Longpan Park 龍盤公園

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Longpan Park is one of the most beautiful places in all of Kenting National Park. It features a large grassland that covers the southern tip of Taiwan. has great views of the shoreline on the east side of the peninsula, featuring a wind-cut sandy landscape and sea cliffs.

Background:
The area that covers Longpan Park originally a coral reef that was elevated above the shoreline. Due to the easily eroding limestone leftover after the rocks were thrust upward, it created a large plateau on the southern tip of Taiwan.  The plateau has a long grassy plain that is a unique feature in Taiwan. 
Kenting was first settled by Chinese during the Qing Dynasty. The word Kenting comes from twp words that mean cultivate (ken3 墾) and strong man (丁 ding1). During that time, a group of strong men (or Zhuang Ding 壯丁) came from Guangdong, who were basically Chinese pionners of the area to cultivate the land, hence the area was named Kenting for them.
The area was considered to be made into a park during the Japanese occupation due to it being the only tropical location in the Japanese Empire, but was never officially created.
During the Japanese era Nanwan was used as a whaling area and there were a few fishing villages here. 
Kenting National Park was established in 1984 as the first national park in Taiwan after WWII.
Kenting became a major vacation spot, becoming a center for hostels and hotels for travelers. 

Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free

How to get there:
By car/scooter: Take provincial highway 26 on the east side of Kenting until you come to Longpan Park on the right side of the road. There is parking on the side of the road.
By bus: From Hengchun, take bus 8249 to Longpan Park bus stop. 

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:

I have been to Longpan Park three times, and it is a nice pit stop on your way around Kenting. The walk itself takes less than ten minutes but the views are worth it. 

The park basically consists of a boardwalk that goes out to a sea cliff. You can also see seasonal flowers here. 

Map of the park. 

Grass and shrubs.

First view of the ocean over the grass. 

People posing with the ocean view. 

On weekends this walk can get very busy.

Crowd of people at the cliff's edge. 

View back toward the grassland. 

Cliff edge photo taking area. 

View of the ocean. I am not sure if the trail goes all the way down or not. 

View further east. 

View to the east. 

Closer view of the grassland toward Shuiwaku. 

Last view of the selfie takers. 

Walk back to the parking lot. 

I think that is a weather radar tower in the distance, off limites to the public. 

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