Kenting National Forest Recreation Area, National Forest Recreation Area in Hengchun Township, Taiwan.
Kenting National Forest Recreation Area is a protected forest in Hengchun Township, in the southernmost part of Taiwan, sitting on a raised coral limestone plateau. The area features dense tree cover, marked hiking trails of different lengths, and limestone caves that run through the interior of the hill.
The site was established in 1906 as a botanical garden during Japanese colonial rule, originally used to study and collect local plant species. After the end of Japanese administration, it was repurposed and designated in 1967 as Taiwan's second national forest recreation area.
The name Kenting comes from a Hakka word meaning to cultivate land, a reference to the early settlers who cleared and farmed this area. Walking through the forest today, you can still notice how the terrain reflects those old patterns of land use in places.
Starting your visit early in the morning helps avoid the heat that builds up quickly in the south of Taiwan. Good walking shoes are worth wearing since parts of the terrain are uneven, and carrying enough water is advisable for longer routes.
The forest grows on coral reefs that were pushed up from the sea by tectonic movement around 500,000 years ago, which gave the terrain its hilly shape. Underground, the old limestone has formed caves with stalactites and stalagmites that visitors can enter at certain points along the trails.
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