The Island That
Does Everything
Extraordinarily Well.

Taipei (the capital — population 2.7 million in the city proper, 7 million in greater Taipei — at the northern end of the island in the Taipei Basin, surrounded by mountains on three sides — the financial, cultural, political, and culinary centre of Taiwan) rewards visitors who explore by neighbourhood rather than by landmark. The landmarks are worth seeing — Taipei 101 (the 509m tower that was the world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010 — the observation deck on the 89th floor — the 660-tonne tuned mass damper (the gold-painted steel sphere suspended between floors 87–92 — visible from the observation deck — designed to reduce wind-induced building sway by up to 40% — the sphere moves measurably in typhoon conditions and strong wind events, which is both the point and an attraction)), the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (the white marble complex in the Zhongzheng District — the guard change ceremony (every hour on the hour — the synchronised slow march across the vast marble floor, the white-gloved precision, the ceremony’s formality in contrast with the tourist activity around it)), and the National Palace Museum (the 700,000+ artefact collection — the Jadeite Cabbage (the 19cm carved jade sculpture in the form of a pale green Chinese cabbage — one of the most visited individual museum objects in the world — the queue is real and the cabbage is genuinely extraordinary at close range)) — but the neighbourhoods are where Taipei actually lives: Da’an (coffee shops, bookstores, the night market, the park), Zhongshan (independent boutiques, the Japanese colonial-era Dihua Street fabric market), and Xinyi (Taipei 101’s neighbourhood — the upscale restaurants, the roof terraces, the Taipei Nanshan Plaza). Jiufen (the mountain village 40km northeast of Taipei — the red lantern tea houses on the steep stone steps, the ocean view from the A-Mei Tea House (the building that is widely acknowledged as an inspiration for the spirit world town in Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away (2001) — Miyazaki has neither confirmed nor denied this — the resemblance is specific and the Jiufen tourism industry has not discouraged the association)) is 1 hour by bus from Taipei’s Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station — the correct day trip from the capital. Beitou (the hot spring district accessible by MRT (30 minutes from central Taipei) — the geothermal hot spring water ranging from 40–100°C — the Beitou Thermal Valley (the Ditan pool — the deep blue-green colour of the radium sulphate spring water — the steam in the morning air) — the public and private hot spring bathhouses available from NTD$200 per person).

• Taipei 101 · 660-tonne damper sphere · visible from 89th floor
• National Palace Museum · 700,000+ artefacts · the Jadeite Cabbage
• Jiufen · lantern tea houses · 1hr from Taipei · Spirited Away association
• Beitou · hot spring MRT 30min · from NTD$200 · Thermal Valley
• Shilin Night Market · largest in Taiwan · from 4pm daily

Taroko National Park (the 92,000-hectare national park in Hualien County on Taiwan’s east coast — established 1986 — named for the Truku indigenous people who have inhabited the area for over 1,000 years — the park encompasses the Taroko Gorge, the Central Mountain Range (including Nanhu Da Shan at 3,742m), and the coastal strip of eastern Taiwan) is centred on the Taroko Gorge (the 19km marble canyon carved by the Liwu River through the Hsuehshan mountain range — the canyon walls: solid white, grey, and green marble, formed 270 million years ago when limestone was subjected to the heat and pressure of the Eurasian and Philippine tectonic plates colliding — the collision continues at approximately 8cm per year — the gorge is simultaneously being carved by the river and uplifted by the tectonic activity). The canyon’s narrowest sections — particularly at the Swallow Grotto (Yanzikou — where the canyon walls are so close together and so tall that direct sunlight reaches the canyon floor for only minutes per day — the swallows (which nest in the cliff face holes eroded by the river) visible as silhouettes against the strip of sky above) and the Tunnel of Nine Turns (Jiuqudong — the pedestrian tunnel cut through nine separate curves in the marble cliff — the walk through the tunnel with the gorge visible through the openings, the marble walls lit by the filtered light, the Liwu River visible and audible 100m below) — are the gorge’s most iconic sections and both are accessible on foot without a permit. The Baiyang Waterfall Trail (4.4km return — through seven road tunnels repurposed as hiking tunnels (the tunnels were the original road before the current Taroko Gorge Road was completed — the road itself a significant engineering achievement, blasted through solid marble by Japanese engineers during the colonial period and by the National Government’s Veteran General Construction Brigade after 1949 (using soldiers as forced labour — 212 men died in the construction — a monument at the Taroko Gorge entrance commemorates them)) — the waterfall at the trail’s end falls from a hole in the cliff face into a pool — the water curtain walk behind the falls is available when water volume permits). Shakadang Trail (4.1km one way — the teal-green river, the marble boulders, the suspension bridges).

• Tunnel of Nine Turns · pedestrian only · marble walls · river 100m below
• Swallow Grotto · narrowest section · sunlight reaches floor for minutes daily
• Baiyang Waterfall · 4.4km return · water curtain walk behind falls
• Marble formed 270 million years ago · tectonic uplift continues 8cm/year
• 2.5 hrs from Taipei by TRA train · stay in Hualien city

Sun Moon Lake (Riyuetan — at 748m above sea level in Nantou County — the central highlands of Taiwan — the largest lake in Taiwan by surface area (7.93 km²) — named for the shape of its two distinct sections: the eastern section (round, resembling the sun) and the western section (crescent-shaped, resembling the moon) — the lake sits in a caldera formed by prehistoric volcanic activity) is the destination that recalibrates what Taiwanese nature travel means relative to the east coast’s more dramatic gorge landscape. The lake is beautiful in a way that is specifically lake-beautiful — the early morning fog (standard in all seasons, especially November–March — the lake surface invisible from the shore, the islands and the far shore emerging as the fog lifts between 8–10am — the experience of the fog lifting from the lake with the green mountains above and the tea plantations on the lower slopes is the Sun Moon Lake moment). The cycling circuit (the 33km cycling path around the lake– the most popular cycling route in Taiwan — YouBike available at the Shuishe pier — the path is separated from vehicle traffic, well-signed, and passes through aboriginal villages, tea fields, and lakeside viewpoints — the Xiangshan Visitor Center viewpoint (the elevated view of the lake’s full oval shape visible when the fog has cleared) is the circuit’s photographic centrepiece). The Thao indigenous people (one of Taiwan’s 16 officially recognised indigenous peoples — the Thao (population approximately 800 — one of the smallest indigenous groups in Taiwan) have lived on the lake’s shores for centuries — the Lalu Island (the small island in the lake’s centre — sacred to the Thao — traditionally prohibited to non-Thao visitors — the island was significantly reduced in size by the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake (the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that killed 2,415 people and caused widespread structural damage across central Taiwan — the hotel on Lalu Island collapsed into the lake — the island has not been rebuilt))). The high-mountain oolong tea of the Sun Moon Lake region (Li Shan, Alishan, and Sun Moon Lake oolong — the altitude-grown teas that develop a sweeter, more complex flavour due to the cooler temperatures and slower leaf growth — the tea houses around the lake serve the local ruby red tea (Sun Moon Lake’s signature black tea — developed from Assam cultivars introduced during the Japanese colonial period — the honey-vanilla flavour profile is distinct from any other Taiwanese tea)).

• Morning fog · 8–10am lift · the lake emerging · the signature experience
• 33km cycling circuit · YouBike hire · Xiangshan viewpoint
• Ruby red tea · Japanese colonial Assam cultivar · honey-vanilla profile
• Thao people · Lalu Island · 1999 earthquake changed the lake
• 1 hour express bus from Taichung HSR station · stay 1–2 nights

Alishan National Scenic Area (the mountain forest reserve at 2,200m in Chiayi County — the 50km network of hiking trails through ancient cypress and cedar forests — the trees averaging 1,000–2,500 years old with circumferences requiring 10–15 people to encircle — the “Three Generations Tree” (a living example of the Taiwanese sacred tree succession: a dead 1,500-year-old Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana) becomes the nurse log for a new cypress, which then hosts its own next generation — three continuous generations visible in a single botanical entity)) is most famous for two specific experiences. The Alishan Forest Railway (the narrow-gauge mountain railway — one of three high-altitude mountain railways in the world — built 1906–1912 during the Japanese colonial period primarily for timber extraction — the 71km line from Chiayi at sea level to Alishan at 2,216m — the railway uses a switchback-and-spiral system to climb 2,200m of elevation in 71km (an average gradient that would be impossible for a conventional adhesion railway), passing through 50 tunnels and over 77 bridges — the journey takes 2.5 hours — the views through the tunnels and over the gorge bridges are among the most dramatic railway views in Asia). The Alishan sunrise and sea of clouds (the Zhushan sunrise viewing platform — a narrow-gauge sunrise train departs the Alishan station at 4–5am (time varies by season and sunrise timing — book the previous evening at the Alishan station — the train fills to capacity — the alternative is the 2km uphill walk to Zhushan in the dark, which is also correct — the walk is faster than waiting for the train) — arriving at the 2,451m Zhushan platform 20–30 minutes before sunrise — the sea of clouds (the cloud deck below the summit that forms when the overnight temperature inversion traps humid air below the mountain — visible in approximately 60–70% of mornings from April to November — when it appears, the sun rises above the cloud horizon and casts the shadows of Jade Mountain (Yushan) and the Central Range peaks across the white cloud surface — the Jade Mountain shadow in particular (Yushan — 3,952m — 20km east of Alishan) cast across the cloud deck in the first minutes of sunrise is the most frequently photographed scene in Alishan)). The Sister Ponds (Jiaoli Pond and Yuantan Pond — the two small lakes linked by a wooden walkway through the cypress forest — the reflection of the trees in the still morning water — the correct post-sunrise walk).

• Alishan Forest Railway · 1906–1912 · 50 tunnels · 77 bridges · 2.5hrs
• Zhushan sunrise · 4–5am sunrise train · sea of clouds · Yushan shadow
• Ancient cypress forest · trees 1,000–2,500 years old · Three Generations Tree
• Sister Ponds · post-sunrise reflection walk · cypress mirror
• Stay overnight · the sunrise train requires being there the night before

Tainan (population 1.9 million — the oldest continuously inhabited city in Taiwan — the capital of Taiwan from 1683 to 1887 under Qing dynasty administration — founded by Dutch East India Company (VOC) traders who established Fort Zeelandia in 1624 (the Dutch colonial fort — the “Anping Fort” of today — the original fort structure largely replaced by a 19th-century Qing-era tower but the site continuous since 1624 — the fort museum displays the full Dutch, Spanish, and Ming loyalist history of the city’s founding period)) is the city that Taiwanese from other parts of the island visit specifically to eat, specifically for reasons of temple heritage, and specifically because it has more well-preserved traditional street layout than any other Taiwanese city. The temples (Tainan has more than 1,600 registered temples — the highest density of any city in Taiwan — the temples are not tourist attractions as much as functioning community institutions — the largest and most significant: Konfucius Temple (built 1665 — the oldest Confucian temple in Taiwan — the monthly rituals are the most elaborate Confucian ceremonies in Taiwan), Chihkan Towers (the Provintia fort — the Dutch administrative headquarters, rebuilt in Qing-dynasty style), and the Tiandeng Temple complex). The food (Tainan’s food culture is distinct even within Taiwan — the city is particularly known for: Danzai noodles (tan-tsai — small portions of egg noodles in pork broth with a prawn on top — invented in Tainan by a fisherman in the off-season (the “shoulder pole” noodles — named for the shoulder pole used to carry the portable stall)), milkfish congee (wu-yu zhou — the local fish rice porridge — the milkfish (Chanos chanos) farmed in the Tainan coastal ponds for 400 years), and shrimp roll (hsia tsuan — deep-fried prawn in a beancurd skin roll — a street food specific to Tainan that does not exist in its authentic form elsewhere in Taiwan)). The Hayashi Department Store (the 1932 Japanese colonial-era department store — the most intact Art Deco commercial building in Taiwan — the lift operators wear period uniforms — the rooftop shrine (the Shinto shrine on the department store rooftop is one of the only surviving Shinto shrines in Taiwan — most were destroyed or converted after 1945)).

• 1,600+ temples · highest density in Taiwan · functioning community institutions
• Danzai noodles · invented by fisherman · shoulder pole origin story
• Anping Fort · Dutch VOC 1624 · oldest foreign settlement in Taiwan
• Hayashi Dept Store · 1932 Art Deco · Shinto rooftop shrine
• 1hr 45min from Taipei · HSR to Tainan station · direct

Taiwan’s east coast (the Pacific-facing coastline from Hualien south to Taitung — the East Rift Valley — the section of Taiwan where the Philippine Sea Plate meets the Eurasian Plate most visibly — the landscape result: a flat agricultural valley floor (the Rift Valley — paddy fields, hot air balloon festivals, aboriginal communities) flanked on the west by the Central Mountain Range (peaks above 3,000m visible from sea level — the most dramatic mountain-to-sea proximity in East Asia) and on the east by the Pacific Coastal Range (the narrow range that separates the valley from the Pacific)) is the part of Taiwan that Australian visitors most consistently fail to reach, and the part that experienced Taiwan visitors most consistently return for. The East Rift Valley cycling route (the 180km cycling path from Hualien to Taitung along the valley floor — the farmland, the indigenous Amis and Bunun community villages, the Chishang rice paddies (the source of some of Taiwan’s finest table rice — the Chishang rice brand — the paddies visible from the cycling path as a continuous flat green field with the mountains rising on both sides — the most visually Japanese-feeling landscape in Taiwan)). The Penghu Islands (the Penghu Archipelago — 90 islands in the Taiwan Strait — 45 minutes by ferry from Kaohsiung or 40 minutes by air from Kaohsiung or Taipei — the basalt geology (formed by volcanic activity 8–17 million years ago — the hexagonal basalt column formations visible at the Northern Penghu coast — the Kueibi village basalt cliff), the coral reef diving, the wind-scoured landscape (Penghu has the second-highest average wind speed of any inhabited place in the world — the traditional stone fish traps (weirs) built from basalt on the tidal flats — the stone weirs have been in continuous use since the 17th century), and the spring cherry blossom (the Penghu fireworks festival in April — the most accessible small-island Taiwan experience from Kaohsiung)).

• East Rift Valley cycling · 180km Hualien to Taitung · Chishang rice paddies
• Central Range visible from sea level · steepest mountain-to-coast gradient in East Asia
• Penghu Islands · basalt hexagonal columns · 17th-century stone fish traps
• 40 min from Kaohsiung by air · or 45 min fast ferry · Penghu archipelago
• East coast TRA train · most scenic rail in Taiwan · Pacific coast views