This is a tiny little island off Kaoshiung that can be reached by a 5 minute ferry costing NT$15. The ferry is very frequent so it's well worth a visit. The island has forts, beaches, markets etc. I only had 1 hour on the island and wished that I had half a day to explore it properly. I recommend hiring a push bike and riding around the island. If it's beach weather, remember to pack swimmers! Also, apparently a very popular spot for sunset, but get there a bit earlier, as the lines to the ferry starts to get big around sunset time.

This is a nice day trip from Kaohsiung city. The waves are often surf-able and you can rent a board right near the beach. You can also rent bikes to ride in the long park by the waterfront. In the distance you will see the many cargo ships coming and going. There are tons of seafood restaurants and some interesting temples to explore. There is also a market of dried seafood near the beach. It appears they are building a pier of some sort now as well. On a nice day Cijin will be crowded with people escaping the city of Kaohsiung.

We decided to make a trip only after many locals strong recommendations to visit Chichin Island 旗津岛 (or Qijin Island). We were advised to get there around 3 pm, but only managed to reach the island at 5 pm.

December sky turned dark quickly after 5.30 pm. We walked to the park at the seaside and tried to imagine how beautiful the scenery was during the day. The island basically had nothing much to see or do after dark except seafood restaurants near the pier. Fortunately the quality of the seafood was good and the price was reasonable.

By the way, the best part of the island trip was the ferry ride. Must come again.

To access to this island, one has to take the ferry from Kaohsiung harbour (very cheap) and once there, you can decide whether to rent a bike, walk or get someone to ride the bike to take you around.

The best time to visit is around the weekend and in the afternoon so you can take the day to cycle around and enjoy a bit of the beach. In the evenings, you can go to the night markets to try loads of local delicacies. Definitely tried the sticky tofu (is not too bad once you past the smell), stew food, dried seafoods, seafood restaurants and the tomato with the local flavoured sauce to go with it. I am not sure if the BBQ corns are still around but it is definitely worthwhile to try as it tastes very different and so much yummier than the ones that we have overseas. Highly recommended.

Also go to the temple on the island that is very close to the ferry terminal, it is the oldest temple I believe in Kaohsiung that is over 300 years old. The locals believes no pictures should be taken when you are in the house of Gods so please do respect the rules and have a look at the local belief that makes an island special. It is the outer island of Kaohsiung that protects the main parts of Kaohsiung so you can also climb up to the higher part of the mountain follow the trials and that will allow you to see the panoramic views of the island the some part of the port. Very highly recommended if you want to experience a bit of the local culture, this is certainly a place to go. ^_^