After visiting the beaches in the morning we have a hiking program in the afternoon. Specifically we want to visit the Kenting National Forest Recreation Area and look for birds and caves. When we get there we have trouble understanding the parking lot pay structure and even visit the parking attendant who is none too happy but finally we hack it and it is time to start our visit following the very comprehensive map.
It is quite hot inland so we are happy that the access trail is shaded. There are relatively few visitors, which might have something to do with the heat. The only attraction on this stretch is the Giant Autumn Maple, quite a big and old tree right next to trail.
And then we arrive at the visitor center, it has a small restaurant and a drinks vending machine which is quite welcome as we get a cold coffee to keep going. Now it is time to visit the large greenhouse as we plan to make our way to the Fairy Caves further into the park.
The greenhouse is set on a slope with us climbing from the bottom to the top enjoying the beautiful orchids and other endemic plants and flowers.
From the green house it is up and up again following a series of stairs, we really hope we are on the right way. At least as we catch our breath we see an endemic dragonfly which is quite beautiful.
We get to the top and see a picnic table which would be a good place to rest if not for mosquitoes. So we decide to soldier slowly on the now flat road.
Flat for only a small distance as we now notice the entrance to the Fairy Cave, the most famous cave in the park. It is downhill with lots of stairs and we are sure there will be many uphill stairs at the end but there is a large benefit. It is much colder in the cave!
What we find exciting and really enjoy is that the cave is not extra protected and you can simply enter it and visit it without a guide or any other restrictions. It is also well signposted with the major formations having evocative names like Lotus Lamp.
There are flat stretches in the cave but also many up and downs through narrow passages, quite fun really.
As we get close to the end of the cave we smell something familiar, the smell of guano. It takes only little additional time to find the bats on the ceiling, quite special to see them in such a touristy cave.
We exit at the Seaview Tower that we climb, with the elevator, to the viewing platform to take the views in over the surrounding forest. And then it is time for the other, smaller, cave the Silver Dragon Cave.
The Silver Dragon Cave is much shorter but also much tighter and as such it is one way only. It would be quite difficult for two people to pass next to each other here but as the only people we can enjoy the narrow maze before exiting on the other side.
And now it is time to take the Coral Reef Trail through the forest to visit the many named rock formations here and maybe even see some interesting birds.
The trail intersections and the formations are well marked however this stretch somehow has more visitors than we expected with many foreign tourists also hiking this trail.
From the middle of the trail, it starts to narrow as we reach a more spectacular stretch. We then pass through the Valley of the Hanging Banyan, which is quite special and very good for photos as evidenced by the many other groups stopping to take pictures.
Then we pass through other interesting named sections of the trail like “A Thread of Sky” and “First Ravine”, they are quite fun to pass and are colder which is very welcome.
The last major named area that we pass is the Cliff of Apes which seems to be able to hold them but we do not see any. The only wildlife here is a very colorful caterpillar that we admire before moving on.
We then arrive back at the Seaview Tower after completing the loop and pass it on our way down towards the visitor center and the car. On the way we encounter a troup of Formosan Macaque with the guard keeping a wary eye on us.
Before picking the car we take another look at the valley and then it is time to leave as a big storm seems to be coming in.
We still stop at the Longzipu Grassland but unfortunately there are no very special birds and it starts to rain so we retreat to the car. We try to stop at a few more attractions but the rain is too heavy so we retreat to the city to wait for the rain to pass and visit the Night Market for dinner.
