• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Taiwanese Secrets Travel Guide

  • About
  • Contact Me
  • What’s New
  • Facebook
  • Pizza Rock
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • What’s New
  • About Taiwan
    • Facts About Taiwan
    • Is Taiwan a Country?
    • Culture
      • Ancient Chinese Things
      • Taiwanese Culture
      • Language
      • Martial Arts
      • Music
    • Festivals
    • Food
      • Snacks & Fast Food Guide
  • Travel Info
    • 17 Best Road Trips in Taiwan
    • Accommodation
    • Transportation
      • Transport in Taiwan
      • High Speed Rail
      • Train
      • Bus
      • Rent a Car
      • Scooter & Motorcycle
      • Hitchhiking
    • Hiking Guide
    • Scooter / Motorcycle Travel
    • Surfing in Taiwan
    • Nightlife in Taiwan
    • Visa to Taiwan
    • Important Links!
  • Taipei
    • Introduction to Taipei
    • Best Area to Stay in Taipei
    • Getting Around
      • MRT (metro) Guide
    • Attractions
      • Dihua Street
      • Museums, Memorials, Historical Buildings
      • Taipei 101
      • Temples
    • Shopping in Taipei
  • North
    • Hsinchu
    • Keelung
    • Jiufen
    • Long Dong
    • Pinglin
    • Taian Hot Spring
    • Taoyuan
    • Wulai
    • Yangmingshan National Park
  • East
    • Chenggong
    • Donghe
    • Douli
    • Dulan
    • Hualien
    • Fulong
    • Highway 11
    • Jiaoxi
    • Taroko Gorge
      • Hiking in Taroko
      • Taroko Camping
      • Taipei to Taroko
    • Taitung
    • Tianxiang
    • Yilan
  • Central
    • Alishan
    • Baguashan
    • Changhua
    • Cingjing Farm
    • Mt. Hehuan (Hehuanshan)
    • Huisun Forest
    • Lugang
    • Nantou County
    • Sun Moon Lake
    • Taichung City
      • Attractions | Things to Do
      • Cafes
      • Getting There and Away
      • Hiking
      • Nightlife
      • Parks and Canals | Walking Guide
      • Restaurants
    • Zhongxing New Village
  • South
    • Chiayi
    • Donggang
    • Kaohsiung
    • Kenting
      • Best of Kenting
      • Restaurants and Cafes
      • Baisha Beach
      • Fengchuisha
      • Hengchun
      • Houwan (Back Bay)
      • Jialeshui
      • Manzhou
      • Nanwan (South Bay)
      • Sail Rock
      • Snorkeling in Kenting
      • Surfing in Kenting
      • Taipei to Kenting
      • Pizza Rock Kenting
      • Wild East Guesthouse
      • Xiaowan (Little Bay)
      • Wanlitong
    • Maolin
    • Tainan
  • Islands
    • Green Island (Ludao)
    • Kinmen Island
    • Matsu Island
    • Orchid Island (Lanyu)
    • Penghu
    • Xiao Liuqiu (Lamay Island)
  • Pictures
    • Hualien Gallery
    • Chinese Dragons Gallery
    • Dangki | Jitong
    • Faces of Taiwan | Portraits
  • About
    • Contact Me

Nanwan Beach (South Bay) Kenting National Park

Nanwan South Bay, Kenting National Park
Nanwan, South Bay 南灣

Nanwan (South Bay) is the most popular beach in all of Kenting National Park. Why? Here are a few reasons:

  • It’s the first beach you’ll pass as you drive toward Kenting Town.
  • It’s got some of the best B&Bs and guesthouses in the national park.
  • Easy access by public transportation.
  • Convenience (a 7-11, a beach bar, good restaurants)
  • The only beach that provides public services such as lockers, toilets, and changing rooms.
  • Umbrellas and beach chairs for rent.
  • It’s long and beautiful.
  • Not too many rocks by the shore, so it’s safe to swim.
  • Great surfing waves, especially during the winter / spring months.
nanwan beach kenting 2020
Always summer in Nanwan!

I like Nanwan so much, that I decided to open a Pizza Rock restaurant there, right in front of the sea. If you are in the area, make sure to stop by to grab a drink, and have a quick bite on our beautiful patio. These days, this is where I spend most of my time when I’m in Taiwan, so there’s quite a good chance you’ll see me if you visit.

We are located at the following address: 100 Nanwan Road, in Nanwan (South Bay), in Kenting National Park. 屏東縣恆春鎮南灣路100號。

搖滾披薩墾丁南灣
My restaurant in Nanwan – opened in January 2019!
Nanwan beach Kenting National Park
Nanwan beach in the middle of December, 30 degrees Celcius! 

Table of Contents

  • Nanwan – an unfair reputation 
  • A tale of two beaches…
  • South Bay Recreation Area 樂活南灣
    • Cowboy’s Beach Bar and Grill 牛仔沙灘酒吧餐廳
    • Three Fools Cafe 南灣三個傻瓜

Nanwan – an unfair reputation 

Nanwan has a reputation for being busy, noisy, and dirty. That’s because from 2008 to 2016, it was packed with hundreds, and sometimes thousands of tourists from mainland China, who came here by the bus load.  Those days are long gone! Nowadays, Nanwan has returned to its former glory as a gorgeous, accessible beach with some of the finest sand you can find in all of southern Taiwan. 

Nanwan Road is lined with restaurants and guesthouses.

A tale of two beaches…

That being said, it can still get somewhat busy on weekends and national holidays, and the southern part of the bay is still occupied by rowdy locals who offer sea-doo and banana boat trips for pretty high fees. The southern section is also busier because that’s where you can rent beach umbrellas and chairs.

Southern entrance to Nanwan Beach

The northern part of the bay is much quieter and that’s where you want to lay your beach towel if you’re looking to have a little siesta on the sand. The waves in that part of the bay also attract quite a few surfers, especially during the winter months.

I must be honest and warn you, there is a nuclear facility nearby (at the northern end of the beach) but unless there is another Fukushima type of cataclysmic disaster, you should be just fine!


South Bay Recreation Area 樂活南灣

The best place to have a drink and listen to music (aka party!) on the beach in Kenting is at South Bay Recreation Area. This is also where you can park your car, lock your belongings, and have access to changing rooms, toilets, and showers.

South Bay Recreation Area in Nanwan
South Bay Recreation Area in Nanwan

Cowboy’s Beach Bar and Grill 牛仔沙灘酒吧餐廳

If cold beer, sunshine, bean bags, volleyball, and live music sound like the perfect ingredients for a chill-out-on-the-beach recipe, you’ll want to check out Cowboy’s Beach Bar and Grill at the South Bay Recreation Area. Happy and friendly Nikki (the owner) is there every day, from 10am to 10pm to warmly welcome customers and serve you icy cold booze and delicious subs. If you’re not in the mood for booze just yet, check out Cowboy’s neighbor! (keep reading…)

Cowboy's Beach Bar and Grill in Nanwan Kenting
Cowboy’s Beach Bar and Grill

Three Fools Cafe 南灣三個傻瓜

Next to Cowboy’s, Three Fools Cafe offers a nice list of good coffee, fresh juices and smoothies, as well as cold beer and some simple snacks. Just like Cowboy’s, it’s located on the massive wooden patio at South Bay Recreation Area, facing the sea. The vibe is chill, the picnic tables call for friends gathering, the music adds to the good mood, and there is a constant flow of happy people looking for the same experience as you – fun at the beach, or, comes sunset, a little tropical pa-pa-pa-party time!

三個傻瓜南灣恆春
Three Fools Cafe from the beach 三個傻瓜南灣恆春

The owner, A-Ming (明哥) is really chill and he’s got some of those free-standing hammocks in front of his place. If you don’t see them, just ask him, and I’m sure he’ll get one for you from behind the bar (where he supposedly lives! :D)

All in all, good fun and good vibes at 三個傻瓜!Check it out! 

Three Fools Cafe Nanwan Kenting
Three Fools Cafe 三個傻瓜
Wild East B&B Guesthouse Kenting

Filed Under: South Taiwan Tagged With: Beaches, Kenting

Back to Top

Primary Sidebar

Hello, I’m Ugo

ugo taiwanese secrets websiteI’m the weirdo behind this site. I’ve been living in Taiwan since 2000, so basically I’ve spent half my life here. I have a big passion for everything Formosa and I’ve been working on this website since 2008 to share the beauty of Taiwan with the world! Read more about me.

pizza rock taiwan logo
Read about my precious baby: Pizza Rock, a company I started in 2011.

Browse by Topic

Attraction Beaches Changhua Chiayi Cultural Destination Culture Directory Drinking Festival Food Guesthouse Hiking Hot-Spring Hotel Hsinchu Hualien Information Itinerary Kaohsiung Kenting Manzhou Miaoli Mountains Nantou National Park Nature New Taipei City Nightlife Orchid Island Outdoor Pingtung Pingtung County Religion Restaurant Seaside Shopping Taichung Tainan Taipei Taitung Taoyuan Taroko Temple Transportation Yilan

Categories

  • Accommodation
  • Accommodation in Taipei
  • Ancient Chinese Things
  • Central Taiwan
  • Chinese Culture
  • East Taiwan
  • Facts About Taiwan
  • Living
  • North Taiwan
  • Pictures of Taiwan
  • Pizza Rock
  • South Taiwan
  • Studying Chinese
  • Taichung
  • Taipei
  • Taiwanese Culture
  • The Islands
  • Travel Info
  • Uncategorized
  • Home
  • Contact Me
  • Important Links!
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright© 2022·Taiwanese Secrets

 

Loading Comments...