Finally made it to Taiwan after surviving 12.5hr flight from Seattle. I had couple days to recover in Taipei as I was jetlegged and I needed extra days for my body to adjust to the humidity that I’m not really familiar with. I was looking for hikes and things to do in the nature in Taipei before heading south to explore the island! I managed to find some options to go outdoors near Taipei! (I did explore the city and did some shopping in the city too.) My hostel was near Long Shan Temple Station, which is near Ximen station, where people go out to dine & shop. MRT, the metro, made it super easy for me to travel within the city and reach the national park. This post will be about all the things I did while I was in Taipei.
Outdoors
- Yehliu Geopark + Shifen
Yehliu Geopark
This is the first thing I did in Taipei. Yehliu Geopark had weird looking rock formations, which was pretty cool. The most famous one is “the Queen’s Head” which looks like a head of a person with a crown. The mushroom shaped rocks were really interesting and geology here was amazing. I thought the queen’s head would be really big but it was pretty tiny. I also walked around the park, and it was nice to have the ocean view. The park itself is small and there is no shade, so make sure to bring an umbrella if you have one. (Everyone carries an umbrella all the time here).
Shifen
I saw a cool waterfall in Shifen and then went to Pingxi district/Shifen village to see people fly their lanterns. Shifen village is a very popular place among travelers as they can purchase colored lanterns, write their wishes on them and fly them in the sky. Each color of the lantern has its meaning (ex. Red= health, Yellow= wealth, etc.) and the the cheapest one you can purchase is $200 NT. You only get to fly one color though. $250 NT might be a better option because you can choose four colors. The shop owners take photos/videos of you flying the lanterns. I didn’t buy a lantern because I have too many wishes and writing them down on the lantern would probably take forever so I decided to just observe people choose their lanterns, write down their wishes, and fly them.
2. Jiufen
Jiufen's Old Street was like a maze. There were tons of shops, like local tea tasting rooms, and food stores. I loved cliffside stores and teahouses. I had Oolong tea tasting here, which was amazing. I'm a tea person so I love trying local tea :) This beautiful town is located on the northeast side of Taiwan and has been pictured in the Japanese animation film “Spirited Away." I visited during the daytime but it is a popular place to visit at night when they turn on the red lanterns. I enjoyed learning about the culture here and it was so cool to walk around!
- Yang Ming Shan National Park
Did you know that there is a hiking place near Taipei? I enjoyed my Sunday hike in Yang Ming Shan. The national park was really big so shuttles were available inside the park. I chose to explore Erziping area, which I didn’t plan to hike but I ended up getting there by catching any shuttle I could find. I met a guy named Jack, who is a National Taiwan University student, who recommended this place. The hike was easy and scenic! There were tons of shady areas, which made my hike super enjoyable! I’ve been having hard time adjusting to the heat and humidity but it was perfect to hike under the shade almost the entire trail! After the hike, I took another shuttle and got to Zhuzihu Lake, where they had hydrangea garden. There was an entrance fee of $100NT but I was able to see & take photos from the outside fence so I didn’t go inside the garden. Hydrangea season is almost coming to an end, so it was a perfect time to visit Yang Ming Shan. Overall, I highly recommend spending some time here at the national park.
City Travels
1. Taipei 101
This is the tallest building in Taipei! Super cool place to visit. There is an observatory where you can get the city view. The shopping 🛍️ center and food court are inside the building too! Most of the shops inside the building are luxury brand stores, but there was Lululemon and other sporting goods shops to look around. Right across from Taipei 101, there is also other clothing stores for daily outfits, which was nice.
2. Shilin Night Market
You must visit night markets when visiting Taiwan. Shillin market is a very famous night market out of all other local markets. It’s pretty big with good food options. I didn’t know that there would be a game arcade inside the market. All local shops like jewelry shops, clothing stores were open and it was fun to do some shopping here too!
Overall, I had a great time in Taipei and can't wait to explore other parts of the island. Taipei was a busy city with a lot of things to do. I really liked it :) People were polite and respectful of backpackers like me. If you are in Taipei, consider visiting these places and let me know how it goes :)
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