Changdao Islands

The Changdao Islands — also called Miaodao Islands — form an archipelago of 32 islands and islets in the Bohai Strait, visible from the Penglai Pavilion headland and accessible by ferry in about 30 minutes from Penglai harbor. The islands are a national nature reserve; the largest, Nanchangshan Island, has accommodation and the infrastructure for a comfortable overnight stay.

The island landscapes are gentler than the mainland coast — sandy coves, wooded hills, small fishing villages — and the pace is correspondingly slower. Beyond the autumn raptor migration, the islands offer good sea fishing, snorkeling, and the kind of coastal walking that the crowded mainland beaches make difficult. Ferry services run several times daily from Penglai; overnight stays in guesthouses are available on Nanchangshan Island.

things to do sight wildlife
A story
The Changdao archipelago is a national nature reserve and one of the most important migratory raptor stopover points in East Asia. Every autumn, tens of thousands of hawks, falcons, and eagles funnel through the islands as they cross the Bohai Strait from the Liaodong Peninsula, creating concentrations of birds of prey that rival the famous hawk watches of North America. The spectacle runs from late August through November, with October the peak month.