Things to do in Hsinchu County, Hsinchu County: The Best Sacred & Religious Sites

Reviewed By hkgus

Some contributors mentioned the many twists of the damaged connecting road to Qalang Smangus. It is different since early Nov. Apart from 1.8km, the rest of the 16km connecting road between the Thyakan junction and Smangus is now in pretty good shape. Having been aware that this improved connecting road was due to re-open everyday starting 9th Nov, I decided to drive. I reserved from a car rental dealer a 150bhp 1.5-litre SUV and picked it up at its branch near Hsinchu HSR Station. I took the short and comfortable HSR train journey from Taoyuan to Hsinchu and found this a better option instead of driving all the way from Taoyuan Airport or Taipei. I started driving at 9am and the traffic was not heavy. After driving about 23km, I reached Jianshi Township where many went for a day trip. There was no need to fill up the tank at the petrol station here because I started at "Full". Most drivers would take a rest at Urao Lookout and it was a good idea. The view from here was nice, except for short periods of mist and rain. There were toilets in the small restaurants. The rest of the drive was pleasant. The time at Smangus itself was enjoyable. No need to repeat other contributors' remarks of the trees, etc. If one comes on a weekday, people living here will usually have more time to talk with you about Smangus. Conclusion: Stay one night, better on a weekday. Day trips do not do justice to this unique place. It would be nice if indigenous tourism as part of the Cooperative Community of the Atayal tribe could continue at Smangus undisturbed for another generation at least. A policy on balancing growth and sustainable ecotourism should help. The Leaders' decision not to widen the connecting road is wise.