Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting Lost
It's easy to get lost hiking in Taiwan if you are not on a well-made trail. The forest is ex-
tremely thick in places, and trails are sometimes little more than foot-wide cuts across a
steep mountainside with many unmarked branches. Trails also quickly become over-
grown (some need teams to come in every year with machetes just to make them pass-
able). Never leave a trail, or attempt to make your own. If you hike alone let someone
know.
Emergency Numbers
Even in high mountains it's often possible to get mobile-phone reception, but remember
that phones lose power quickly in the cold and in areas with low signals. Hiking maps
highlight good reception areas. If you can't communicate by voice, try texting.
»
Basic emergency numbers
119 or
112
112 connects you to available signals even if your mobile phone doesn't have a SIM
»
card
»
National Rescue Command Centre
0800-077 795
»
Ministry of Defence Rescue Centre
02-2737 3395
»
Emergency radio frequencies: 145MHz, 149.25MHz, 148.74MHz or 148.77MHz
Books
Good titles to whet your appetite for the north's great hikes include
Taipei Escapes 1
and
2
and
Yangmingshan, the Guide,
both by Richard Saunders.
Taiwan Forest Vacation
Guide,
published by the Forestry Bureau, covers 21 forest recreation areas around
Taiwan.
TOP 100 PEAKS
TheTop 1
p 1000(Bǎiyuè) are all peaks over 3000m and considered special or signific-
ant because of elevation, beauty, geology or prominence. Taiwanese hikers dream
of completing the full list (available at Wikipedia).
Maps
For northern Taiwan maps,
Taiwan Jiaotong Press
publishes a series of 14 maps at a
scale of 1:25,000 that covers the north from Sansia/Wulai up. These are available at
