A famous tourist destination on the island of Taiwan seriously collapsed, making many tourists regretful.
Turtle Island or Guishan Island is a small cone-shaped island located off the northeastern coast of Taiwan. This is a popular tourist destination for hiking, diving, and sightseeing.
The island looks like a giant turtle floating in the sea. Photo: Foreigners in Taiwan.
The April 3, 2024 earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale occurred off the coast of Taiwan, causing significant damage to Turtle Island, causing the first part of the island to collapse.
Currently, Turtle Island is closed, only the authorities can access it. It’s unclear when the island will reopen to tourists, but local authorities said they are working to recover from damage caused by the earthquake. Previously, the island officially opened to visitors this year from March 1.
Green Turtle Island is located in the middle of the vast ocean. Photo: Taiwan.net.tw.
Turtle Island has many trails, suitable for hiking, leading to the island’s high peaks. Standing from there, visitors can look out at the beautiful ocean. The water around the island is clear blue with gentle ripples, making it an ideal place for scuba diving or snorkeling.
This island is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Taiwan. Because of the undeniable attraction, local authorities must limit the reception to only 1,800 visitors per day and this group of visitors must register at least 3 days in advance.
Life is slow and peaceful on the island. Photo: Taiwan.net.tw.
Some notable attractions on the island include Guiwei freshwater lake, military tunnel through the mountain, Gonglan temple and hot springs. Turtle Island is still wild and not heavily exploited for tourism, so guests must bring their own food and drinks, then clean up before leaving.
Groups of guests take boats to the island. Photo: Klook.
From the mainland, visitors can take a ferry from Su’ao Port in Yilan County to Turtle Island in about 40 minutes, or rent a private boat from Nanfang’ao Port. If no natural disasters occur, right now is the ideal time to travel to the island. The period of beautiful sunshine and cool breeze will last until October.