Jialeshui 佳樂水

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Jialeshui Scenic Area is one of the most famous geological parks in Taiwan, with its most famous landmark being the Shanhai Waterfall which flows into the ocean. These rock formations have been forming for thousands of years through erosion of soft sandstone due to wind and water. Hurry and see these formations soon before they are gone forever!

Background:
Jialeshui's original name was Gaoluoshui (高落水) meaning water falling from a high place, referring to Jialeshui Waterfall. Later when president Chiang Jingkuo visited the place, he renamed it Jialeshui (佳樂水), meaning a peaceful and happy place, and named the waterfall Shanhai Waterfall (山海瀑).
The sandstone that forms the rocks in Jialeshui were created between 10 and 20 million years ago, and was pushed out of the sea along with southern Taiwan thousands of years ago. 
The many rocks along the shore are thought to look like animals and have varying names as such. 

Hours:
7:30 AM to 5:30 PM

Price:
Entrance fee: 80 NT per person (includes bus ride)
Parking: 50 NT per car ro 30 NT per scooter
​
Can I touch the rocks?
Don't you dare touch the rocks! 

How to get there:
​By Bus: Take bus 8247 from Hengchun about half an hour to Jialeshui.  You can book tickets to Pingtung via high speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here, or book tickets via the normal train (TRA)  on Klook here. You can book tickets to travel to Pingtung via inter-city bus on Klook here. 
By Car/Scooter: Take Provincial highway 26 to its easternmost point to enter Jialeshui. There is a parking lot at the end of the road with paid parking. Looking for scooter rental in Pingtung? Click here or here to search for options.
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search here. 

Accommodation:
Looking for a hotel? Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan.
I have stayed at many hostels and hotels in Kenting, and even almost bought a house here. Some places that I have stayed at and can recommend are Nanwan Kiki (book on Agoda here, Booking.com here), a B&B next to Nanwan Bay, Kenting's most popular Beach. There are also a few decent hotels near Kenting Street Night Market like Kenting Star Inn 888 (book on Agoda here, Klook here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Booking.com here), or Kenting Dajianshan Hotel (book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here). You will notice that none of these hotels are five star resorts (I do not come to Kenting to waste my time at a resort, but you can still search Agoda, Booking.com, Hotels.com, or Expedia for those) but they are in my opinion the above have the best value for the money. 
You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here.  

Tours and Activities in Kenting:
There are many activities available such as snorkeling, diving, SUPing, surfing, submarine riding, and river tracing. 
You can find more tours of Kenting on Klook here or KKday here. 

Just to let you know, if you book using the links above, we get some commission at no cost to you, and you can help support our blog. You can click here to receive $5 USD on your first Klook purchase. ​

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:

I have been to Jialeshui twice, once to the beach and another time to see the rock formations. The beach is a popular surfing spot, but Jialeshui's geopark is also very much worth a visit. 

For an overview of the area, see our drone footage above. 

On the way to Jialeshui, you will pass Gangkou suspension bridge. Beyond is a somewhat rocky beach but also one of the most popular surfing spots in Taiwan due to its constant waves. There are quite a few surf themed hostels nearby. 

View up the river. In 2016 Typhoon Nepartak ravaged the area, and you can see a few fallen trees.

View near Jialeshui Beach with a few surf themed hostels. 

Jielehshui Scenic Area entrance. 

Entrance sign to the park. 

There was plenty of parking when we went. You can only drive your car up to this point, and then you have to take a bus inside to the very end of the road. 

Some snack shops along the way. I don't know how these are legal. 

View from the shore, you can see Fengchuisha on the opposite shore. 

Along the road there is a viewing pavilion, restroom, and lots of rocks. 

Many of the rocks have names, especially the ones shaped like animals. 

For more photos near the entrance, see the gallery above.

I beliueve this one is called Rhino Horn rock (犀牛石)

A natural rock arch. 

Pavilion above. 

I beleive this is Guanyin Rock, because it looks like the goddess Guanyin (觀音石)

Another view of the rock fields. 

An explaination of how the sea shore was lifted up over time.

A better view of Taod Rock. 

I think this one is called pig feet rock, because it looks like a pig tipped over (豬脚石)

Toad rock (海蛙石)

Seal rock (海豹石).

Rabbit Rock (兔石)

Whale rock?

Honeycomb rock (蜂窩石)

Square Rock (方格石)

Another view of Squre Rock. 

This is Shanhai Waterfall, alson known as Jialeshui Waterfall. Unfortunatley when we went there was not much water, so better to go in the rainy season (spring and summer). 

Near the waterfall there is also a face in the rock. 

View from the end of the road. 

View along the shore looking north. 

More coastal rocks. 

View looking East out to sea. 

Another view of the falls and the road. 

View along the shore. 

Appearently there are also many tide pools here where you can see marine life. 

There is also a pavilion here. 

Interesting designs in the sandstone. 

Last view of the rocks around Jialeshui. 

There are many activities available such as snorkeling, diving, SUPing, surfing, submarine riding, and river tracing. 
You can find more tours of Kenting on Klook here or KKday here. 

There are many activities available such as snorkeling, diving, SUPing, surfing, submarine riding, and river tracing. 
You can find more tours of Kenting on Klook here or KKday here. 

Check out our full guide to Kenting here.
​
You can also check out our full guide to Pingtung here, and can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. ​

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