Taipingshan Yilan blog — How to spend 1 perfect day in Taipingshan National Forest, Yilan?

Although not far from Taipei, Yilan is not widely known among travellers compared to Taichung or Kaohsiung. Yilan is not a busy and populous place but it receives a huge favor from the nature, as it is the home to reserved forests, evergreen hills and mountains, and diverse species of flowers and birds. Especially, when mentioned Yilan, Taipingshan must also be regarded because it is one of the highest mountains in Taiwan where a large and beautiful national park is located (details will be provided as you continue reading this post). So, what to do in taipingshan yilan? Let’s check it out our Taipingshan Yilan blog — How to spend 1 perfect day in Taipingshan National Forest (Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area) with the review: One day sightseeing at Taipingshan — A natural piece of art above the cloud in Yilan (travelling from Taipei or Yilan) below.

Beautiful and having a lot of attractions to visit, Taipingshan is situated at nearly 2,000 meters above the sea level in a remote and uncrowded province so it is definitely a hidden gem. Thus, Living Nomads has decided to uncover this hidden gem, cleaning and polishing it to display on a shelf for anyone who is in love with the nature and wilderness to add one more destination into their self-planned journey to Taiwan.

Taipingshan Yilan blog: How to get to to Taipingshan

Because of the mountainous topography, road trip is the only method to get there.

From Yilan: If you are staying in Yilan, you can take Kuo Kuang bus departing from the bus station in Yilan at 8:30 A.M. to Taipingshan, which takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes. However, from the bus stop, you still need to walk for 20 minutes to arrive here.

Bus information: Kuo Kuang Motor Transport (http://www.kingbus.com.tw)
Tel: +8863-9384171 (Yilan Bus Station)
Bus schedule: http://www.kingbus.com.tw/ticketPriceResult.php?sid=15

From Taipei: There are a lot of options, but we recommend that you take the bus because it is fast and affordable. Go by bus to Yilan and take a ride from Yilan to Taipingshan as mentioned above.

• From Taipei Bus Station:
  Kuo Kuang Bus: Ticket price 240 TWD/pass, travelling for 50 minutes
  Kamalan Bus to Yilan: Ticket price 129 TWD/pass, travelling for 50 minutes

• From Taipei City Hall MRT Station near Exit 3:
  Capital Star Bus (首都客運): Ticket price 120 TWD/pass, travelling for 50 minutes

Besides self-planned trip like above, you can register for one-day tour offered by tourist operators such as Kkday or Klook.

Taipingshan Yilan blog: What to do in Taipingshan?

The answer is there are majestic natural scenery and glamorous and picturesque attractions with fresh pure air, one day visiting this place will cleanse your entire body and make you feel several years younger. Nevertheless, there are a couple featured attractions you should visit if not having enough time in Yilan. Below are a few recommendations:

Bailing Giant Tree

The Giant Tree is really famous, anyone coming to Taipingshan should stop by and take a look at this tree for once. Bailing means white mountain summit (white is the color of the cloud). Looking like a little tiny tree in the photo, this 2,500-year-old tree is actually 30 meters high (approximately equals to a 10-story building) and it takes 6-10 people to circle around the trunk.

Cueifong Lake

If you have visited Shiding Thousand Island Lake, you’ll definitely feel overwhelmed when coming to see Cueifong Lake. As the largest lake on a mountain in Taiwan, this place is like a total fantasy.

Being here, you can observe the crystal clear water and the shadow of the cloud blending together into an ink wash painting usually described by our teachers back in the day. If travelling during the winter when the temperature drops, you’ll be able to see a scenic vast landscape of snow surrounding the lake. In order to update the weather forecast, remember to check the Fanpage of Taipingshan.

Read more: Visit Shiding Thousand Island Lake Taiwan — Explore the beautiful scenery of Taipei in one day.

Taiwan Beech Trail

Similar to other reserved forests, Taipingshan has a lot of stunning trails, not to mention this place is used to be a wood logging site under the Japanese rule, and the old railway for lumber transport as well as other historical artifacts still remain until today. One of the most beautiful trails is Taiwan Beech Trail, which is about 4 kilometers long and takes visitors 3 hours to complete a round trip. Along the trail is a 900-hectare primary forest, full of red leaves in the autumn and covered in snow during the winter when all the leaves are gone. Generally speaking, this place is beautiful all year round no matter of which season you decide to travel. Anyone interested in trekking and photography, don’t miss this wonderful attraction.

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