The Tourism Bureau is recommending several day trips as a way to explore the natural and cultural settings in Taiwan during the Lunar New Year holiday from tomorrow to Wednesday next week.
Visitors can explore 102.5km of New Taipei City and Yilan coastline in the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area, the bureau said.
The Zhuangwei Dune Visitor Center (壯圍沙丘旅遊服務園區) features the natural sand-dune landscapes of Yilan and an architectural space designed by Huang Sheng-yuan (黃聲遠) of Fieldoffice Architects.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Government’s Tourism and Travel Department
At the Waiao (外澳) Service Area, people can relax or explore the nearby beach, known for surfing and paragliding.
Cape Santiago (三貂角) Lighthouse — which sits at the nation’s easternmost tip and is called the “Eye of Taiwan” — is the only lighthouse open to the public in northern Taiwan, and a favorite spot for shooting TV dramas and wedding photographs, the bureau said.
To end the day, visitors can explore the 3.5km-long Bitoujiao Trail (鼻頭角步道), where they can see stunning landscapes formed by coastal erosion.
Photo: Chang Hsieh-sheng, Taipei Times
In the north, the Guanyinshan (觀音山) Scenic Area has an 800m-long hiking trail to be enjoyed by all ages, the bureau said.
Visitors can then discover Lingyun Buddhist Temple (凌雲禪寺), which offers spectacular views of the surrounding volcanic landscapes. The temple encompasses Eastern and Western elements in its architecture, providing a unique sacred scene, it said.
Afternoon tea is available at Doris Cafe, a farm in New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里), which offers local pomelo specialties and provides a tour of the area, the bureau said.
In central Taiwan, a hike at dawn on Nantou County’s Jinlongshan (金龍山) is the perfect place to photograph the sun emerging from a sea of clouds.
An afternoon visit to the Lianhuachih Research Center offers 461 hectares of broad-leaved trees, as well as birds, fireflies, Japanese rhinoceros beetles and frogs.
Another option in central Taiwan, the Tehchi Reservoir (德基水庫) — near Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) in Nantou County — is the nation’s smallest reservoir and provides visitors a different taste of the natural environment, the bureau said.
The area boasts numerous boardwalks and suspension bridges, giving visitors different perspectives of the 5.13-hectare reservoir, it said.
Nearby, a 50-hectare wetland covered by peat soil is a must-visit spot, the bureau said, adding that the landscape has been formed by water plants over thousands of years.
For a taste of Aboriginal culture, the Tourism Bureau said that people should head south to visit the Tsou community in Chiayi County’s Poftongaveoveo (逐鹿部落藝術村) art village, where they can take tours of Tsou culture and history.
Visitors can participate in dances, sing-a-longs and archery, while partaking in a feast that showcases the community’s hunting tradition.
There is also a park of Formosan sika deer, which used to be hunted, but now are cared for by the Tsou community, the bureau said.
More information about travel in Taiwan can be found on the bureau’s Web site at eng.taiwan.net.tw.
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