The Penghu Islands

Penghu is a scatter of around ninety islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, mostly low, flat and built of basalt, which gives them their signature landform: cliffs of hexagonal columns, most spectacularly at Daguoye and on the small island of Tongpan. Traditional life here is written into the landscape in coral-block walls built to shield vegetable plots from the salt wind, and in the stone weirs on the tidal flats, of which the double-heart weir at Qimei has become the islands' emblem. In summer this is Taiwan's beach and watersports destination, with clear water, windsurfing and a fireworks festival at Magong. In winter the northeast monsoon strips the islands bare and the wind becomes the dominant fact of life.

What you actually see

• Daguoye basalt columns - a cliff of hexagonal basalt above a tidal shelf.
• Twin-Heart Stone Weir - the heart-shaped tidal fish trap on Qimei island.
• Coral-block wind walls - traditional stone enclosures protecting vegetable plots.
• Jibei island sand tail - a long sandspit with the clearest water in the archipelago.

When to go

April to September. The summer fireworks festival at Magong runs for weeks and fills the flights. From October the northeast monsoon arrives and stays, ferries stop and many businesses close for the winter.

Honest expectations

Winter effectively shuts Penghu down for visitors, and the wind is relentless enough to cancel inter-island boats even outside the monsoon. Flights and accommodation sell out well ahead for the fireworks festival and summer weekends. Getting between the outer islands eats time, and a scooter licence issue can strand you, since scooters are the practical transport.

Nearby

Kaohsiung and Chiayi are the mainland Taiwan gateways; Kinmen lies further west.