The vigorous evening markets, colourful temples and neon-lit streets in Taiwan’s cities are an apparent hit with guests, however enterprise past the city sprawl, and also you’ll uncover outstanding pure landscapes, from tropical seashores to alpine lakes and hovering mountains. For these looking for a peaceable spot to disconnect from the world, away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, look no additional than the Alishan Nationwide Scenic Space.
Dominated by the Alishan Mountains within the middle of Taiwan, this area is thought for its towering peaks, thousand-year-old forests, idyllic tea farms and bamboo forests. Alishan can also be residence to the nation’s largest space of Yoshino cherry blossoms, so it’s no shock that the preferred time to go to is from mid-March to April, when the blossoms are in full bloom.
Regardless of giving the impression that you simply’re in the midst of the wilderness, Alishan is surprisingly simple to entry. You’ll be able to drive or take the bus, however for a extra distinctive expertise, hop aboard the heritage Alishan Forest Railway. It climbs 7,000 ft by way of lush forests of historical cedar and cypress, previous charming little villages. The total line reopened simply final 12 months, after sure sections of the route had been closed as a result of harm from 2009’s Hurricane Morakot.
Initially opened in 1912 as a logging line through the Japanese colonial period, the railway’s major operate was to move timber all the way down to the ports. The railway was already common with Alishan-bound vacationers way back to the Thirties, so whereas the ban on logging and the opening of the Alishan Freeway in 1982 meant that the railway misplaced its authentic use, the road has remained an attraction for guests.
The narrow-gauge railway departs from the coastal metropolis of Chiayi, which can also be the ultimate cease on the best way again down. It’s simple to succeed in from Taipei, with a number of common and specific trains every day.
The ultimate vacation spot is Alishan, a mountain resort with a handful of motels, eating places and retailers. There are quite a few trails and walks across the space, together with the Sister Ponds Path, one of many important points of interest within the area. Beginning at Zhaoping Station, the path leads by way of misty forests stuffed with large bushes, and round two fairly ponds the place an overwater pagoda invitations you to calm down and take a breather. The path ends at Shouzhen Temple, from the place you’ll be able to proceed onto the Big Tree Path. It’s humbling to stroll previous these gigantic Formosan pink cypress bushes, a few of that are over 2,000 years outdated.
The pristine panorama is straight out of a fairytale, and due to the absence of sound air pollution, the one factor you hear as you stroll by way of nature is birdsong. It feels a world away from Taiwan’s bustling cities.
In case you’re pressed for time, a day journey to Alishan is feasible, however there’s a lot to see that it’s value exploring over a few days, in addition to spending time in different cities and villages within the area. In case you keep in a single day, get up early the subsequent morning to catch the Alishan Dawn Prepare. Departing from Alishan Station, it’s a half-hour experience to Zhushan Station, the place you’ll be able to catch the dawn from the commentary decks. (Purchase your ticket on-line prematurely, because the practice sells out quick.) Watch a panoramic sea of clouds kind within the valley beneath, illuminated in a superb gentle because the solar rises from behind the Yushan Vary, residence to Yushan Mountain, Taiwan’s highest peak at 12,965 ft.
Fenqihu, a small city on the midway level alongside the road, was as soon as an everyday cease for railway workers to have lunch, and stays a much-visited vacation spot as we speak. The bento lunchboxes that after fueled the employees have turn out to be an attraction in and of themselves. Many locations serve them, however two of the most effective are Railway Mountain Metropolis Nostalgic Railway Bento (鐵道山城懷舊鐵路便當 on Google Maps) and Fenchihu Resort. Keep the evening and also you’ll have extra time to discover the specialty retailers on the Outdated Avenue, study concerning the locomotives on the 1912 Loco Shed, and hike by way of the bamboo forests on the Fenqi Path, Cedar Boardwalk Path and Fenrui Historic Path.
The picturesque village of Shizhuo is only a 10-minute drive from Fenqihu. It stays off the vacationer path, excellent for a soothing getaway. A couple of homestays are set on the slopes above the village, with magnificent views of the farms and hills, particularly when shrouded in mist at daybreak and nightfall.
A lot of Taiwan’s well-known Alishan Excessive Mountain Tea is grown in Shizhuo, with undulating fields of tea masking the encircling hills. A stroll by way of Shizhuo’s tea farms, absorbing the contemporary countryside air, gives a much-needed respite from Taiwan’s buzzy cities. A community of climbing trails connects the varied farms, such because the Mist Path, Sundown Path, Cloud Path, Sakura Path and Tea Path.
Tea lovers ought to pop into the award-winning Lin Yuan Tea Manufacturing unit, the place the homeowners will take you thru a tasting and clarify how their numerous teas are processed. Grown at an altitude of three,280 ft to five,249 ft, Alishan excessive mountain tea is famend for its floral aroma and complicated taste profile, because of the altitude, local weather and soil by which it’s grown. In case you’re an enormous tea drinker, it is a distinctive alternative to study considered one of Taiwan’s most sought-after blends, and even buy some to take residence.
The reopening of the complete Alishan Forest Railway line comes at an opportune time, as Taiwan is seeing a regular enhance in international vacationer arrivals. It’s typically simple to journey to, with visa-free entry for as much as 90 days for residents of the U.S., Canada and most European international locations. Direct flights between Europe and Taipei depart from Frankfurt, London, Paris, Vienna, Brussels, Prague and different cities, whereas common direct routes from the U.S. fly from New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. New direct routes from Dallas and Phoenix are set to start out inside the subsequent 12 months.
Taiwan is a comparatively small nation, however it packs a punch with its pure magnificence and sweeping panoramas. If you wish to expertise one thing totally different from Taiwan’s cities, make room in your schedule for just a few days in Alishan. It’s well worth the journey.
