Wanli UFO Houses 翡翠灣太空玲瓏/飛碟屋

The Wanli UFO Houses (aka Futuros) are a neighborhood of abandoned futuristic houses near Wanli Beach (aka Emerald Bay, Green Bay, or Feicuiwan) in Wanli District of New Taipei, and are some of the most popular urban exploration and Instagram destinations in northern Taiwan. 

If you are looking for the Sanzhi UFO houses (三芝飛碟屋), stop looking; the Sanzhi UFO houses were destroyed in 2010. There are UFO houses all around Taiwan, but Wanli has the largest group of these houses. Go see them soon before they are demolished too!

Background:
The UFO house village was created in the 1970s by a Taiwan construction company. At the time during martial law, Wanli beach was one of the few places that American servicemen could enjoy a beach vacation, as most beaches were closed off at the time. These UFO houses had these servicemen in mind. However, a slowing economy and the severing of official diplomatic ties with the USA prevented the area from taking off, and the UFO resort town fell into decay.
For a more complete historical background on this area, check out this blog by Josh Ellis. 

Common Courtesy When Visiting:

• Some of the houses are not abandoned and still have people living in them. Do not walk near these houses, try to walk in, or invade these people's privacy in any other way.
• Do not disturb the houses and items at the scene. Leave everything the way you found it. The most important rule of urban exploration is that you take only pictures and leave nothing but footsteps. 

Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free

How to get there:
​By Bus: There are many buses that pass the area. You'll want to get off at Green Bay (翡翠灣).
By Car/Scooter: Take Provincial highway 2 west out of Keelung, and keep going until you reach the Howard Green Bay Resort.

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:

I have only been to the UFO houses in Wanli once and I didn't stay long, so I'm sure there is much more for you to explore than what I have in this blog. 

Once you reach the Howard Green Bay Resort (pictured above), you know it is time to turn off. There is no public parking near the UFO houses, so you might have to park across the street. 

There is also an abandoned part of the Howard Resort that looks like a castle near the UFO houses.

Inside are some grand staircases and hot tub facilities, but I don't think there is a way inside. 

There were also paragliders floating down to the beach the whole time I was there. Apparently Wanli is also a popular paragliding destination. 

View of one of the UFO houses and other roundly shaped houses nearby. 

Deserted living room of one of the squarish houses. 

Balcony of one of the UFO houses. 

One of the houses here has totally collapsed. probably during a typhoon. 

Another view of the wreckage. 

A view of one of the living room of one of the round yellow houses.

A destroyed bar and kitchen. 

More rot and decay, with the walls coming apart.

Another living room in one of the square houses. 

Empty road near the UFO houses. 

Endless UFO houses with a backdrop of para-gliders. 

It's hard to believe that so many people are enjoying a beach this dirty. 

This is perhaps the trashiest tourist beach I have seen in Taiwan. If it weren't for the trash though, it would be pretty nice. Time for a cleanup.

Lastly I noticed a fake church arch in the background; New Taipei City has been putting these things all around the north coast because apparently they make for romantic photo opportunities. I think they are pretty mediocre. 

Not far from the UFO houses you can check out Yehliu Geopark, which has some of the most famous geological land forms in Taiwan, and the best aquarium in northern Taiwan. For our full blog on Yehliu Geopark, click here. 

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