Guosheng Lighthouse 國聖燈塔

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Guosheng Lighthouse is the most western point of the main island of Taiwan. It looks like an electricity transmission tower and is surrounded by sand dunes. It’s deep in rural Tainan's Taijiang National Park, but it’s worth the trip.

Background:
Guosheng Lighthouse was built on the Dingtoue Sand Dune (頂頭額沙洲), which is the westernmost point on the island of Taiwan. During the Qing Dynasty, this area was once home to one of the largest salt drying fields in Taiwan, as well as home to fisherman. 
It is said this spot is the first place that Koxinga landed in Taiwan, however this is not clear to be true or not.
During the Japanese era, a lighthouse was built on this spot, called Zengwen Lighthouse 曾文燈塔, which was later totally destroyed during allied bombing raids in WWII.
Later, the ROC government built a wooden lighthouse on the Dingtoue Sand Dune in 1957 that was 20 meters tall, but it was often hit by waves and nearly fell into the ocean, and was finally destroyed completely by Typhoon Viola in 1969.  
A new lighthouse, the one that stands today, was built from concrete and steel in 1969, and stands 32 meters high. It needs constant maintenance such as paint to stop corrosion to its frame. 
In September 2022, the tower was closed for maintenance and renovations, and is expected to open again by the end of 2022. 

Price:
Free

Hours:
24/7
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How to get there:
By car/scooter: From provincial highway 17 in Qigu District of Tainan, turn west on highway 173 toward the ocean. Just keep going and don't stop until you reach the lighthouse at the end of the road. Looking for scooter rental in Tainan? You can search KKday here or Klook here to look for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
If you are looking for car rentals in Tainan, you can also search Klook here or KKDay here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. 
By bus: There ain't no public transportation to this location. You can book tickets to travel to Tainan via inter-city bus on Klook here. You can book tickets to Tainan via high speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here. 
Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.

Where to stay?
Most of the accommodation you will find is near the city center.  If you only want to visit old Tainan, you can book a hotel near the west part of downtown and consider walking or cycling around the city. 
We have stayed at and recommend Liho Hotel, a quality hotel right next to Chikan Tower, and Famouse Hotel, which is another great hotel also within walking distance of Chikan Tower in old Tainan. 
You can find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.
Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. 
You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here.  

Tours: 
You can find more tours and activities in Tainan such as SUPing / Paddle Boarding, Oyster Harvesting , Wind Surfing, Glamping and more on Klook here or KKday here. 

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:

I have been to Guosheng Lighthouse once, and to be honest, it was a bucket list item and I do not plan on going back. It is a little hard to get to, but it is also beautiful and quite a unique landscape to see in Taiwan. 

For a full view of the area, check out our video above. 

Or check out our 360 degree spherical panorama above. 

We came to the lighthouse area from the east side, and the road here abruptly ends with some concrete blocks. But there is parking for some cars. 

We saw quite a lot of other people here. Apparently it is a popular spot with the young people.

If you google Guosheng Lighthouse, you can see grass around it. But that was not the case when I went.

I have a hunch that big waves come in and spill the sand all over this area during storms.

Nothing but sand as far as you can see. Much like a moonscape.

Sunset near the light house.

People enjoying the dunes.

The most western part of Taiwan.

Moonscape.

Another view of the lighthouse. 

I was lucky to get my drone in the air before the sun went down. Definitely a beautiful place if you can get there. 

More photos of the area above.

You can find more tours and activities in Tainan such as SUPing / Paddle Boarding, Oyster Harvesting , Wind Surfing, Glamping and more on Klook here or KKday here. 

Check out our full guide to Tainan here.

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

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