Surfing Taiwan’s East Coast – Why Dulan is Asia’s Best-Kept Surf Secret
Why Dulan became my favorite place to surf on Taiwan’s East Coast
Some destinations tick a few boxes. Dulan ticks all of them, then throws in a few you didn’t even know to ask for. If you’re looking for some of the best surfing on Taiwan’s East Coast, this little village should be high on your list.
This little village on Taiwan’s East Coast has a personality all of its own. The Amis indigenous culture gives it roots and warmth that no amount of tourism could manufacture. The old sugar factory turns into a live music venue on Saturday nights. Scooters buzz cheerfully along Highway 11. The mountains crowd in dramatically from the west while the Pacific opens up endlessly to the east, and right in between sits one of Taiwan’s most welcoming surf communities that is unpretentious, welcoming, and quietly brilliant.
It’s the kind of place that makes you feel like you’ve found something special before the rest of the world catches on. And honestly? You kind of have.
The waves will genuinely surprise you
Taiwan doesn’t top many people’s surf wish lists, which is exactly why Taitung County feels like such a treat when you get there. The coastline running along Highway 11 offers an incredible variety of beach breaks, point breaks and reef setups. In winter, swell from the northeast travels hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles to produce waves with a consistency that would make plenty of better-known destinations jealous. In summer, the south swell is much smaller and beginner friendly, unless a low-pressure system or typhoon develops east of the Philippines, in which case the East Coast of Taiwan can get hammered by gigantic surf.
Dulan Beach is one of the best places on Taiwan’s East Coast for beginner and intermediate surfers. The waves are friendly and forgiving across a wide range of conditions, and with WaGaLiGong’s free twice-daily beach shuttle, getting there is easy. It’s also where we run our surf lessons. With its sandy bottom, forgiving waves and welcoming atmosphere, it’s one of the best places on Taiwan’s East Coast to learn to surf. Further up the coast, Jinzun Point delivers something more exciting when the swell lines up. And throughout all of it, the crowds are refreshingly thin. Every session here feels like it belongs to you.
WaGaLiGong – the beating heart of Dulan
Right in the middle of the village, opposite the Dulan Sugar Factory, on Highway 11, sits WaGaLiGong. The name means “I talk to you” in Taiwanese, but the real meaning goes much deeper. It’s a phrase you’ll hear all over Taiwan when someone is about to make an important point, share something they’ve learned, or speak from experience. The closest English equivalent is probably “Hear me out.” And in many ways, that’s exactly what WaGaLiGong is all about. People come here to learn, share stories and connect through a shared love of surfing, the ocean and Taiwan’s East Coast.
It’s a hostel, surf school, SUP and windsurf centre, surf shop, bar, and community gathering place all rolled into one wonderfully chaotic package. Beginners get patient, enthusiastic surf lessons in a safe and beautiful setting. Board rentals come with free beach shuttles. SUP tours take you along one of Asia’s most dramatic coastlines or paddle up one of its most beautiful waterways – the Donghe River. And for anyone who’s ever been even slightly curious about windsurfing, Taitung is one of Asia’s best-kept windsurfing secrets.
The rooftop alone might be worth the trip. After a long day in the water, sitting up there in the evening, drink in hand, with the Pacific shimmering to the east and Dulan Mountain towering to the west, is the kind of moment that reminds you why you travelled in the first place.
The team at WaGaLiGong knows this coastline inside out. That local knowledge — where to go, when to go, what to expect — makes a real difference when you’re new to a place and trying to make the most of every session. Many people come for a surf lesson and end up staying longer than they planned. Dulan has a habit of doing that to people.
Why we partnered with Sessions Travel
We’ve also teamed up with Sessions Travel, which is all about making surf travel feel exciting and achievable — particularly for beginners who want to explore new destinations without feeling out of their depth. Their guides focus on the full experience: the waves, the culture, the places to eat, the feeling of arriving somewhere that genuinely delivers.
Dulan delivers. You arrive for the surf and stay for everything else — the night markets, the beef noodle soup, the spontaneous conversations at the WaGaLiGong bar, the Saturday night music drifting out of the Sugar Factory. It adds up to a travel experience that’s hard to replicate anywhere else in Asia.
If Taitung is on your radar, Taitung deserves a place at the top of your list. Consistent Pacific swell, beautiful uncrowded beaches, a surf culture that genuinely wants you there, and WaGaLiGong ready to make the whole experience memorable — there aren’t many destinations in the world that stack up quite like this. Taiwan has been quietly excellent for surfers for years. It’s about time more people knew about it.
