However, there can be no stranger sight on this island than its mud volcanoes. 'Erupting' at intervals with oozing streams of thick, sticky mud and flammable gas, mud volcanoes are just plain weird.

Mud volcanoes are remarkably uncommon, found in only about twenty countries around the world, but above all, they're highly unpredictable. On a recent visit to Taiwan's southernmost county of Pingtung, we made a quick diversion off the road south towards Kenting to visit the Liushan Mud Volcano (鯉魚山泥火山), not far from the town of Donggang (東港, best-known as the jumping-off point for boats to Xiao Liuqiu Island).

Photos in a local guidebook show the mud volcano as a sizeable and shapely dome, but when we finally found it, there was nothing to see except a huge wasteland of bare, ashen-colored dried mud. Standing in the middle is a small temple, its walls painted bright orange.

There was no oozing mud and no bubbling pools to see as we walked across the dried, cracked mud, but it's clear the mud volcano has been active recently. One orange-painted wall of the temple is splattered with a thick coating of mud reaching several meters above the ground, and a sign warns visitors not to come too close to the deep hole that has opened up at the base of the great muddy splash, almost underneath the temple.

We walk round the building to take a look through the glass door of the temple, and immediately a man comes over and offers to explain a little more about the activities of the mud volcano. It seems we've just missed the latest eruption, as the volcano last blew its top just a couple of weeks before our visit, opening up the gaping hole under the temple wall and belching out huge volumes of mud and gas, which threw flames several meters into the air. Our impromptu guide, Mr. Hong (洪先生) goes on to explain that the volcano springs into action several times a year, opening up a fresh crater in a new position each time.It seems the mud and gas never spout out of the same place twice: About fifty meters away from the temple, near the edge of the flat, dusty expanse of dried mud that surrounds it, a small pool of water dotted with pretty flowering water lilies is evidently an old, long-dormant crater.

We go inside, and Mr. Hong shows us a series of mysterious marks and patterns in the temple's marble floor. Pointing out marks that apparently resemble a pair of carp, two lions, a frog biting a coin, even Kuanyin, Goddess of Mercy, our guide maintains these 'miraculous' images appeared during subsequent eruptions of the mud volcano underneath.

In lieu of actually witnessing the volcano in action, we're shown impressive footage on video of the mud volcano's latest show, a couple of weeks earlier, as it spewed flames and muddy water four or five meters into the air while a crowd of delighted locals look on from a safe distance.

Unless you're lucky enough to time a visit to Liushan during one of it's 'eruptions' there's little to see; for something more dramatic, head to the village of Yanchao (燕巢) in neighboring Kaohsiung County to take a look at the constantly bubbling Yangnu Pool, or the shapely cone of Wushanding Mud Volcano (烏山頂泥火山), which often reaches three or more meters in height. Liushan, on the other hand, is fascinating for its sheer unpredictability: Even the temple caretaker has no idea when it will next explode into action. Which is why, if you're in the area, it's well worth making a short detour on the way south and paying it a quick visit.

HOW TO GET THERE:

A little Chinese ability and a good pair of eyes are an asset in locating Liushan Mud Volcano as it's tricky to find, and not well signposted. Turn off national route 27 about eight kilometers north of Donggang into local route 55, passing the 'showpiece' Chishan Temple (赤山嚴). A couple of hundred meters later turn right into a tiny lane (look out for the red Chinese characters for 'mud volcano' (泥火山) stenciled onto the road. Follow the red stencil marks along a complicated network of narrow lanes and you'll reach the orange temple (無極真宗皇源聖殿) in the middle of the mud volcano about ten minutes after leaving the main road.