Sail Rock is the third most popular place where people stay in Kenting National Park after Kenting Town, and Nanwan (South Bay). It is located about 10 minutes south of Kenting Village. In Mandarin Chinese, Sail Rock is called 船帆石 (Chuan Fanshi).
Why stay at Sail Rock?
A lot of people, myself included, think that the Sail Rock area is more pleasant than Kenting Village or Nanwan because there’s fewer people, and a lot less traffic. It’s quieter, nicer, cleaner, without being too remote.
It surely is much more peaceful, but it has no decent restaurant, no nightlife, or shops. The main reason why people stay here is a fairly good supply of decent, affordable accommodations.
Snorkeling
Sail Rock is quite popular with Taiwanese tourists who come to Kenting to snorkel. Most of the coral is near the base of the rock, but it’s not very pretty. Nothing world-class here. It’s been scratched and stepped on too many times by big groups of people who can barely swim and have to touch the ground in order to not drown or drift away.
You can rent snorkeling gear just across the road. Wear shoes or sandals with a thick sole to get to the water as the rock is extremely sharp.
Renting a Scooter at Sail Rock
You can rent a scooter at Sail Rock, but I don’t think it’s the most convenient thing to do if you came to Kenting by public transportation. It’s better to rent your scooter in Hengchun, Kenting Town, or Nanwan. Why? Because the Kenting Express Bus doesn’t stop at Sail Rock, but it does at the three destinations mentioned above.
Getting to Sail Rock by Public Bus
Local buses #101 and #8249 travel regularly between Hengchun, Kenting Village, and Sail Rock (Chuanfanshi on the map below). The buses stop at Nanwan, Xiaowan, and other points of interest along the way.
Travel South from Sail Rock
From Sail Rock, you can take shuttle bus #101 to visit the following destinations:
- Banana Bay 香蕉灣 – best snorkeling in Kenting
- Shadao 沙島 – small and idyllic white-sand beach
- Eluanbi Cape 鵝鑾鼻 – Eluanbi Lighthouse
- Southernmost Point of Taiwan 台灣最南點 – short walk to the southernmost point of the island
