City: Taiwan
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Things to do in Taiwan, Taiwan: The Best Nature & Parks
Taiwan (/ˌtaɪˈwɑːn/ ( listen)), officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a state in East Asia. Its neighbors include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. It is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations.
Restaurants in Taiwan
1. Shiniou Mountain
2. Dakeng No.8 Trail
3. Yangmingshan National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,410 reviews
Embrace nature and flower gardens with a picnic or leisurely hike up the rolling hillsides of Yangmingshan. The park is accessible by public bus.
Reviewed By sharonchongmeili - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Would recommend to hike Mt Qixing from Xiaoyukeng as the entrance to the trail is just next to the bus stop at the Xiaoyukeng Recreation Area. Do use the toilets there as there are none along the trail. I took bus 260 at Taipei Main Station (north exit 2) to the Yangminshan Bus Terminal. Transfer to small shuttle bus 108 that makes its round in the park. Easycard is acceptable or have exact change of NTD15/ride. Took about 1.5hrs to Mt Qixing Main Peak, another 15mins to the East peak & another hour downhill to Lengshukeng Recreation & Visitors Centre. Was a lovely hike on a sunny day with 360degrees of Taipei.
4. YehLiu Geopark
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,172 reviews
A cape in Wanli, near Taipei, famous for its hoodoo stones, thin spires of rock formed by sedimentary stone. Many rock formations have creative names, including the most well-known “The Queen's Head.”
Reviewed By HerbertC249
You will feel like you have just landed in an alien planet with its landscape of quirky and eccentric-shaped rock formations with equally eccentric names such as Queen’s Head and Cute Princess. Shaped by the awesome forces of nature (wind and waves), this place is so unique that you will be utterly moonstruck. At a reasonably-priced entrance fees of NTD 80, you are free to roam freely within this geopark as long as you observe 2 rules - do not touch any rock formations or venture beyond the red lines drawn on the ground. This attraction can easily be packaged as a day tour together with Shifen and Jiufen.
5. Maolin/Tona Hot Springs
6. Kenting National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 680 reviews
Reviewed By bettyc552
There are lots of nice scenic views in this huge National Park. It offers beautiful breathtaking views of the mountains, cliffs, coastline and sea. There are some nice trails, some have broad walks so lots of places for exploring. There are plenty of wildlife. Great place to visit and relax.
7. Taroko Gorge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,630 reviews
Reviewed By Worldofg
Having a full day to kill due to a long connection in Taipei my wife and I decided to rush down to Taroko Gorge rather than staying in the city. What a great decision!! We caught train 202 from the main station at 6am, arriving at Hualien at 08:15 ($400 TWD return- $22 AUD). Based on other trip advisor posts we booked a taxi driver ( Jason Huang) for a day for a very reasonable $3500 for the car rather than per person (Taiwan; about $160.00 Australian). I hate being carted around on coaches and in large groups, you tend to see very little and it can be quite rushed, so a private hire was a perfect option considering tours were charging around $3500 pp. Our driver, Jason met us at the station as arranged, waving my name on his board, (note head towards West exit of the station and not the east). Jason is a happy chap with excellent English, as it turned out Jason was the perfect guide with very informative commentary on rock formation, the national park and wildlife so I started to feel quite smug about my choice. Our first stop was the Qingshui cliffs, absolutely beautiful known for its plunging cliffs and rugged seascapes, certainly a worthwhile stop. Look carefully in the trees on the walk up to the viewing platform and you will probably see the Formosan rock monkey, which are endemic to Taiwan. There were a number of them feeding in the trees, it was surprising that other visitors walked right passed without noticing them. Our day continued with drive up the mountain range with its spectacular marble walls arising from the Gorge’s base. Our tour stretched from the entrance Taroko National Park up to the incredible Baiyang waterfall trail, taking in the Changchun Shrine, Swallow Grotto, Shakadang Trail and Taroko Archway along the way . Jason was very good at hoping in front of the bus groups so we saw most of the main sites in peace and open to changing the itinerary to meet our requirements, rather than just following the tourist trail, as such we saw what we wanted to see and stayed at a particular spot for as long as we wished. The Shakadang Trail is a road one way shared with pedestrians and traffic but very well managed. The walk is around 2 km from one end to the other but is flat and easy with plenty of places to stop for a breather. Jason dropped us off at one end of the trail and met us at the opposite end. This is a must, there are so many impressive panoramas following the winding Gorge on foot that it’s impossible to stop taking photos- the marble cliff walls are a breathtaking sight and that’s an understatement. Probably second only the Grand Canyon, without question this was the highlight of our holiday. At the entrance to the trail stop and pick up a helmet, which are provided free by the Nation Park Authority, just in case of falling rocks or stones Our next stop was the Baiyang waterfall trail. The trial is a 4.2k round trip, and characterised by a number of tunnels, so take a small touch (Jason provided ours). The hike is very easy and for the mostly flat, the path is well maintained with informative signage on the way. The marble here has incredible the layers and patterns in the gorge walls, there is also large 5-10 metre wide marble boulders sitting in the blue river, sensational. There are great views of waterfalls, plunging cliff faces in the background, along with some colourful bird life, look out for a red tail wagtail, I’m not sure of its name but there we plenty of them and they are very pretty. At the end of the trail you can have an exceedingly cold shower if you wish to visit the Curtain Waterfall Cave (very refreshing I thought), I would highly recommend the cave, it can be a tight squeeze but worth it. My wife had a poncho and stayed dry as a bone. The walk back was as good taking in a different prospective of the scenery. The Taroko National Park is a wonder and should not be missed if you visit Taiwan. The scenery is unparalleled with captivating sights and relaxing sounds of the gorge. It is one trail that you must not missed when at the gorge . We had a fantastic day we were so happy we made the effort, Jason was brilliant and I would highly recommend him rather than a busy tour bus, which I may add looked crowded and very rushed. The ability to stop anywhere in your own time is certainly the way to go. Again, Jason was the perfect guide with very informative commentary on rock formation and wildlife. Jason's details are whatsapp 886963-800617 or [email protected]
8. Jiaosi Hot Spring
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 319 reviews
Reviewed By jolinpl
Still love this place . We paid 400 plus 10 for towel to come to this onsen . Students have a discount . Flash your student pass . You enter , put your shoes on the shelf , then proceed to the locker room where you need two 10 NT coins . Strip naked then proceed to the wash area . After washing , dip in the multiple pools ranging from 19 to 44 degrees celcius . Shampoo and soap provided as well as a hair dryer but no combs . Also hot and cold water provided but no cups or water container . Lovely soaking experience . A must do if you come to Yilan.
9. Taipei Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,191 reviews
The largest zoo in Asia, this was original a private zoological garden. The giant panda house, Formosan animal area, koala house and Asian tropical rainforest area are of particular note.
Reviewed By paulynyyy - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Taipei Zoo opens from 9-5pm eaily accessible via MRT Brown line, exit Taipei Zoo Station. The zoo ticket, in my humble opinion, is quite cheap NT 60 for adults while preschoolers (age 6 and below) enter free, can easily be paid via Easy Card. The first section we went was Panda House. There were two Pandas, TuanTuan and YuanYuan (their names means reunion in chinese, by the way) We managed to see both, one was in indoor and the other outdoor. Both were very active. Next, we went around, the Bird World, the Amphibian/ Reptiles House and the Penguin House (mostly indoor as it was raining) Lots of snack shops and toilets available. It is a large zoo and our legs were tired walking around, hence we took the shuttle train (single ride: NT5) to Maokong Gondola Taipei Zoo South Station (operates from 9am-4pm) and took the Gondola to Mao Kong. Note: Some indoor exhibits in Taipei Zoo (Including the Panda House) may close on Monday, therefore go on other days.
10. Daan Forest Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 875 reviews
Taipei's version of New York City's Central Park, this park is 26 hectares, the size of three major league baseball fields. Take a walk around the ecological pond, enjoy a meal
Reviewed By EdmundA_13 - Bacoor, Philippines
I usually find time to run despite my busy sched on tour. This place is really a running haven as it has huge area to run into and wide options to choose on what type of pavement, clay, asphalt or blocks. A 1.75 kms run covering your planned mileage. I also notice that a lot of elders enjoying this place as they have different groups of taichi enthusiasts who has its own distinction in terms of color coded uniforms. They also like hanging out with nature seat g on the trees, breathing fresh air and just hang out in their first activity on the morning. Pls take note that don't miss out this place when you are in Taipei.
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