives heavy swells against the rocky headland. The lighthouse is maintained by the Maritime and Port Bureau and is occasionally open for heritage visits. The surrounding Longdong Cape area, with its geological rock formations and marine reserve, makes Cape Sandiao a destination in its own right.
4. Qimei Lighthouse, Penghu County
The Qimei Lighthouse stands on the southernmost island of the Penghu (Pescadores) archipelago in the Taiwan Strait, a cluster of coral and basalt islands historically important as a waypoint for vessels navigating between the Chinese coast and the Luzon Strait. The tower was built during the Japanese period and displays a light that guides ships through the narrow and current-prone channels among the Penghu islands, where coral reefs and strong tidal sets have claimed vessels over the centuries. Qimei Island itself is famous for its heart-shaped coral pool, a natural geological formation that has made it one of the most photographed spots in the Penghu Islands. The lighthouse can be reached by domestic ferry from Magong, the Penghu capital.
5. Cijin Lighthouse (Kaohsiung), Kaohsiung
On the narrow sandbar peninsula of Cijin that separates Kaohsiung's inner harbour from the Taiwan Strait, the Cijin Lighthouse occupies one of the most strategically important positions in southern Taiwan. The lighthouse site dates from the Dutch period in the seventeenth century, when a light guided vessels into the shallow harbour then known as Takao; the current tower is a Japanese-period construction rebuilt after wartime damage. The tower stands about 15 metres tall and marks the southern entrance to Kaohsiung harbour, the largest port in Taiwan and one of the major container transshipment hubs in Asia. Cijin Island is reached by a short ferry crossing from the Gushan Ferry Terminal in Kaohsiung; the island has beaches, seafood restaurants and an excellent coastal cycling route that passes the lighthouse.
6. Mao Bi Tou Lighthouse, Pingtung County
Cape Maobitou on the southwestern headland of the Hengchun Peninsula, just north of Eluanbi within Kenting National Park, is marked by a lighthouse that guides vessels navigating the passage between the Taiwan Strait and the Bashi Channel. The white conical tower was built during the Japanese colonial period and sits on a headland of uplifted coral reef, the characteristic geology of the Hengchun Peninsula's western coast. The cape commands extensive views south toward the Bashi Channel, through which a significant proportion of western Pacific maritime traffic passes, making the lighthouse position important for both visual navigation and radar guidance. The Kenting area sees heavy tourist traffic, and the lighthouse is accessible by scooter or car along the coast road.
7. Jiufen Shengmu Lighthouse (Keelung), Keelung
The northern port city of Keelung, known historically as 'Chicken Cage Harbour,' is the principal commercial port of northern Taiwan and the terminus of several major shipping routes. The lighthouse marking the Keelung harbour entrance is a modern structure erected and maintained by the Maritime and Port Bureau, but it performs an indispensable function for the constant traffic of container ships, bulk carriers and ferries that call at Keelung. The harbour is enclosed by forested hills that create challenging approach conditions in fog and rain — weather conditions that affect Keelung more than almost any other Taiwanese port, given its position directly in the path of the northeast monsoon.
8. Suao Lighthouse, Yilan County
Suao on the northeastern Pacific coast of Taiwan marks the northern end of the dramatic Suhua coastal cliffs, where the Central Mountain Range drops sheer into the Pacific. The port of Suao is an important fishing harbour and, increasingly, a naval and commercial facility, and its lighthouse guides vessels making the hazardous passage along the cliff coast where there are few places of refuge. The Suhua Coast between Suao and Hualien is one of the most dramatic in East Asia — a near-vertical cliff face rising hundreds of metres directly from deep water — and the lighthouses at either end of this passage are vital for vessels unable to call at the few emergency anchorages carved into the cliff base.
9. Chengjiang Lighthouse, Taichung
The port of Taichung on Taiwan's western coast was developed as a major industrial and bulk cargo harbour in the late twentieth century, and its lighthouse at the harbour mouth guides the largest bulk carriers and tankers operating in the Taiwan Strait. The western coast of Taiwan is a challenging navigational environment because of the very shallow and shifting nature of the Taiwan Bank to the south and the numerous fishing vessel traffic that populates these waters. The Taichung light is a modern functional tower rather than a heritage structure, but its operational importance for one of Taiwan's principal commercial ports is considerable.
10. Lyudao Lighthouse (Green Island), Taitung County
Green Island, officially Lyudao, lies about 33 kilometres off the Pacific coast of Taitung County and is a volcanic island of considerable ecological and historical significance. Its lighthouse marks a mid-ocean waypoint for vessels moving between Taiwan and the Philippines or Japan, and the light's range across the open Pacific makes it an important night-time reference for long-distance passage-makers. Green Island is reached by ferry from Fugang Harbour near Taitung and is famous for its hot springs, coral reefs and for having housed one of Taiwan's most notorious political detention camps during the martial law era. The lighthouse adds a maritime dimension to an island with a uniquely complex history.
Practical Information
Taiwan's lighthouse heritage is managed by the Maritime and Port Bureau, which has opened many towers for regular public visits on weekends and public holidays. Eluanbi in the south and Fugui Cape in the north are the most accessible and most historically significant; both have visitor facilities and are open most days. The Taiwan Strait's extreme weather seasons — the northeast monsoon from October to March, typhoons from July to September — mean that spring (April to June) offers the most reliable conditions for lighthouse visits on the exposed northern and eastern capes. The offshore lighthouses of Penghu require domestic ferry connections from Magong. Open the map to see the full network of lights around Taiwan and its outlying islands, and to plot a coast-to-coast lighthouse itinerary.