Maolin District of Kaohsiung City is an amazing outdoor paradise and my favorite place in Taiwan. In this mountainous district of Kaohsiung, you can find waterfalls, streams, hot springs, butterflies, aboriginal culture, and great views, all by the roadside! Popular activities include swimming, hot spring bathing, river tracing, camping, and hiking.
Please note I have also finished blogs about Maolin Village, Wanshan Village, Duona Suspension Bridge, and Duona Village (click the links to see each individual blog). Background: During the Japanese occupation, some of the original inhabitants of Maolin Village live in the mountains behind Wanshan Village. However later these aboriginals were forcibly moved to the current village. Many of the inhabitants were originally located elsewhere, but had to relocate their home or village due to typhoons or unsafe terrain. There are a few abandoned villages above the current village that you can still hike to. The villages have about 2000 total inhabitants, mostly aboriginals from the Rukai (魯凱族) Wulu Bunun (布農) and Paiwan (排灣) tribes, as well as some Han Chinese people. The district also has Maolin Middle school, the only middle school, and three elementary schools. Wanshan has the smallest population of any village in Taiwan according to the government website here, with a population of just 450 people. 95% of the people are aborigines from the Rukai Tribe (魯凱族), and the rest are either from the Wulu Bunun Tribe (布農) or Han Chinese. Originally the people of Wanshan village lived at the base of Mali Mountain (麻里山), but were moved by the government in 1956 to their current location. Many of the inhabitants of Maolin were originally located elsewhere, but had to relocate their home or village due to typhoons or unsafe terrain. There are a few abandoned villages around Maolin that you can still hike to. Typhoon Morakot brought record floods to Taiwan because it slowly moved over the island delivering torrential rain. Nearly 700 people were killed during the disaster (to see what Maolin looked like right after the flooding, check out this blog here). Basically all the bridges in Maolin were destroyed during Typhoon Morakot in 2009 except Duona Suspension bridge which is built so high that it would never be affected by floodwater. Most all the bridges currently in Maolin were reconstructed after the 2009 floods. Duona is the most remote village in Maolin District of Kaohsiung City, and is said to harbor the most complete version of the Rukai Aborigine culture. The Rukai People first began to move into the area now known as Duona about 300 years ago (1700s), making it one of the oldest aborigine villages in Taiwan. Most of the people live in traditional stone houses made from nearby plentiful shale rock, which are characteristic of the Rukai Tribe. The stone houses are warm in the winter and stay cool during the summer. Near the village is a small plain which is said to be the home of Taiwan's indigenous species of black rice. The village was almost completely cut off from the outside world until the Japanese built the Duona Suspension Bridge, which helped to link it to the rest of Taiwan as well as better control the native population. The actual Distrcit boundaries extend to Pingtung County and Taitung County, and include largely untouched and "virgin" forests and mountain wilderness areas such as Shuang-guei Lake, providing precious wildlife habitat for many of Taiwan's indigenous animals and plants. Price: Free Hours: 24/7 When to go: I recommend going in the summer time when the waterfalls have plenty of water and warm temperatures make it a great time to go swimming. In winter it will be cold and the waterfalls can dry up. On the other hand if you want to go just for hiking, winter would be a better time to go. If there is a Typhoon, the inhabitants of Maolin will be evacuated, and you should not try to go in for your own safety. If you are coming to see butterflies, the butterfly migration is in the fall and ends roughly in November. How to get there: By Car: Maolin can be reached via provincial highway 27 from Pingtung or Liugui. Once you come to Dajin Bridge, go straight up the mountain. Looking for scooter rental in Kaohsiung? You can check out Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can check also out our scooter rental guide here. If you are looking for car rentals, you can search Qeeq here, KKday here, or Klook here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. By Bus: You can take a bus there but I don't recommend it. It's a 3 hour bus ride from Pingtung Bus Station. If you can rent a car or scooter it is about a 1 1/2 hour drive from Kaohsiung. You can book tickets to travel to Kaohsiung via inter-city bus on Klook here. You can book tickets to Kaohsiung via high speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here. Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here. You can also book a Kaohsiung Travel pass here. Accommodation We have stayed at and recommend Chao She Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here) IHI Sanduo Travel Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), and Mingli Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Klook here, or Hotels.com here) which are three inexpensive and high quality choices in downtown Kaohsiung. I also have stayed at and recommend Kaohsiung Meinong Rabbit Paul Homestay B&B (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, or Trip.com here), a quiet B&B in rural Meinong, and Chengching Lakeside Resort (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com or Trip.com here)and the Grand Hotel Kaohsiung (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here) which both offer breakfast buffet and free entrance into Chenqing Lake Park. I have also stayed at the 85 sky tower which offers great views of the city; you can search for rooms in the 85 sky tower on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Trip.com here). Find out more about where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation on the islands. You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here. Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. Tours: You can find more tours and activities in Kaohsiung such as Pier 2, Meinong Hakka Museum, Hamasen Railway Museum, Suzuka Circuit Park, i-Ride Kaohsiung Visual 5D Flying Theater, National Science and Technology Museum , Senya Village Restaruant, Austin Land, Ski School Indoor Ski Slope, and many more on Klook here or KKday here. Just to let you know, if you book using the links above, we get some commission at no cost to you, and you can help support our blog. You can click here to receive $5 USD on your first Klook purchase. Map: Please see a map below marked with all the destinations we will visit in this blog:
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Qikong Waterfall (aka 7 hole waterfall) is a seven-tiered set of waterfalls in Manzhou township of Pingtung County. The hike here is super easy, and there are plenty of places to play in the water here. It is definitely a fun trip in the mountains that will not take too much time, and a great place for an easy river trace.
Background: Qikong Waterfall is about 50 meters high, and its name comes from the roughly seven holes in the rocks between waterfalls. The holes in the rocks have been carved out of the rocks after thousands of years of erosion, and there is a rope climb and trail along the side of the waterfalls, which can be climbed in less than an hour. Currently the nearest parking lot lies on private property and the property owner collects parking fees in cash. Hours: 24/7 Price: Free except parking: 20 NT for scooters and 60 NT for cars. You can go book a river trace of Qikong waterfall on Klook here or KKday here. Difficulty: Easy: 200 meters in length and less than 50 meters in elevation gain, some rope climbs involved. The whole hike should take less than an hour. How to get there: By Car/Scooter: From Hengchun, take highway 200 east until you reach Chunxing Road. Drive to the end of the road and that is where the trailhead starts. Looking for scooter rental in Kenting? Click here or here to search for options. You can also check out our Taiwan scooter rental guide here. If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. By Bus: You can take bus 1117 to Hexing Road, but then it is a 45 minute walk to the trailhead. You can book tickets to Pingtung via high speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here, or book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here. You can book tickets to travel to Pingtung via inter-city bus on Klook here. Accommodation: I have stayed at many hostels and hotels in Kenting, and even almost bought a house here. Some places that I have stayed at and can recommend are Nanwan Kiki (book on Agoda here, Booking.com here), a B&B next to Nanwan Bay, Kenting's most popular Beach. There are also a few decent hotels near Kenting Street Night Market like Kenting Star Inn 888 (book on Agoda here, Klook here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Booking.com here), or Kenting Dajianshan Hotel (book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here). You will notice that none of these hotels are five star resorts (I do not come to Kenting to waste my time at a resort, but you can still search Agoda, Booking.com, Hotels.com, or Expedia for those) but they are in my opinion the above have the best value for the money. Looking for a hotel? Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan. You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here. Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. Tours: You can go book a river trace of Qikong waterfall on Klook here or KKday here. Map: Please see below:
If you only have a few days in Taiwan and you want to go somewhere outside of Taipei, you should definitely go to Taroko National Park. On an island full of mountains, rain forests, beaches, and abounding natural beauty, Taroko might just take the top spot as the most beautiful scenic area in Taiwan.
Taroko National Park is well known for its amazing marble cliffs and canyons carved out by the Liwu River. It is also a popular spot for hiking, rafting, and river tracing. If you have the time, come to the East coast and see it. If you don't have time, then make some time! History and Background: Taroko National Park is well known for its marble cliffs and canyons, and is also known as "The Marble Gorge." Millions of years ago, the rock we see today was sediment at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, but oceanic and tectonic pressure turned it into limestone, and later into marble. Later the Eurasian plate was uplifted where Taiwan is today, and a gorge was cut out of the limestone thanks to the Liwu River. Taroko means "human being," from the Truku tribal language. Originally the Tupido Tribe settled in the area of what is now Tianxiang Taiti mesa. They built the Tupido Tribe Trail which was only 30 cm wide, and resided there until they were massacred by the Japanese in 1914. In 1917, the Japanese expanded the original trail made by the Tupido Tribe to 1.5 M and forced aboriginal tribesmen to carry goods along the trail to the east coast. This is now the Zhuilu Old Trail. Currently only 3km of the trail is open to the public. The Japanese created a national park in the Area in 1937, which was disestablished by the ROC in 1945, and then reenstated in as a national park in 1986. When to visit? Hualien is great year round, but it can get a little hot in the summer, and Typhoon season and heavy rain season lasts from about May to October. If you are afraid of the heat and rain then you can visit during winter when the temperatures are mild and the climate is usually dryer. Sponsored Links Where to stay? Most of the accommodation you will find is near the city center. If you only want to visit Hualien City and Taroko Gorge, you can consider booking a hotel near downtown, walking or cycling around the city, and taking a bus to Taroko Gorge. We have stayed at and recommend Dream Taiwan Homestay (Agoda / Booking.com / Expedia / Hotels.com), a high quality hostel for the money in downtown Hualien, Farglory Hotel (Agoda / Booking.com / Expedia / Hotels.com), right next to Farglory Ocean Park with amazing views of Hualien, and Goldenflower B&B (Agoda / Booking.com) in Yuli right next to Sixty Stone Mountain. You can find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. How to get there: By Car: From Taipei, Take National Highway 5 to Yilan and then drive on the Suhua Highway 9 to Hualien. A few miles before Hualien City, the gorge will be on your right. By Train: Take the train to Hualien station, and from there you can rent a scooter or car, or take a tour bus to the gorge. For more travel information see here. You can book tickets to travel to Hualien via inter-city bus on Klook here. Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here. Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. How to get around in Taroko Gorge: As always, we recommend renting a scooter as the best way to see Taiwan. However, you can also a great deal of Tainan by taking the train, inter-city bus, local bus, biking, or just walking. Getting around in a car is also a convenient option as there is plenty of parking pretty much everywhere in this less crowded county. By Bus: You can book a shuttle bus to Taroko Gorge from Hualien on Klook here. Scooter Rental: Looking for scooter rental in Hualien? You can search KKday here or Klook here to look for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. Car Rental: If you are looking for car rentals in Hualien, you can also search Klook here or KKDay here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. Tours: You can find more tours and activities in Hualien such as Surfing, Paragliding, SUP / Paddle Boarding, Kayaking, Canoeing, River Tracing, River Rafting, Whale Watching, Snorkeling, Diving, ATV / 4-wheeling, Paintballing, Farm Dream Estates Zoo, Water Biking, Oyster Harvesting, Shrimp Harvesting, Indigenous Experience, Glamping, Cycling, Ziplining and much more on Klook here or KKday here. You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here. Just to let you know, if you book using the links above, we get some commission at no cost to you, and you can help support our blog. You can click here to receive $5 USD on your first Klook purchase. Hours: 8:30AM-5PM (Zhuilu old trail is open from 7AM to 10PM). Flying a Drone? Apply for a drone permit here. Price: Free! (Except Zhuilu old trail, which is 200 NT per adult. See below for more info.) Map: Please see below:
Baiyang Falls are a beautiful set of waterfalls in Taroko National Park. The trail is only 2 KM long and is flat and paved with no steps. It is an easy and relaxing way to enjoy some of the best scenery in the park.
Background: Taroko National Park is well known for its marble cliffs and canyons, and is also known as "The Marble Gorge." Millions of years ago, the rock we see today was sediment at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, but oceanic and tectonic pressure turned it into limestone, and later into marble. Later the Eurasian plate was uplifted where Taiwan is today, and a gorge was cut out of the limestone thanks to the Liwu River. Taroko means "human being," from the Truku tribal language. Originally the Tupido Tribe settled in the area of what is now Tianxiang Taiti mesa. They built the Tupido Tribe Trail which was only 30 cm wide, and resided there until they were massacred by the Japanese in 1914. In 1917, the Japanese expanded the original trail made by the Tupido Tribe to 1.5 M and forced aboriginal tribesmen to carry goods along the trail to the east coast. This is now the Zhuilu Old Trail. Currently only 3km of the trail is open to the public. The Japanese created a national park in the Area in 1937, which was disestablished by the ROC in 1945, and then reinstated in as a national park in 1986. The road to Baiyang Waterfall was created by the Taipower Company in an effort to build a hydropower reservoir in Taroko Gorge. However the project was not completed, to protect the natural scenery in the area. The roads and tunnels left over from the project now make up the current trail, to what would normally be an arduous hike through impossible terrain. Baiyang Waterfall is 220 meters high, and the highest waterfall in Taiwan to fall off one sheer cliff. When to visit? Hualien is great year round, but it can get a little hot in the summer, and Typhoon season and heavy rain season last from about May to October. If you are afraid of the heat and rain then you can visit during winter when the temperatures are mild and the climate is usually dryer. Where to stay? Most of the accommodation you will find is near the city center. If you only want to visit Hualien City and Taroko Gorge, you can consider booking a hotel near downtown, walking or cycling around the city, and taking a bus to Taroko Gorge. We have stayed at and recommend Dream Taiwan Homestay (Agoda / Booking.com / Expedia / Hotels.com), a high quality hostel for the money in downtown Hualien, Farglory Hotel (Agoda / Booking.com / Expedia / Hotels.com), right next to Farglory Ocean Park with amazing views of Hualien, and Goldenflower B&B (Agoda / Booking.com) in Yuli right next to Sixty Stone Mountain. You can find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here. Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. How to get there: By Car: From Taipei, Take National Highway 5 to Yilan and then drive on the Suhua Highway 9 to Hualien. A few miles before Hualien City, the gorge will be on your right. Keeping going until you reach the Baiyang Waterfall hike about 20 KM up the road. You can search KKday here or Klook here to look for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. If you are looking for car rentals in Hualien, you can also search Klook here or KKDay here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. By Train: Take the train to Hualien station, and from there you can rent a scooter or car, or take a tour bus to the gorge, and get off at Baiyang Waterfall station. You can book tickets to travel to Hualien via inter-city bus on Klook here. Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here. For more travel information see here. Tours: You can book a tour to Baiyang Falls on KKday here. Find more tours and activities in Hualien such as Surfing, Paragliding, SUP / Paddle Boarding, Kayaking, Canoeing, River Tracing, and much more on Klook here or KKday here. Hours: 24/7 Map: Please see below:
Wuling Farm is a recreational farm in the mountains of Taichung, Taiwan. It is one of the only places that you can spot the endangered Formosan Landlocked Salmon in the wild, and includes flowers, fruit trees, tea plantations, cherry blossoms, hikes, camping, waterfalls, and wildlife to enjoy. It is a great place to experience Taiwan's high mountain ecology.
Background: Originally the Qijia Valley where Wuling Farm sits was home to seven families of the Ayatal Tribe, and aboriginal peoples lived here starting over 4,000 years ago. The aboringal people were relocated to Sqoyaw Village in the 1950s. Wuling Farm was established in 1963 as a way to provide a living for retired KMT veterans. The farm's original purpose was to plant temperate fruit trees and vegetables. Starting in 1989, the farm began tourist acticites, such as building a campground, tea houses, gardens, hotels, and a tourist service center. The farm sits at about 2000 meters above sea level (6,561 feet). Website: https://lang.wuling-farm.com.tw/lang/index.php Price: 160 NT per person to enter 50 NT for cars 10 NT for scooters Accommodation: We recommend staying overnight because you will likely have to travel a long time to get here (4 hours from Taipei), and staying overnight lets you maximize your time here. You can book online for one of the following accommodation options: Wuling National Hostel (2,000 NT - 8,000 NTD per night) Wuling Hoya Resort (6,000 - 15,000 NTD per night) Wuling Campground (1,000 - 2200 NTD per night) Hours: 24/7 When to go: A popular time to go is in March-April when there are cherry blossoms. Also, it can get very cold in the winter. How to get there: By Car/Scooter: It is actually faster to travel to Wuling Farm from Taipei instead of downtown Taichung, even though technically the farm is in Taichung City. From Yilan, take provincial highway 7 through Datong Township and up the mountain until you reach Wuling Farm. By Bus: Taiwan Tour Bus and Lion Travel have busses that leave from Taipei and arrive 4 hours later. Map: Please see below:
Qiedong Waterfall (aka Qiedong Falls) is a tall set of waterfalls in Xizhi District of New Taipei City, Taiwan. It is easily accessible via a flat hiking path that takes about 3 minutes to walk there, and includes a large swimming pool and amazing natural scenery. It's spectacular cascading falls and pools have made it one of the most popular waterfalls in the area.
Background: Qiedong Waterfall is roughly 22 meters high (70 feet) and is broken up by four sections. It is largest waterfall on Dajianshan in terms of scale. The rock formations that form the Waterfall formed as sediment under the ocean millions of years ago and were then uplifted thanks to the collision of the Eurasian and Phillipine plates. The rocks are mainly sedimentary and are part of the same formation that forms the special rock formations on the northern coast around Keelung. The area also has some coal deposits, and there is an abandoned mine on the trail. The rocks here easily erode, making for odd shapes in the riverbed. Due to its ease of access and large pool, it is usually full of people, especially on weekends. Hours: 24/7 Price: Free When to go: Go in the spring time when there is more rain. If you go during the dry season, the waterfall will be quite small. Difficulty: Easy How to get there: By Bus: From Xizhi TRA station, take bus F911 to Fuji Mountain Villa stop, then walk through the neighborhood, which will take you to a mountain road on the back side. The waterfall is about a 15 minute walk from Fuji Mountain Villa. By Car/Scooter: From provincial highway 5 in Xizhi, turn up the mountain after reaching the Xizhi Administrative Building (汐止行政中心). Then go up the mountain and turn into Xiufeng Road, aka Fuji Mountain Villa. After that, drive through the neighborhood, which will take you to a mountain road on the back side. The waterfall is about a 3 minute ride from Fuji Mountain Villa. Map: Please see below |
Author 作家I am an American expat who has extensive experience living, working, and traveling in Taiwan. In my day, I had to learn many things about Taiwan the hard way. But I have come to learn that Taiwan is one of the best places in the world for Foreigners to live. This blog does not represent the opinions of every foreigner in Taiwan. I am just trying to help others learn more about this beautiful country. Archives 檔案
July 2024
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