We spent almost three weeks in Kenting, which is apparently just long enough for the kids to declare they were “bored” in a literal tropical paradise. After beach days, scooter rides, and ice creams bigger than their heads, we decided it was time to try out some actual family activities.
This post isn’t scraped from TripAdvisor. These are six things we genuinely did while travelling as a family – the kind of activities that worked for a five-year-old, a seven-year-old, and two slightly sunburnt parents. If you’re heading to Kenting with kids and want real advice from people who gave it all a proper go, this is for you.
1. Kenting National Forest Recreation Area
We put this one off, to be honest. We stayed for nearly 20 days in Kenting, and dragging the kids around a forest in 36-degree heat felt like asking for trouble. We’ve been stung before with stuff like this. Botanical gardens. Nowhere to sit. Everyone melting and moaning. It can go south fast.
But what started as a “we should probably do it because we’re here” turned out to be the best thing we did in Kenting. We spent three or four hours trekking through the forest and spotted monkeys, bats, spiders, and butterflies. There’s a viewing tower and a restaurant in the middle with a full 360-degree view, all in air-conditioned comfort.
The restaurant is pricey by Taiwan standards, but you’re in the middle of a forest with nowhere else to go unless you’re the packed-lunch-and-snacks type of family. We are not. That said, the food was excellent.
This is easily one of the best family-friendly activities in Kenting. Seeing animals in their natural environment was special, and we had no idea how much wildlife we’d come across. It’s our number one pick for good reason, and it’s unbeatable on value:
- NT $150 for adults
- NT $75 for kids (ages 7–12)
- NT $10 for kids under 6
For a full day out, our family of four paid just NT $235.
Worth the sweat and the price of a cold Coke – this was the view from the restaurant halfway through the hike.
2. Water Space Inn
I’m not going to piss on your coat and tell you it’s raining. For a country with a tropical climate, making this an indoor waterpark is a strange move. And even calling it a waterpark might be pushing it.
First impressions? Bit dingy. Bit damp. Bit depressing. But I’m here to tell you it’s one of the best-value family activities in Kenting. No joke.
There’s a lazy river, a wave pool, a splash zone with a climbing frame for little ones, plus a bowl slide and a kamikaze-style straight drop. Lifeguards are armed with water cannons and occasionally take aim at kids in the pool, just in case anyone starts drying off. Sprinklers get turned on at random. No one escapes dry.
There’s a solid four hours of fun here for younger kids. Mine were 7 and 5 at the time and they were absolutely buzzing. But the real headline here is the price. We paid NT $900 for a family of four. Absolute steal.
3. Kenting Night Market
If you’ve been following our blog, you’ll know we went through Taipei and visited a few night markets there. Honestly? None of them compared to the one in Kenting.
Click here to read out Itinerary for Taipei.
Maybe it’s because every fifth stall seems to double as a mini bar, with hip-hop tunes blaring and buy-one-get-one-free offers on just about anything you can drink. But the vibe is so good here that it’s more than just a market. It’s a full night out.
Start from the Kenting Forest end and work your way up. You’ll find everything from kebabs and flame-grilled beef to Taiwanese fried chicken, Turkish ice cream, and Nutella banana pancakes. There are fairground-style games all the way through: plinko, arcade stalls, hoops, BB guns, and win-a-prize machines. And if the walking gets too much, there are a couple of places to sit down with a drink, listen to live music, or wander to the reggae bar near the beach.
Best night market in Taiwan? In our opinion, easily. Good food, good music, good energy. What else do you want?
The Kenting Night Market isn’t just a market – it’s the main event. Food, bars, and buzz for all ages.
4. South Beach
There are three main beaches in Kenting, and this is the busiest of the lot. If you’re after peace and quiet with a thriller and a thermos of tea, you’ll want one of the quieter beaches check our other Kenting post for those. But if you’re up for cocktails, banana boats, jet skis, or that weird group ride where you all sit on an inflatable sofa and scream in sync this is your spot.
They also do surfboard rentals and lessons if you’re feeling brave.
The walkway down leads you through a cluster of beach bars and food joints. We went with Cowboy’s Bar and had some genuinely brilliant BBQ.
Life hack:
Order food at Cowboy’s and you can get the Wi-Fi code. Set up just in front of the bar and you’re sorted for beach, drinks, and data all day.
The water is calm, the lifeguards are on duty until just before sunset, and the whole place has that classic holiday buzz. It’s an easy win for families who want to kick back without overplanning.
Just another day in paradise – with ribs, surfboards, and a side of Wi-Fi from Cowboy’s Bar.
5. Elunabi Lighthouse
We googled “nice places for an evening stroll” and came across this spot. It’s right on the southern coast, overlooking the South China Sea, and turned out to be the perfect place for a sunset walk.
NT $60 for a full adult ticket
NT $30–40 for children
We went in completely blind and were amazed by what we found. The lighthouse has real historical significance, and the grounds are surrounded by forest paths and caves that lead to some incredible viewpoints.
Get your tickets here.
Kenting’s most iconic photo spot – the Kissing Rocks.
6. The Arcade
If you’re travelling across Asia with young kids, you’re probably sick of claw machines by now. It’s definitely a cultural thing, but I still don’t get it. Most of the time it’s adults standing there, not kids. No judgement, I just can’t wrap my head around it.
If you’re a parent, you already know the routine. You walk past another bright little shop, lights flashing, machines buzzing, and your kid starts pleading like they’ve never had a turn — even though you’ve already burned through your change chasing some tiny Mike Wazowski keyring.
Well, Kenting’s got one too. A big one. And to be fair, the kids loved it. It’s a fun way to kill an hour. Because it gets decent foot traffic, it doesn’t feel like a total scam. You might even win something.
