10D/9N: Untouched Nature

Your tour will start with a pick up and a meeting with your guide/driver in Taipei. You will take the road to Fei-ts'ui Reservoir. The Fei-ts'ui Reservoir is a valuable resource; this reservoir provides water and electricity for Taipei. With a catchment area of 303 kilometers squared it is Taiwan’s second largest reservoir, behind only Tsengwen. Those who want to understand the mystery of the reservoir can begin at the Water Resource Eco-education Center. The family oriented center has information on water resource conservation, reservoir ecology, and reservoir construction. Your guide will bring you around and will let you experience the breathtaking mountainous area. 



You can walk through neatly trimmed rows of tea bushes of Bagua Tea Plantation, where you can learn about tea culture. Try and enjoy delicious, highly-prized tea from Taiwan!

Next, you will go to Shiding Old Street; this is a small town in the mountains, and there is a river passing through and cut the town into an east and a west half. The houses are set on the both side along the river, and the highest bridge was built for the connection. A special scene that you might want to see here is a tunnel like a street; the streets are among the houses and are built above the river. The reason of this spectacular view was due to the prevailing coal mine industry. The mine diggers used poles to lift the house in order to spare more placers for coal mining.

Afterwards, your guide/driver will bring you back to Taipei.

Your day will start with breakfast at your hotel. After breakfast, you will meet your guide/driver in the lobby of your hotel for a drive to Yilan and Taroko Gorge National Park. The first stop will be at the National Center for Traditional Arts; be amazed by the traditional art performances and interesting historical architecture built around the busy river port in the old times. Discover also the beauty of Yilan, sample some mouth-watering traditional snacks and learn about local farming.

On the way to Taroko Gorge National Park, you will make a stop at Heren Shingle Beach and pass by the breathtaking Qingshui Cliff: located on the section of the Suao-Hualien Highway that stretches between Heping and Chongde stations, it is one of the most spectacular sights on Taiwan's Pacific coast. The cliff is more than 1,000 meters high and drops almost vertically into the sea. The highway snakes along its curving face more than 20 kilometers, with the sheer cliff rising on one side and a sheer drop to the ocean on the other.



You will move on to Taroko Gorge National Park. Your guide/driver will bring you to your hotel in or closeby the National Park.

Your third day of this tour will start with breakfast at your hotel. After breakfast, meeting with your guide/driver. Enjoy a guided tour of its spectacular mountains, marble canyons, gorges, rapid rivers, and stunning waterfalls. Visit the Eternal Spring Shrine and the Swallow Grotto trail till the Bayang Waterfall through the Water Curtain Tunnel (itinerary might change according to the weather). 



You will move on to Taitung via the scenic Highway 9 through the bucolic East Rift Valley. Another option is the Highway 11 to enjoy even more of the magnificent Pacific Ocean by your side.
 

Day four of the tour will start with breakfast at your hotel. Your guide/driver will meet you in the lobby of the hotel. You will take the road to Luanshan Indigenous Village to experience the indigenous culture and to try some delicious drinks and snacks. Afterwards, visit the Taitung Forest Park: this 280-hectare park is nicknamed “Black Forest”by Taitung residents for its immense dark beefwood trees. In the woods lies a serene lake fed by the gushing spring at the estuary of Beinan Creek, called Pipa (Chinese lute) Lake, because it has the shape of two connected water bodies, a small one and a large one. The scenic Pipa Lake is a habitat of aquatic animals and plants, and by the lake are a viewing platform and a cabin that overlooks the waterfowl. You can enjoy the lake view and there are also many bike routes and many opportunities to take a walk in this beautiful area.



Your guide/driver will bring you to your hotel in Taitung, close to a hot spring. 

After breakfast, you will meet your guide/driver for a drive to the area of Kenting. Today will start with exploring the natural and scenic landscapes of Sheding Nature Park in Kenting: Situated in a natural environment, Sheding Nature Park is covered with coral reef valleys, limestone caves, and grasslands. The park belonged to the aboriginal Paiwan people, and is now the center of wildlife research and conservation. With rich ecological resources and host plants, the place brings all kinds of insects, such as cicadas, and butterflies.

You can also enjoy the fabulous sunshine and local fare in sunny Kenting! Another option is Baishawan (Baisha Bay)--which translates as "White Sand Bay"-- which is one of the better known beaches along the coast of Taiwan!

The sixth day of this tour will start with breakfast at your hotel. Today, you will explore Tainan; the historical treasure chest of Taiwan, featuring ancient temples, forts, and a wide variety of traditional foods and sweet treats.

You can also enjoy a boat tour through the Sicao Mangrove Green Tunnel: the most memorable image of Sicao Green Tunnel (四草綠隧) is the mangrove forest on either side extending over the water to form a tunnel. The still surface of the water reflects the green leaves, creating a dream-like fantasy waterway, and because of its dense forest it has been given the nickname "Little Amazon River". Domestic and international tourists come here to glimpse the beautiful tunnel, and bamboo rafts travel up and down the waterway daily. Riding on a slowly moving raft, sunshine glints through the trees, the sounds of insects and birds surround you, fiddler crabs wave at you from the water's edge, and mudskippers emerge to look at you with their enormous eyes. When the boat reaches the end of the tunnel, you will see the remains of the old toll booth, before reluctantly drifting back the way you came. In this tranquil, secret part of the city, one can see nature co-existing with the city in harmony.



Discover the history and beauty of the Anping Tree House, which is a former warehouse in Anping District, Tainan, Taiwan. The "treehouse" name refers to the living banyan roots and branches that cover the building. Also worth it; Anping Fort, or "Fort Zeelandia" was a fortress built over ten years from 1624 to 1634 by the Dutch East India Company, in the town of Anping on the island of Formosa, the former name of Taiwan Island in Taiwan, during their 38-year rule over the western part of the island.

At the end of the day, your guide/driver will bring you to your hotel in Tainan.

Today will start with breakfast at your hotel. Your guide/driver will take you afterwards to the area of Nantou, to experience the powerful Songlongyan Waterfall.

A visit to the Bamboo Sky Ladder: there is a common saying as “The first ladder is on the ground, but the second ladder is about in the sky” to describe the Bamboo Sky ladder is very cliffy. The government hired the Japan technical expert to design the Ladder Suspension Bridge across the Chiu-liao river is the first ladder suspension bridge in Taiwan, and it is also the only way to the Tai-Ji Canyon Scenic Park.

The Sky Ladder and Tai-Ji Canyon are in the Da-an Bamboo Scenic Park. When passing the County highway No.49, the bamboo forest is everywhere you can see, the endless bamboo forest will make you feel like in the movie scene picturesquely. When walking in the tranquil bamboo tunnel, the breeze comes through face lightly, the dense bamboo forest with scent of newborn, you can find both majesty and tender in the amazing forest.

The whole length of the Sky ladder is 136 Meter, the drop height from head to end is 20 Meter, therefore the structure is designed to 208 steps; the famous Tai-Ji Canyon is under this bridge. 



After this day of exploring, your guide will bring you to Sun Moon Lake area where you will have your overnight. 

Your day will start with breakfast at your hotel. Now, it is time to discover the area of Sun Moon Lake and to enjoy the majestic scenery. There are several activities you can choose from (Optional, not included in the price):

► Cycle round one of the best bike paths in the world: It is about 30 km with hills and will take 3-4 hours with stops at some of the attractions along the way. A local guide will follow you and show the paths.
► Cable car overlooking the lake: On a good day you can enjoy a stunning view of the lake with the trip taking about 7 minutes each way, however in peak times the wait can be hours.
► Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village;
► Boat tour (Shueishe, Ita Thao and Xuanguang Temple piers)
► Visit Ita Thao: is the origin of Thao people; it is believed that their ancestors, originally from Alishan, chased a white deer to a faraway lake where they found an abundance of fish. They returned to their homeland, brought the whole tribe, and decided to settle down at Sun Moon Lake, as we call it today. Although tribal life is almost extinct now, a visit to Ita Thao allows you to experience the aboriginal culture and you get to taste delicious aboriginal food too.
► Antique Assam Tea Farm: Shuili Snake Kiln is the town where remains the oldest tradition of kiln-making. There is a biggest kiln work which is in the Guinness Book of Records by the size of 6.68 meters.
► Sup or Paragliding for the adventurous people among us!



After you have visited Sun Moon Lake, it is time to go to Taichung. Your guide/driver will bring you to the Gaomei Wetlands; a perfect place to enjoy the sunset and the cool breeze from the sea. Covering an area of 1,733 acres (701.3 hectares), Gaomei Wetland is a mix of mud and sand. It is a famous habitat for a diverse number of birds, fish, crabs, invertebrates, and plants. 


After you have experienced the sunset at this beautiful place, your guide/driver will bring you to your hotel in Taichung where you will have your overnight. 

Today, you will explore the majestic Shei-Pa National Park and its photogenic mountains: the mountainous scenery of this park is spectacular as there are several mountains in the park. The mountains are of different heights and the drop height reaches 3000 meters. The highest mountain is the Xueshan, 3,886 meters in height and it is the second highest mountain in Taiwan. Shei-Pa National Park is noted for its rough geography and natural scenery. Mountains in the park are origins of major rivers in northern and central Taiwan. Erosion by the rivers has formed special scenes in the park. As for climate, the park has both sub-frigid and temperate climates and thus breeds various plants and animals. Wildlife here includes salmon and black bears.

You will also sleep in this beautiful area, what means that you will have plenty of time to enjoy the breathtaking views!

The last day of this tour will start with breakfast at your hotel. Your guide/driver will bring you to Taipei where you will have the time to feel the creativity and innovation at Songshan Culture & Creative Park in Taipei. You can also enjoy a panoramic view of Taipei City from on top of the Taipei 101 building;  Taipei 101 is impossible to miss with its 508mt. Untill 2011, it held the title of the world’s tallest green building. Observation decks are on the 88th and 89th floors, with an outdoor deck on the 91st floor opened on some occasions, weather permitting. Don’t miss the massive gold- colored iron wind damper that keeps the tower stable through typhoons and earthquakes.





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