From Sunday, foreigners are to be able to apply for permits to enter Shei-Pa National Park (雪霸國家公園) in Miaoli County up to four months in advance.
The new rule is being introduced to make it easier for foreigners to plan their trips, the Shei-Pa National Park Headquarters said.
Previously, foreigners, as with domestic visitors, could only apply for entry permits up to one month in advance, it said.
Photo courtesy of Shei-Pa National Park Administration
The change comes as the office prepares for the Tourism Bureau’s Year of Mountain Tourism next year.
Foreigners can submit applications to access Hsuehshan (雪山) from four months before their planned departure date from Taiwan to 35 days before their expected date of entry, the office said.
Applications can be submitted in English via the office’s official Web site, it said.
Applicants would also be able to make reservations for overnight accommodation on the mountain, it said.
From Sundays through Thursdays, with the exception of national holidays, the office is to reserve 24 beds each at the Cika (七卡山莊), Sanlioujiou (三六九山莊) and Jioujiou (九九山莊) cabins per day for advance booking by foreign guests, it said.
There are enough beds in the three cabins to accommodate all hikers at those times, so Taiwanese hikers would not be affected, it said.
Hopefully, the changes would allow the beauty of the national park to be shown to more people, the office said.
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