Taiwan is known
for its towering mountains and beautiful coastal scenes. We have several spots that can definitely
attract your attention, such as spectacular mountains and the breathtaking coastline.
Ø 太魯閣Taroko
Taroko is famous for its spectacular
mountains and marble canyons. Four million years ago, the island of Taiwan was
formed by the collision of plates. After millions of years of wind erosion, the
marble rocks were exposed and cut by Li Wu River, creating impressive grand
canyons. Such special geography has also bred special flora and fauna in this
area. The waterfalls characterized Taroko National Park. Tourists can
appreciate the natural beauty along the tour track. Swallows nest on the cliff,
chirping and flying back forth.
Ø 玉山Yushan
Yushan, with its highest point 3,952 meters
(12,966 ft.) above sea level, is the highest mountain in Taiwan.
Yushan is also called Jade MountainIn because in winter, it is often capped
with thick snow which makes the entire peak shine like stainless jade.
Yushan was elected one of 28 finalists in
the New 7 Wonders of Nature voting campaign in 2009. It even had held
the top position in the “Mountains and Volcanoes” category on the list of first
round voting of the 77 nominees.
The Yushan National Park is the largest,
highest and least accessible national park in Taiwan. It contains the largest
tract of wilderness remaining in Taiwan and is also valued for its pristine
forests and faunal diversity, including many endemic species.
Ø 日月潭Sun Moon Lake
Sun Moon Lake is the largest body of
water in Taiwan. Situated in Nantou,
the area around the Sun Moon Lake is home to the Thao tribe,
one of the aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. Divided by Lalu Island,
the Sun Moon Lake scenic area got its name from the unique terrains that look
like sun on one side and crescent moon on the other.
Lalu Island in the lake is the holy ground
for the Thao tribe. In legend, Thao hunters discovered Sun Moon Lake while
chasing a white deer through the surrounding mountains. The deer eventually led
them to the lake, which they found to be not only beautiful, but abundant with
fish. Today, the white deer of legends is immortalized as a marble statue
on Lalu Island.
While swimming in Sun Moon Lake is usually
not permitted, there is an annual 3-km race called the Swimming Carnival of Sun
Moon Lake held around the Mid-Autumn Festival each year. In
recent years the participants have numbered in the tens of thousands.
Ø 野柳女王頭The Queen's Head Rock
The Queen’s Head, one of the most famous
scenes in Yeliu, is a kind of mushroom rock. Nearly 4,000 years old, it is
formed due to the differential erosion caused by seawater during curst
movement. After it fractured along the grain of the rock in 1962, it has
resembled the profile of England's Queen Elizabeth when viewed from a certain
angle, which is how it has come to be called the Queen's Head.
Ø 澎湖Penghu
Penghu Islands is composed by almost a
hundred of large and small islands, and most of them are all composed of
several layers of basalt coulee. The basalt in Penghu is formed by countless
inconsecutive volcano activities, during which the lava rose up from beneath
the shallow sea or from fissures underground and cooled once reached surface. Basalt
with a dense texture is often grayish-black in color, and according to the
different mineral elements inside the rock, there can be different shade
variances.
Ø 清水斷涯Qingshui Cliff
Qingshui Cliff is one of the most
spectacular sights on Taiwan's Pacific coast. The cliff is more than 1,000
meters high and drops almost vertically into the sea. The highway snakes along
its curving face more than 20 kilometers, with the sheer cliff rising on one
side and a sheer drop to the ocean on the other. The breathtaking cliff,
together with the Pacific coastline and blue sky, impresses every visitor.
Ø 司馬庫斯神木Smangus
There is a unique communal life of
indigenous Atayal in the village of Smangus, deep in the mountains of northern
Taiwan’s Hsinchu County. The village was the last in Taiwan to be supplied with
electricity, and the first road connecting it to the outside world was only
built in 1995. Isolation has kept the village largely free from modern
influences and development, leaving it as attractive as its name implies—“the
gods’ village.” Located at an elevation of about 1,500 meters above sea level,
the village makes you feel literally on top of the world as the tops of several
mountains come into view in the distance.
There is a hiking trail leads to a group of
nine cypress trees which are thousands of years old. The trail features wooden
bridges, small waterfalls, bamboo thickets, and a forest of trees that steadily
increase in size as you near the end.
