Taichung & Chiayi, Taiwan: Top 3 Favorite Places to Visit in Taiwan

1. Gaomei Wetlands from Taichung downtown

I took public buses to get there (I had to transfer), but if you want to save time, book a tour. The bus to Gaomei doesn't run often even on the weekdays, so there are long waits between transfers. I like exploring on my own and spending enough time at each location, so I usually don't book a tour unless I have to or I feel the need to hire a guide to get to know the place better. I did some research, and it seemed like Gaomei Wetlands is popular to visit in the late afternoon/evening to see the sunset. I hopped on a bus in front of my hostel in the afternoon as it took around 2.5 hours to get to Gaomei from downtown Taichung. It took me almost 3 hours as the bus I was on broke down on the way and everyone had to get off to wait for the next bus. 

Although it took a lot of time to get there, I HIGHLY recommend visiting the wetlands! It was extremely beautiful and this was my favorite place out of all the places I visited! Yes, you can get inside the wetlands and get your feet wet. I saw little crabs too. 

2. Sun Moon Lake from Taichung downtown 

I took a shuttle bus from downtown to get to Sun Moon Lake. It was about a 2-hour ride one way, and I used my Easy Card to get on the bus. I checked in with the person at the front desk at the bus terminal and received a numbered ticket so people don't cut in lines and they can keep track of how many people are getting on the bus.  

This was a perfect day trip from Taichung and it was great to walk around the boardwalk around the lake. There is a public bus that runs around the lake, and you can hop on/off as there are several attractions along the way to get to the other side of the lake. I was more interested in hiking than exploring temples, so I got off at the very first hiking stop and walked along the lake. I was worried that I would faint due to heat and humid weather, but thankfully the entire trail was mostly covered in shade, so I had a great time. There were some shopping areas (not big) to explore too. This was a great getaway from bustling city. 

3. Alishan National Forest from Chiayi downtown

I took a 9:10 am Alishan shuttle bus from Chiayi train station, which was a 15-min walk from my hostel. The earliest bus departing Chiayi train station was at 5:57 am (only during the weekdays-  6:05 am is the earliest bus on the weekends)  but I had a yoga class to teach in the morning, so I took the later bus. When you hop off the bus, make sure to get a ticket/note from a bus driver that proves that you've taken the shuttle bus to get to the national forest.  You only pay $150 NT if you took the public transit to get to the park. The entrance fee for those who drove is $300 NT. If you didn't get the ticket from the bus driver, still you can let the staff know and you will get a discounted price at the gate. 

Paid shuttles and trains run inside the park to take people to different parts of the forest. I didn't take any of them since I wanted to explore parts of the forest that the buses/trains couldn't reach. The forest itself wasn't too big compared to the Yang Ming Shan National Park, so it was very walkable. The trails were mostly shady and the temperature was much lower in the mountains than Chiayi downtown. 

I explored the sister ponds and the giant tree trails! The forest was so green and lush :D I loved spending time here. I am so glad that I made a stop at Chiayi on my way south to Kaohsiung. Alishan was 10/10!