A day trip to Tamsui is often part of the itinerary for both foreign and domestic tourists visiting northern Taiwan. And for good reason – this coastal community has much to offer. Travelers who venture beyond the waterfront stalls selling tasty...
Taiwan’s famously hot and humid weather starts in early May, with the dog days of the warm season lasting well into November in some years. While you may be tempted to hide inside to avoid the heat, and when venturing out...
Just a short ferry ride off the coast of Pingtung County is Taiwan’s only coral-reef island, not too big yet not too small, offering a bountiful harvest of recreational fun – breezy seafood barbecues, round-island scooter rides to unusual rock formations...
Taiwan has many offshore islands, which despite the ease and rapidity of modern transport access from the mother island are a world apart from it – and from each other. Their mutual geo-physical, cultural, and historical dissimilarities are striking. Of late...
Ahoy! We’re headed out to the scores of islands big and small, populated and unpopulated, that make up the Penghu Islands, all within the Penghu National Scenic Area gem that floats smack in the middle of the Taiwan Strait. What awaits...
Cutting through three districts in semi-rural northwestern Taichung, the Tanyashen Green Bikeway is one of numerous new rail trails that have proliferated throughout Taiwan in the past decade or so. Its 14km length holds much to pique the interest of visiting...
Taiwan the land of rice? Yes – and an ever-increasing slice of no. Over the past few generations the local population has made ever more room for wheat flour-based culinary treats. It started with old-time gems from mainland China’s regional cuisines...
Tucked snugly into the Nanshan River valley in Nantou County’s Ren’ai Township sits Alang Tongan – an indigenous community within Nanfeng Village where an ambitious social enterprise seeks to redefine “tribal tourism,” turning it into something that is beneficial to villages...
*** Many international travelers come to this land aware that a key contributor to the unique cultural mosaic of Taiwan is its many distinctive indigenous peoples. Of course, to best experience the various cultures it is best to travel to their...
Picture-perfect Sun Moon Lake, snuggled in the foothills of Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range, high peaks looking down into the lake basin on the east, is one of the prettiest of the island’s bursting treasure vault of tourist mountain getaway destinations. Your...
Hualien, one of three counties along Taiwan’s eastern coast, is full of gems hidden not only amidst its natural landscapes but also deep within its culture, traditions, and artistic expressions. In the county’s Hualien City as well as in its rural...
Completing a circuit of the island on a bicycle (known as a huandao; lit., “around/circle island”) has long been considered one of Taiwan’s must-dos. In the last decade or so, however, and thanks in large part to well-spent government investment in...
When traveling, you target places of the most inspiring beauty, natural or manmade. As you well know, however, choosing your places of accommodation can be just as important as choosing the sights you’ll visit. Stays in “OK” facilities, at best, add...
If looking to plop yourself down in the lap of luxury with amenities and extracurricular activities galore while on a multi-day exploration of Hualien County’s splendiferous natural and manmade scenic pleasures, your “decadent” desires can be accommodated. We here present three...
Tea, glorious tea! No coffee, glorious coffee! A battle of the daily staple beverages has been raging in Taiwan the past decade-plus, a titanic struggle for the hearts and minds of the people. Tea has sat proudly on the throne for...
