Summer vacation is right around the corner! As a foreign student in Taiwan, you must be planning for your summer vacation while wondering how people survive the heat during the summer. I am a local Taiwanese and I am here to help you.
Summer in Taiwan can get extremely hot, with temperatures usually rising to 40°C (104°F). As a result, local Taiwanese often choose to go to the mountains where the temperature is only around 10-20°C, or to the beaches where the cold ocean will sweep off the heat from your body.
In this post, I am going to briefly share with you the 18 most beautiful places in Taiwan that you should travel to in summer. If you want more detail about Taiwan, specifically Nantou, I suggest you check out the article ‘How Do I Escape Taiwan’s Summer Heat? Travel to Nantou!‘.
Xitou (溪頭)
Among all the places that I traveled to in Taiwan, I have the best memory of Xitou (溪頭), located in the Zhushan Township of Nantou county. The temperature in Xitou is only around 20°C in the summer, which is hard to find anywhere else!
Stuck for something to do? The area has plenty of interesting and creative villages to explore, such as Monster village and Pirate village. You can also see the real tectonic fault plane which caused the biggest earthquake ever felt in Taiwan 20 years ago (I was 3 years old), in a museum.
If you have made up your mind for a trip in Xitou, here are the sites that you don’t want to miss!
1. Phoenix Valley Bird Park 鳳凰谷鳥園 (Google Maps)
2. Dorky Village 溪部好呆庄 (Google Maps)
3. Monster Village 溪頭妖怪村 (Google Maps). For more information about how to get here, please check out this article.
4. Pirate Village 海盜村 (Google Maps)
5. Sun-Link-Sea Forest and Nature Resort 衫林溪生態度假園區 (Google Maps)
6. Chelongpu Fault Preservation Park 車籠埔斷層 (Google Maps)
7. Xitou Forest Recreation Area 溪頭森林遊樂區 (Google Maps)
Discounts
For almost all tickets and fees for the above tourist attractions, you can always find a cheaper price on Klook. Type the name of the site and get an e-ticket on Klook (type in the Chinese name of the tourist attractions if you cannot find the ticket in English!).
Transport
I highly recommend you drive to Xitou since it is hard to find any public transportation or taxi there. But you can also try a package tour or private driver services.
You can rent a car at:
1. Rentalcars (I personally recommend this one since I use it all the time when I go traveling!)
2. Hotai (和運租車)
3. Carplus Auto (格上租車)
Tour Package:
You can go to KKday and type in “溪頭“ to book a tour package.
Private driver services:
You can go on to KKday and type in “包車”to book a private driver (around $4,000 NTD per day for a nine-person car).
Accommodation
I highly recommend that you use Agoda when booking accommodation, as there are always plenty of sales available. Booking.com and Trip.com work too.
a. Agoda
b. Booking.com
c. Trip.com
Alishan (阿里山)
Alishan is one of Taiwan’s top scenic attractions. If you ever studied in an elementary school in Taiwan, you would have read lots of stories about Alishan in your textbook. Found in Chiayi county in the southwest of Taiwan, Alishan is a gorgeous area that should not be missed. Here are some of the tourist attractions you have to visit if you’re in the area.
8. Danai Valley 達娜伊谷 (Google Maps)
9. Sisters Pool 姊妹潭 (Google Maps)
10. Independence Hill Station 獨立山車站 (Google Maps)
11. Alishan Small Train 阿里山小火車 (Google Maps)
12. Fenqihu Old Street 奮起湖老街 (Google Maps)
13. The Trial of Xia 霞之道 (Google Maps)
14. Uyubas Cultural Tribe 優遊吧斯文化部落 (Google Maps)
15. Eryanping Trail 二延平步道 (Google Maps)
16. Love Prairie 愛情大草原 (Google Maps)
17. Taiping Ladder 太平雲梯 (Google Maps)
18. Riley Green Tunnel 瑞里綠色隧道 (Google Maps)
Discounts
For almost any tickets or fees of the above tourist attractions, you can always get a cheaper price through Klook. Type the name of the site and get an e-ticket on Klook (type in the Chinese name of the tourist attractions if you cannot find the ticket in English!).
Transport
To go to Alishan, you can take travel to Chiayi by train, HSR, or bus, and then take one of the following buses to Alishan:
Though the above transport options are acceptable, I would still recommend you to drive to Alishan since it will then be more convenient and easier for you to travel to a greater number of places. If this option doesn’t suit you, don’t worry! You can also try package tours or private driver services.
You can rent a car at:
1. Rentalcars (Once again, one of the best!)
2. Hotai (和運租車)
3. Carplus Auto (格上租車)
Tour Package:
You can go on to KKday and type in “阿里山“ to book a tour package.
Private driver services:
You can go on to KKday and type in “包車”to book a private driver (around $4,000 NTD per day for a nine-person car).
Accommodation
I highly recommend using Agoda because there are always a lot of sales taking place. But Booking.com and Trip.com work too.
a. Agoda
b. Booking.com
c. Trip.com
Any questions? Want to know more places to travel? Leave a comment below!
Comments
Pingback: How Do I Escape Taiwan's Summer Heat? Travel to Nantou! - CovertProfession
Your info is very useful. I’m married to a Chinese lady and prior to Covid we traveled to Taiwan every year. Just waiting for them to drop the quarantine. I have saved your info and will use it on my next trip there. I look forward to your future posts.