Sandiao Cape 三貂角

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Sandiaojiao Lighthouse (三貂角燈塔), also known as the Santiago Cape Lighthouse, marks the easternmost point on Taiwan's mainland. You cannot go inside, but you can enjoy the views from the top of the hill there and the museum inside. Overall, it is a great place to relax and enjoy the coastal views nearby.

Background:
The area around Fulong was originally inhabited by the Basay indigenous tribe who has a village and hunting grounds there.
In 1626, the Spanish landed near Fulong and renamed the location Santiago (transliterated from Taiwanese as Sandiao 三貂, as in Sandiao Cape). After the Qing colonized Taiwan, many Fujianese fisherman relocated to the area and began to build the iconic stone houses you can see today.
The Old Caoling Tunnel was ​built in 1924 during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, and is 2,167 meters long. At the time it was built, it was the longest tunnel in Taiwan.
The tunnel took 3 years to build due to delays from Malaria, remoteness of the location, and digging accidents killing 11 people and injuring over 300. 
The tunnel was only one lane wide, too narrow for electric trains, and so was decommissioned in 1985 and lay waste for 22 years.
The tunnel was reopened when the Coaling Bicycle Loop was created in 2007, using the old Caoling Tunnel as its main looping point. 

Sandiaojiao Lighthouse (三貂角燈塔), also known as the Santiago Cape Lighthouse, built in 1935 by the Japanese. You cannot go inside, but you can enjoy the views from the top of the hill there and the museum inside. The Fulong-Coaling-Sandiao Cape- bike route is one of the most biker friendly routes in Taiwan, the roughly 2 hour loop is something that the whole family can enjoy. It includes a 2KM ride through the Old Coaling Railroad Tunnel, as well as a ride along the Sandiao Cape coast on an enclosed bike path, where one can enjoy great views of the ocean, Turtle Island, wavy geological features on the coastline, and historical stone villages along the way. This bike route is highly recommended for people of all ages. 

Price:
Free

Tours and Activities:
You can book a tour to the lighthouse on KKday here or Klook here. 
​
Hotels on Taiwan's Northern Coast:
We recommend Fullon Hotel which has locations in Tamsui and Fulong near the beach (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, Agoda here, or Hotels.com here). 
We have also stayed at and recommend Hai Xia Your Home which is right in front of Fulong Beach (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, Agoda here, or Hotels.com here). 
Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Booking.com here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan.
Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

How to get there:
By Train: Take the TRA train to Fulong Station. Walk straight from the station and you will see tons of bike rental shops. You can book tickets to travel to Yilan via inter-city bus on Klook here. You can book tickets to Yialn via high speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here.  Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.
Bicycle rental: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. 
By Car/Scooter: Take provincial highway 2 from Qidu in Keelung through the mountains past Shifen and Shuangxi until you reach Gongliao on the coast. The beach is right in front of the train station, and there is free parking in front of Dongxing Temple. From there you can walk to the train station where there are bike rentals everywhere. Looking for scooter rental in Yilan? You can search Klook here or KKday here to look for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
If you are looking for car rentals in Yilan, you can also search Klook here or KKDay here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. ​

Map:
Please see below:

​Our Journey:

I have completed the Caoling Bicycle loop twice, and both times I visit Sandiao Lighthouse. It is specials because it is the Easternmost point on Taiwan and it has amazing views. 

You can book a tour to the lighthouse on KKday here or Klook here. ​

You can check out our drone video of the lighthouse above. Please note this video was taken before March 31, 2020, and flying near the radar is now off limits. 
​

You can also check out the 360 degree spherical panorama of the area above.

There is also a lighthouse here on top of the hill called Sandiaojiao Lighthouse (三貂角燈塔), also known as the Santiago Cape Lighthouse.

By this time, we were halfway there. ​

Another view of the hilly geography near the lighthouse. ​

You can ride your bike up the steep road to the left of the light house (much easier with an electric bike) or hike up the steps from the shore.

The lighthouse is a nice place to relax. Sandiaojiao Lighthouse (三貂角燈塔), also known as the Santiago Cape Lighthouse, built in 1935 by the Japanese. You cannot go inside, but you can enjoy the views from the top o the hill there and the museum inside. ​

View of the lighthouse looking north.

View of the lighthouse with Turtle Island in the background. ​

Park near the lighthouse full of tourists. ​

"Sandiao Cape Lighthouse"
"The round white lighthouse you see before you is the Sandiao Cape Lighthouse at the easternmost extremity of Taiwan. The lighthouse was completed in 1935 and was damaged by bombing and strafing during WWII, repaired after the war ended, it began flashing its guiding light again in 1946. You can still see bullet holes from WWII machine guns in its walls. A display room inside has exhibits of lighthouse-related equipment and information. This is the only lighthouse in northern Taiwan that is open to the public."

View in front of the lighthouse. ​

There are some much needed bathrooms here. ​

​Miniature model of the lighthouse. 

"Protractor" and other artifacts in the lighthouse. ​

Old light-bulb. ​

View looking at the radar and graveyard behind. ​

"Introduction of Turtle Island" (seen behind the foliage here)
"Turtle Island, named for its turtle like shape, is an inactive isolated volcanic island located about 10 km east of Toucheng Town in Yilan Coutny, It is approximately three kilometres long and about two kilometres wide, and has a total area of 2.85 square milometers. The length of its shoreline is approximately 9 kilometres. Known for its beautiful sunrise, precipitous cliff, teaming sulfur, hot spring, mountain peaks, sea eroded caves, lake, special cliff vegetation and rich marine ecological resources, this islet is an ideal outdoor classroom for the study of volcanic geology and natural ecology."
For our full blog on Turtle island, click here.

More interesting coastline near the light house. ​

Another view of Magang Village. 

You can book a tour to the lighthouse on KKday here or Klook here. ​

Lingjiushan (靈鷲山)

Lingjiushan Monastery is an impressive temple in the mountains of New Taipei on the Northeast coast. You can only get there by foot. There you can find some large golden statues and some great views of the surrounding coastline...(read more)

​​Check out our full blog on Lingjiushan Monastery here. ​​

​Caoling - Fulong Bicycle Loop 草嶺-福隆環狀線​

The Fulong-Coaling-Sandiao Cape- bike route is one of the most biker-friendly routes in Taiwan, the roughly 2 hour loop is something that the whole family can enjoy. It includes a 2KM ride through the Old Coaling Railroad Tunnel, as well as a ride along the Sandiao Cape coast on an enclosed bike path, where one can enjoy great views of the ocean, Turtle Island, wavy geological features on the coastline, and historical stone villages along the way. This bike route is highly recommended for people of all ages...(read more)

You can book a tour to the Caoling Tunnel on KKday here. 

​Check out our full blog on the Fulong-Coaling-Sandiao Cape- bike route here. 

​You can book a tour to the lighthouse on KKday here or Klook here. 

Don't forget that there are many activities available along Taiwan's Northern Coast such as Wakeboarding, Surfing, Speedboat Surfing, SUP / Paddle Boarding, Diving, Snorkeling Kayaking, Canoeing, Water Biking,  River Tracing / Canyoneering, ATVing, Horse Riding, Archery, Tree Climbing, Glamping, Motorcycling, Motorbike Tour, Dragon Boat Racing, Shen'ao Rail Bike, and more on Tripadvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here. 

Check out our full guide to Taiwan’s Northern Coast here.

Also be sure to check out our guide to Taipei here. 

You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. 

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