Bitoujiao Lighthouse: a clifftop beacon on the northeast coast

Bitoujiao Lighthouse was first built in 1897, during the early Japanese colonial period, and was repaired in 1971 after wartime damage. It’s a white concrete round tower about 12.3 metres tall, set high on Bitou Cape in Ruifang District, where its light has a focal height of roughly 65 metres above the sea. For well over a century it has guided shipping past one of the more treacherous headlands on Taiwan’s northeast coast, where the cape juts into the path of vessels rounding the island’s corner.

Today the lighthouse is managed within the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area. Note that the lighthouse compound itself has been closed to visitors over rockfall and safety concerns on the steep cape — so it’s best enjoyed as a landmark seen from the surrounding trail rather than a building you can enter. Access can change after repair work, so the current status is worth a peek first.

The headland is laced with the Bitoujiao coastal trail, a roughly 3.5-kilometre route that loops around the cape between Bitou Fishing Port and Bitou Elementary School. It’s the highlight of a visit: cliff-edge paths, eroded rock platforms, sea stacks, and uninterrupted Pacific views.

The geology here is the star. Constant wind and waves have sculpted the sandstone into honeycombed surfaces, mushroom rocks, and broad wave-cut platforms similar to those at nearby Yehliu, and rock pools at the base teem with marine life at low tide. The high section of the trail along the ridge offers some of the most expansive sea views in northern Taiwan, while a lower route hugs the shoreline — letting you tailor the walk to the conditions and your appetite for climbing.

Most visitors start from Ruifang. Keelung Bus routes 886 and 791 run out to the Bitou Cape / Bitoujiao stop near the fishing harbour, a ride of around half an hour. The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle’s Golden Fulong line, departing Ruifang Station toward Fulong, also stops at Bitoujiao along the coast.

Treat the cape and trail as your scenic anchor, then build the rest of the day around one more stop. It slots neatly into a northeast-coast loop with Keelung’s harbour and night market or other coastal sights.