Banxia Bay

Banxia Bay is a destination for tranquil beaches and a hidden railway station along the Suhua Highway! Enjoy the mountains and sea without the crowds, and you can also go kayaking and trainspotting. It's truly a secret beach in Hualien for sea views. Banxia Bay is the beach closest to Qingshui Cliff. It is located approximately at the 178.3K mark on the Suhua Highway (heading from Hualien), where you turn right at the intersection and go down the slope. Recently, popular sea explorations like kayaking and SUP stand-up paddleboarding allow many travelers to experience a multi-layered, multi-angle, and closer appreciation of the beauty of Taiwan's Top Ten Scenery – Qingshui Cliff – in the vast blue Pacific Ocean. Legend has it that this magnificent and steep Qingshui Cliff is part of the scenery that inspired the name "Ilha Formosa." In 1542, Portuguese sailors, on their way to Japan, passed an island not marked on any map. The sailors on board, gazing at the island's lush forests, couldn't help but exclaim "Ilha Formosa," meaning "beautiful island." This island was subsequently marked as FORMOSA in the Western world.