Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Logging in the 20th century mostly stripped Taiwan of its ancient camphor and cypress
forests, but left intact huge tracts of hemlock, pine, beech and maple. Which means that
as you hike the many trails around Taiping Village you're going to find yourself in some
dense, beautiful old growth. A decent network of well-marked trails begins just up from
the village but there are more trails starting off the road. Pick up a map at the visitor
centre on the way up.
The tiny passenger
Bong Bong Train
(Bèngbèng Chē)
was out of commission at the
time of writing, but should it be running you can take it from the village on a 20-minute
trip through the forest. At the end two trails split, one through lush forest, the other to the
Sandie Waterfalls
(Sāndié Pùbù).
Jioujheze Hot Springs
HOT SPRING
(Jiūzhīzé Wēnquán; public pools unlimited time NT$200; 9am-7pm)
The public facilities here
feature simple rock-lined pools (and include two nude pools segregated by sex), while
the private rooms feature wooden inset tubs (NT$500 to NT$800 per hour). The springs
are mildly sulphurous and extremely hot. For fun, before you head off for a dip, join oth-
ers who are boiling eggs in a special pool.
The springs are located down a side road less than halfway up to Taipingshan (already
at an altitude of 520m but with another 22km to go).
Lake Cuifeng
SCENIC AREA
(Cuìfēng Hú)
This very scenic small lake is set at 1900m above sea level and is reportedly
the largest alpine lake in Taiwan. Two trails offer a chance to get away from it all, includ-
ing the 3.9km
Cuifeng Lake Circle Trail
(Cuìfēng Hú Huánshān Bùdào). Lake Cuifeng
is 16km up the Taipingshan road from the villa area and is only accessible via your own
transport.
Sleeping & Eating
There's only one place to sleep and eat here: in the lodge area called
Taipingshan Villa
(
02-030 1176;
http://tps.forest.gov.tw/en/food.html
;
tw from NT$2500, 20-30% weekday dis-
count)
. Accommodation includes dinner and breakfast. A huge lunch is an extra NT$200.
It's advisable to make room reservations in advance on weekends and summer. You can
do so online up to a month in advance.
Getting There & Around
