Taiwan in Depth

Welcome to Taiwan, considered the jewel in the Asia Pacific rim. On arrival at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, you will be greeted by our airport representative, who will assist with the transfer to the capital city – Taipei (80 km, 45 minutes). Along the way, you will see city landmarks from a distance, such as the palace-like Grand Hotel and the Taipei 101 Tower, the tallest building in the world until early 2010. Check into your hotel and relax. Afterwards, explore the city’s CBD area and gain a feel for the city as you drive through the organised traffic, the greenery, the tall buildings, and how everything keeps moving at a steady pace. Pay a visit to Taipei 101 Tower, ride the fastest elevator in the world to the 89th -floor Observatory Deck and view Taipei from a bird’s eye view. Within the tower, there is the famous dumpling restaurant, Din Tai Fung, a great place to sample local food. 

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel this morning and embark on a full day of sightseeing the major highlights in Taipei City. Today’s first visit is to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, built in the memory of Taiwan’s late president, Chiang Kai Shek. View the building with its blue glaze and clear white colours from a distance. It also acts as the huge backyard garden of the Taipei Citizens. Continue to Lungshan Temple, established in 1738; it was and still is one of the religious centres for local Buddhists and Daoists. Here you will see the beautiful temple structure, paintings and worship ceremonies. Next, proceed to Lin Family Historical Mansion. This elegant mansion was built during the Qing Dynasty by a wealthy businessman, Lin. Appreciate the beauty of the details and get to know the interesting stories (or theories) about Feng-Shui. Visit the National Palace Museum, one of the top museums in the world, containing exquisite Chinese imperial collections. The exhibition features paintings, documents, pottery, porcelain, curios, calligraphy, jade and bronze – dating back thousands of years. They are not only great artistic works but also a record of Chinese culture and historic development. Lunch will be enjoyed at the museum’s restaurant, Silks Palace. This evening visit one of Taipei’s many night markets. In every city and town, there are night markets where the locals tuck into cheap yet delicious street food. It’s a great way to experience the local nightlife.  

It’s an early start today, enjoy breakfast at the hotel and then embark on a visit to the scenic Northern Coast. Visit Yehliu Geo Park and explore interesting rock formations as well as real fossils right beneath your feet. Enjoy the wide-open ocean view, the small tidal creatures and the sea breeze. Next, proceed to Jiufen Village and Jinguashi. Jiufen is a small village located on the mountain slopes and was famous for gold mining back in the late 18th century. Although the gold has now gone, you can still get a feel of the charming ambience of the village while walking through the crooked lanes. Next, proceed to Shifen Village and Shifen Waterfall. Dotted along the railway, there are many charming small villages and towns, and Shifen is one of them. View the scenic waterfall and set off a sky lantern; write your wishes on the huge lantern (4 pax per lantern), release it into the sky, and your wishes may come true.
Dinner will be served at a Teppanyaki Restaurant, where the chef cooks right in front of us.

After breakfast, check out of your hotel and head to the centre of Taiwan. Before reaching the biggest city in Central Taiwan, Taichung, visit the colourful Rainbow Village and learn how a retired veteran community became a popular attraction. Enjoy a photo stop at Taichung Opera House and view the distinctive architecture. Continue to the Kaomei Wetland to enjoy the wide-open views and hopefully spot wildlife such as mudskipper, fiddler crab and little egrets. Next, continue to Sun Moon Lake; by the name, you can easily imagine the lake’s shape – with the sun on one side and the moon on the other. On arrival, check in to your hotel and then explore the lake. If time permits, enjoy a motorboat ride around the lake. Visit Tse En Pagoda, this pagoda literary means “mother’s loving-kindness” and was built by Chiang Kai-Shek in loving memory of his mother. Enjoy a walk up the trail and to the top of the tower for views over Sun Moon Lake. Finally, visit Wen Wu Temple, a local landmark enshrining the greatest teacher in Chinese history, Confucius, and the God of Warriors, and stands high, overlooking the beautiful lake.

Once breakfast is complete, wave goodbye to Sun Moon Lake and drive to the Alishan Forest Recreation Area. Alishan is one of the top three forestries in Taiwan and was famous for the logging industry in earlier days. See the rail tracks in the mountain built to transport the wood. During sunrise, the area is famous for its sea of clouds. Highlights include a local tea plantation, a soft trek through the Alishan Forest Recreation Area to see the Giant Woods, Sister Pond and Zaoping Park, and a short ride on the small forestry train.

Today you may choose to get up early (around 04:30- 05:00 AM, depending on the sunrise) and take a short train ride to Mt. Ju to view the sunrise. After viewing the sunrise, enjoy a relaxing walk around the scenic trail, return to the hotel and enjoy breakfast. 

After checking out from the hotel, head to the first capital city of Taiwan, Tainan. On arrival, explore the Anping area where the recent history of Taiwan begins. Visit Anping Fort, built by the Dutch in 1624, also known as Zeelandia. It was the Dutch governing centre four centuries ago. Next, continue to Tait & Co., and Anping Tree House. Anping Tree House was the warehouse of Tait & Co., the Taiwan Salt Industry, during the Japan period; however, it has been deserted for more than a century and banyan tree roots now grow within the walls. Next, proceed to “Taiwan Amazon” Green Tunnel Boat Ride in Sicao. Sail among the mangroves onboard a local boat and under the ‘green tunnel’ formed by the mangroves. As you cruise, observe the tidal insects and animals. The guide will then lead us on a walking tour to Tainan Confucius Temple. Although it carries the name “Temple”, Tainan Confucius Temple was the first public school in Taiwan. Tainan is also famous for its delicious cuisine and street food. Even local people often travel to Tainan just for the food! Dinner tonight will be at the local restaurant.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and then depart for Kenting, the famous beach resort. You will travel via Kaohsiung, the biggest city in Southern Taiwan. Today’s highlights include the Dragon and Tiger Pagoda. Standing on the scenic Lotus Lake, these two pagodas are the landmarks of Kaohsiung City. Walk into the Dragon’s mouth and exit from the Tiger’s mouth while hearing all the interesting stories of the pagodas and the area. Next, visit the Buddhist Memorial Hall, definitely not “another temple” – the Giant Bronze Buddha statue and the parallel pagodas are beautiful to see. Continue to Pier-2 Creative Park; Kaohsiung Port was used to export bananas in the past. Now, the banana warehouses have been transformed into exhibition halls and gift shops selling creative handmade handicrafts. Enjoy a walk on the Big Harbor Bridge, Asia’s longest horizontal suspension bridge. Continue to drive to Kenting, check in and relax before enjoying dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast in the hotel, enjoy some free time to relax or explore the beach. In the early afternoon, check out and visit Kenting National Forest Park and major attractions such as the Eluanpi Lighthouse, Longpan Grasslands and Sheding Park. Now drive to Taitung via the South Link Highway. On arrival, check into the hotel and enjoy a relaxing soaking in the hot springs.

At the completion of breakfast at the hotel, visit the National Museum of Prehistory and Peinan Site. During the South Link railway construction in the1980’s, prehistorical remains, slate coffins and exquisite artifacts were discovered. Thus construction work was halted and the government, scholars and archeologists urged for the establishment of this museum. Continue to Luyeh Highland and the tea plantation. Enjoy the view from Luyeh Highland Observatory and then visit charming Lungtien Village, which used to be a Japanese immigrant village. Next, hop on a bicycle for a cycle through the fields. You will then drive northward to one of the highlights in this tour Taroko Gorge.

This morning embark on some wonderful walking trails through Taroko Gorge. Enjoy a walk along Shakadang Trail, an easy walk alongside Shakadang River and view the beautiful gorge with its crystal-clear river. The next trail is Swallow Grotto a marble cliff whereby river erosion has created many holes in the cliff that are now inhabited by swallows – hence the name of the grotto. The last trail is the Tunnel of Nine Turns. This scenic trail is only 700 metres long but is considered the best in the area. Walk beside the mountains and cliffs, overlooking the Liwu River and take your time to admire the beautiful details, faults and folds of the marble cliff. In addition, visit Bulowan Terrace and walk over the Sanyue Bridge to see this marble gorge from a different angle.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and explore more of Taroko National Park before driving back to Taipei. Some of the trails you can enjoy today are Baiyang Trail & Water Curtain. This scenic trail will take approximately two hours to complete as you walk through a cave and reach the water curtain. However, it’s an easy walk and should not be missed while visiting Taroko.
Enjoy a photo stop at Qingshiu Cliff and enjoy the panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. Visit
Yilan Green Scallion Farm, in this hands-on experience, we will pick green scallions from the farm and learn how to make them into green scallion dough. The farm assistant will help us to panfry before we get to sample it as a delicious afternoon snack and energiser. Returning to Taipei, you will check into the hotel and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.

On your last day in Taipei, continue to explore more of the city after enjoying breakfast at your hotel. Visiting a local market is one of the best ways to experience local life. Near Dadaocheng Wharf, discover buildings with beautiful details, interesting Chinese medicine workshops, fabric markets, traditional pastry and more. Your final visit is to Yangmingshan National Park and Xiaoyukeng. Just half an hour drive from Taipei will bring you to the national park where you can smell the sulphur and explore the volcanic landscape. Your guide will then escort you to Taoyuan International Airport for your onward flight.