Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights & Activities
The following are presented in the order you will encounter them on the train starting
from Riufang.
Houtong
VILLAGE
(Hóu Dòng)
This former coal mining town is a scenic place to spend a couple of hours,
with restored warehouses, stations, pits, dormitories, and most importantly...cats. In re-
cent years, Houtong has become synonymous with its 'Cat Village', a large population of
tame wandering strays, who now, thanks to government largesse, even have their own
dedicated bridge.
Sandiaoling Waterfall Trail
WATERFALL
(Sāndiāolǐng Pùbù Bùdào)
The upstream watersheds of the Keelung River receive more than
6000mm of rain a year and have more waterfalls than any other system in Taiwan. On the
wonderful Sandiaoling Waterfall Trail, once part of a trade route between Ilan and Taipei,
you can see half a dozen of the biggest, most beautiful falls in the north in their natural
glory.
To get to the trailhead, exit Sandiaoling station and follow the tracks south until they
split. Cross under and follow the tracks to the right (the Pingxi line). After a few minutes
you will see the wooden signpost (in English) for the trailhead. The trail is simple and
clear to follow, at least as far as the third fall (about an hour away).
The first waterfall is
Hegu Falls
(Hégǔ Pùbù, Joining of the Valleys Falls). The trail
runs over the streams that feed this waterfall and you can wade down to sit on top the
rocky ledge and look down 40m to the base. Next up are two 30m falls that look almost
identical and are in remarkably close succession:
Motian Falls
(Mótiān Pùbù) and
Pipa
Dong Falls
(Pípádòng Pùbù). You can get right in behind Motian via a cave formed by
the overhang: it's like something out of
The Last of the Mohicans.
If you have the afternoon or the whole day, you can continue along trails and sweet
back-country roads all the way to Shifen station. There are more falls to see along the
way, including the 40m-wide
Shifen Waterfall
(Shífēn Pùbù), the broadest fall in
Taiwan, and a large section of rare
kettle holes
near the end. The holes are formed by
small pebbles that are spun around in the river current, wearing circles into the limestone
riverbed. See Richard Saunders'
Taipei Escapes 1
for full details.
Shifen
VILLAGE
