Highlights Of Taiwan

A Guest post by David on Formosa

Most tourist brochures about Taiwan will highlight Taipei 101 and night markets as the highlights of Taiwan. While they are certainly notable and worthy, Taiwan has so much more to offer.

You don’t need to spend long in Taiwan before you start discovering the temples. There are thousands of them, from tiny roadside shrines to complexes that sprawl over acres. Pay attention to the details and you will find they are crammed with amazing artwork. Stone and wood carvings adorn the pillars and paintings cover the walls. Taiwanese don’t limit themselves to worshipping one deity, most temples host a whole pantheon.

In Taipei I recommend a visit to the Bao’an Temple. It was established in 1742 and won an award from UNESCO for its restoration efforts. As an added bonus you can also check out Taipei’s Confucius Temple just next door.

Taiwan produces some of the best tea in the world. It is not just a drink, but a rich culture. The best teas are handpicked and brewed in special teapots which are often exquisite artworks. The best part is drinking it though, something you can do in one of Taiwan’s many teahouses. The tea growing town of Pinglin is located in the mountains just outside Taipei. You can get there in less than an hour by bus. It has a tea museum where you can learn all about the history of tea in Taiwan and how it is grown and processed. You can also visit one of the many tea shops in the town to taste and buy some tea.

A rugged mountain range with the highest peaks in East Asia runs through the centre of Taiwan. Wherever you are on the island the mountains are never far away. While the cities might be crowded and busy the fresh air and forests provide a welcome retreat. If you are adventurous you can scale great peaks or set off on multi-day treks. With less time to spare you can still walk some great trails.

I highly recommend the Caoling Historic Trail which can be reached by train in about an hour from Taipei. After hiking through the farmlands and forests you reach a ridge which has spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean and the rugged mountains of Taiwan’s northeast coast. You could take a swim at Fulong beach when you have finished the hike or even go surfing, another one of Taiwan’s little known highlights.

Come and discover Taiwan. They call it Formosa for a good reason!

Thank you David for a very interesting post and for everyone who would like to read a little or a lot more you can check David’s blog and/or Taiwanderful.