Practical Information for visiting Southern Taiwan

Coverage for mobile networks is complete across the region with 5G in Kaohsiung and Tainan and 4G along the coast and at Kenting. Only the deep mountain valleys inland lose signal.

Tourist SIMs with unlimited data are sold at the airports and telecom shops and are cheap.

Free public Wi-Fi covers stations, libraries and public buildings, and cafes and convenience stores all offer it. Tainan and Kaohsiung both have strong cafe cultures with reliable connections.

Power is reliable except after typhoons. Download offline maps for Kenting and the mountain roads.

Southern Taiwan is very safe and crime affecting visitors is rare. The hazards are environmental and mosquito-borne.

• Dengue fever is the region’s distinctive risk. Tainan and Kaohsiung have had substantial outbreaks, some with thousands of cases, concentrated between summer and autumn. Use repellent through the day.
• Typhoons from July to October, and the flooding that follows on the flat plain.
• Heat in summer, with high humidity and strong sun; Kenting’s UV is the highest on the island.
• Rip currents and surf at Kenting, where drownings occur; swim between flags and heed closures.
• Scooters are the main road danger, and Kenting’s roads are busy with inexperienced holiday riders.
• Venomous snakes including the hundred-pace viper in the southern hills; stay on paths.

Healthcare is excellent and inexpensive. Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial and National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Tainan are major facilities with English-speaking staff. Kenting has clinics only, with hospitals at Hengchun and Pingtung.

Dengue is the main health consideration here and is worth taking seriously. The mosquito bites by day, breeds in small containers of standing water, and outbreaks in Tainan and Kaohsiung have been among the largest in the developed world. There is no vaccine available to travellers — repellent, long sleeves at dawn and dusk, and air conditioning are the protection.

Vaccinations: routine cover. Japanese encephalitis is worth considering for extended rural stays, as the south has the island’s highest incidence.

Heat and sun: the UV index at Kenting is extreme for much of the year.

Marine: coral cuts, sea urchins and jellyfish at Kenting.

Tap water is treated; most people boil or filter it.

Temple etiquette matters more here because the temples are busier. Enter by the right-hand door and leave by the left, never step on the raised threshold, do not photograph a divination or a medium in trance without asking, and stand clear of a procession rather than crossing it.

Firecrackers at festivals are set off at close quarters and in large quantity. Keep your distance and wear ear protection at Yanshui.

No eating or drinking on the Kaohsiung metro or light rail, including water. It is enforced.

Carry your rubbish; public bins are scarce and recycling is separated.

Indigenous villages: ask before photographing, and note that some sites and ceremonies are restricted.

Politics: strongly felt here. Listen rather than pronounce.

Beach: cover up away from the sand, as elsewhere in Taiwan.

Emergency numbers: 110 for police, 119 for ambulance and fire, with the English-speaking travel information line on 0800-011-765 available around the clock for help or translation.

Medical. Major hospitals in Kaohsiung and Tainan have international departments and treat foreign patients quickly and cheaply. From Kenting, the nearest hospital is at Hengchun and serious cases go to Kaohsiung, around two hours away.

Typhoon warnings close transport and offices; a land warning means stay put. Flooding on the plain can follow a storm by a day.

At Yanshui, if you attend, wear full protective gear and know where the exits from the crowd are.

In the water at Kenting, obey the flags — lifeguard cover is limited outside the main season.

Representative offices are in Taipei; a few countries maintain a presence in Kaohsiung.