Located in the heart of Taiwan’s Hengchun Peninsula,and southwest of the East Coast National Scenic Area,  this immense botanical forest and garden encompasses over 1,000 acres. It’s no quick buzz-through, as the quirky trail design takes some getting used to, and the numbering system doesn’t follow a logic intelligible to us. We’d recommend a minimum of three hours to make the trail loops. The Kending National Forest Recreation Area (KFRA) is primarily known for its collection of trees native to the area and a series of coral formations that have become caves highlighted by great numbers of stalagmites and stalactites. Animal, bird, and insect life abound here, and the din of the insects and birds is almost deafening. Warning signs indicate poisonous snake, centipede, and wasp hazards, so we kept to the trail.

The ficus benjamina just starting out

Our favorite tree was the massive ficus benjamina, or Weeping Fig, sporting dozens of limbs that deploy roots directly to the earth below. Left alone, they grow up to 100 feet tall and make a giant footprint. It’s rare to see one left pretty much unchecked, and that’s just what happens here.  There’s an observation tower in the park that allows for a view of the entire peninsula, and the KFRA website contains some interesting data on what the Rec Area has in store for the visitor.