Tianliao Moon World

The badlands at Tianliao are the result of soft marine mudstone being lifted, then stripped by heavy subtropical rain faster than anything can colonise it. What is left is a set of grey ridges with sharp crests and deeply gullied flanks, salty enough at the surface that only bamboo and a few tough shrubs hang on around the edges. Boardwalks and steps run along and over the ridges, with a small lake at the bottom reflecting them, and a viewing tower at the high point. It looks nothing like the rest of the island, which is the point, and the name comes from exactly that. The formations are actively eroding, so the detail of the ridges changes from year to year.

What you actually see

• The ridge boardwalks - raised walks along the crests of the bare grey mudstone ridges.
• The gullied flanks - deep rain-cut channels running down the slopes with nothing growing on them.
• The reflecting pond - a small lake at the base mirroring the ridges, best in still air.
• The viewing platform - the high point looking out over the whole badland field.

When to go

November to March is dry and the surfaces are firm; the summer rains close paths and actively wash the ridges away. Late afternoon light rakes across the gullies and is much better than midday, which flattens everything to grey. The site is small, so it is easily combined with something else in the same trip.

Honest expectations

There is no shade at all and the pale mud reflects heat, so a summer visit at midday is close to unbearable. It is smaller than photographs suggest and an hour covers it. Sections of boardwalk are closed for repair fairly often after rain. Public transport out here is poor, there is very little on site, and the surrounding area is not much to look at.

Nearby

The Yanchao badlands are nearby and Kaohsiung city is an hour south.