Viajera De Libre

If you google “top places to visit in Taiwan”,  Alishan National Scenic Area will most probably appear in all of the articles you’re reading! I’m embarrassed to say this, but this is in fact my very first time to this worldly-praised site after living 27 years in Taiwan. Shocking? I know! Yet, after my first visit, I plan to go back again in the nearer future. 

Alishan National Scenic Area is located in ChiaYi, at an average of 2500 meters above sea level. It is most famous for its breathtaking sunrise and sunset, Japanese-styled trains, refreshing hiking trails, sacred trees of over thousand years, and high quality mountain tea. The first residents here were the aboriginals. Later on, the Japanese built the Alishan Forest Rail for logging business, which ended in the 70s and eventually became the scenic area as we know now. 

Here are some things to note before visiting Alishan:

• Climate: During the summer, the temperature is around 15~25 celsius degree. When it’s winter season, the temperature can drop to 5 celsius degree. Temperatures change quickly in mountains so make sure to always bring a warm (waterproof) jacket with you. We had 7 celsius degree at night when we visited there this January. 
•  Trip Duration: Usually 2 Days 1 Night are recommended if you’re only staying within Alishan Scenic Area. I know some travelers take 3 Days 2 Nights or 4 Days 3 Nights to hike more and visit nearby tea farms. You get to experience tea-picking activity, taste some amazing tea, and even tour around tea factories. It would be a unique opportunity to learn more about tea cultures in Taiwan. 
• Trip Type: There’re many online tour booking platforms that organize Alishan packaged trips to foreigners. You can find them at KKday ＆ KLOOK . They offer both day trips and multi-day trips that cater to all travelers’ need. However, if you prefer to have more flexibility with your own time, you can always plan you own trip like I did.  
• Accommodation: If your main purpose is to visit the Alishan Scenic Area, make sure you book hotels that are INSIDE Alishan National Park. We stayed at Dafeng Villa for one night. It was nothing fancy but with all the basic necessities. You need to remember that since water is a valuable resource in the mountains, you only get hot water from 5am ~ 10pm. Trust me. You DON’T want to miss a cozy hot shower when it’s only 5 degrees outside! Most budget hotels doesn’t have heating system inside the room, but you can always ask for an extra blanket in most hotels. Breakfast at local restaurants are usually included. You can check out other hotels at Booking or Agoda

We spent the night in a hotel near ChiaYi City the day before traveling to Alishan. Below is our itinerary for the following 2 days. 

• Day 1. ChiaYi TRA Station >> Alishan >> Endless Hike >> Stayed at Dafeng Villa
• Day 2. Sunrise Hike >> Fenqihu >> ChiaYi HSR Station >> Taipei

Getting to ChiaYi from Taipei:

1. Taiwan Railway: The trip takes 3.5 hrs and cost around 600NTD one way. You can book your tickets here and redeem them at 7-11 convenience stores or any counter at the train station. 

2. High Speed Rail: The trip takes 1.5 hrs and cost 1045NTD (non-reserved seats) or 1080NTD (standard seats) Book your HSR tickets here. *You will need to take a taxi or shuttle bus from HSR Station to ChiaYi TRA Station. The trip is approximately 30 minutes.* 

Getting to Alishan from ChiaYi:

1. TaiwanTrip Bus (Departing from ChiaYi TRA Station): 7329 Alishan Route A , 7329A Alishan Route A (via Fenqihu) ,  7322C Alishan Route B , 7322D Alishan Route B (via Fenqihu) The price is 250NTD~280NTD (8~10USD)/one way. After getting out from ChiaYi Train Station, you’ll see a sign like below and that’s where you should wait for the bus. The journey is around 2.5~3 hrs and the driver will stop by for a toilet break. 

2. Private Chartered Van (Departing from ChiaYi TRA/HSR Station): This is only recommended if you are traveling with a group of 4-9 people. Sometimes, the driver would try to find enough people for one car so you can always ask if they still have a few spots left. Normally, chartered service would be more expensive but keep in mind you SHOULDN’T be paying over 1000NTD (33USD) per person! 

Top Things To Do Around Alishan

• Hike to your heart’s content

I mapped out our hiking trails in the picture below. There’re plenty of trails you can do in the forest park. Since me and my friends are both outdoor maniacs, we decided to hike as much as we can after dropping off our bags at the hotel.

The first one we did was Route Red. We passed by the cherry blossom park and all the way to Sacred Tree Station. We were even lucky to catch the red-roofed train coming into the station. I was fascinated by the mass lush green and those magnificent cypress trees stretching strong and proud towards the sky. You simply just slow down your pace, take in the phytoncide, and immediately feel refreshed!

We then took on our second trail, which is Route Blue that leads all the way to Tashan. This hiking trail runs along the train tracks that used to carry lumbers. You can either walk along the tracks or use the stairs. I totally recommend the tracks though! For Tashan Trail, you need to take the path on the right when you arrive at Shouzheng Temple.

• Catch THE stunning sunrise

Witness the amazing sunrise serves as the primary reason for visitors to Alishan. There are two ways to reach Zushan Station, the main viewing spot for the sunrise. You can: 1. Take the Alishan Forest Railway 2. Hike. We went for option 2, duh! And the hiking trail is highlighted in green on the map shown above. In every hotel, they have a board showing the time of the sunrise for tomorrow. If you plan to take the train, I strongly recommend you to buy your tickets when you check-in. Otherwise, you’ll need to wake up at 3am and wait in line at Chaoping Station to try your luck. 

We left the hotel around 5am and started hiking in the dark. In fact, the hiking trail was properly facilitated because there were street lamps along the pathway, and great combination of stairs and plain slopes. We arrived at Zushan Station after 2 hours and were super thrilled to find vendors already start serving warm breakfast. Most people stayed at Zhushan to wait for the sunrise. However, if you want to get a better and higher view of other mountains such as Jade Mont., the highest one in Taiwan, I suggest you keep walking until Xiaoliyuanshan Lookout. The picture below was taken when we arrived at the Lookout. You could see a little bit of the orange rays and grand cloud sea already! It was a little bit foggy the day we went, so we couldn’t get a very clear shot of the sunrise. Yet, I gotta say it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen so far in my entire life!

Here’s a little tip for those who deicide to hike up the mountain. Make sure you check the last train going back to Chaoping. You don’t wanna end up like us, missing the train by 2 minutes and had to walk all the way down again! LOL

• Enjoy a half day trip to Fenqihu

Fenqihu is another town that visitors would include in their Alishan itinerary. This little town earns its name due to its geographic location. It’s surrounded on three sides by mountains, leaving one side open to the south. The town is famous for its rice lunch boxes and used to be a loading dock for agricultural products.

How to get from Alishan to Fenqihu?

You can take the Taiwan Trip Bus at the station where you first get off. Find your bus schedule here:

• 7329A Alishan Route A (via Fenqihu)
• 7322D Alishan Route B (via Fenqihu)

You can also join a private group of chartered car if there’re still some slots left. We went with the private van this time because we overheard a driver asking. We paid 100NTD for one way and the journey was about 1 hr. 

What to do in Fenqihu?

• Walk around Fenqihu Old Street

• Taste the famous Fenqihu rice lunch box & Aiyu jelly drink

• Visit the Steam Engine Museum

• Explore Fenqihu Old Old street

• Take the Alishan Railway back to ChiaYi TRA Station

I would definitely recommend visitors to at least experience the Alishan Railway for once. The train remains its vintage design and historic vibe back in the days. When the train was about to arrive in ChiaYi, I heard some taiwanese music that would’ve been constantly played during my grandparents’ generation. The whole journey is like sitting in a time machine and travel back to the 60s. It was an exotic experience even for a local like me! 

*Tips for getting Alishan Railway Tickets: Always get them in advance!* Read here for more ticketing information. Usually the tickets are already included in packaged trips. If you’re planning your own itineray, make sure you buy yours once you get to Fenqihu. The train to ChiaYi TRA Station takes 2.5hrs. 

In short, planning our own Alishan trip wasn’t a fuss at all. We were able to find all the information online. And public transportation are so convenient and punctual that we didn’t have to wait long for every journey.

If you like what you’re reading, please like and share! Leave a comment and let me know your Alishan experience! 🙂