Cape Santiago Lighthouse

Sandiaojiao, which Spanish charts called Santiago, is the easternmost point of Taiwan proper, and the white lighthouse on the headland has marked it since 1935. It stands in a small park at the end of a walk up from the coast road, with the Pacific on three sides and the whole northeast coast running away south. The name survives from the Spanish presence in northern Taiwan in the 1620s, which left very little else.

What you actually see

• The lighthouse - a white 1935 tower at the island's easternmost point.
• The headland - the Pacific on three sides from the grounds.
• The Spanish name - Santiago, surviving from the 1620s presence in the north.
• The coast view - the northeast shore running south towards Fulong.

When to go

October to April is the clearest, though winter wind on the headland is severe. Summer is hot on the walk up. Sunrise here is early and popular.

Honest expectations

The tower is not open and the visit is the grounds and the view. The walk up from the road is steep with no shade. The wind is strong most of the year.

Nearby

Fulong is south, and the Caoling trail is inland.