7D/6N: Southern and Eastern Coast
This tour is all about discover local and off the beaten path, in some cases located in remote area. It's not a tour for everybody; therefore please read carefully:
► Some of the accommodations are local, simple and basic B&B. If you are expecting hotels with facilities, this tour is not for you. There are not many hotels located in indigenous and rural areas. In these areas, accommodation will mostly be in family-run guesthouses. In other areas, we can provide also 4* and 5* hotels on request (Taroko, Alishan, Sun Moon Lake).
► These tours are not synonyms of "cheap"; the price we are proposing involves many efforts to be made in advance, during and after your trip.
►You will need to bring along enough New Taiwan Dollar (NT$) in cash, as credit cards are rarely accepted and there are very few ATMs or banks.
► Basic medical care and first aid is usually available but there is rarely a pharmacy. So, bring along an ample supply of all necessary prescription and over-the-counter medication.
► Familiar food can be difficult to find and very local food can be sometimes served, please be ready to accept different/unknown flavors and if you need to refuse, be polite while doing it.
► Taking photos is not a problem in most of the cases, but respect their privacy.
► Taiwan's indigenous tribes have had contact with the outside world and mainstream society for a long time. Even in their villages, they mostly live in modern houses and dress in modern clothing.
Information about the tribes visited on this tour:
Amis tribe
With a population of more than 140,000, the Amis is by far the largest of Taiwan's officially recognized indigenous tribes. The mountains and coast of Hualien to Taitung are where this tribe is concentrated. Traditionally, the Amis possessed a matrilineal society. Women inherited the family property and children were named according to their mother's name. Although women were responsible for the major decisions in their individual households, the political decisions of the village were made by men, with division of labor based on a strict age organization. The Harvest Festival is held in July and August to celebrate the harvest of millet, a traditional staple grain.
Atayal tribe
The Atayal has the largest distribution among Taiwan’s indigenous tribes, stretching from the north to the center and east. This tribe traditionally practiced facial tattooing, which symbolized entry into adulthood and eligibility for marriage. The Atayal believed that after death a person crosses a rainbow bridge to join the ancestral spirits. These tattoos allowed the Atayal to be recognized as members of the tribe and to secure passage over this bridge.
Paiwan tribe
The Paiwan tribe is concentrated in Pingtung and Taitung counties. This tribe traditionally possessed a strict social hierarchy of chieftain, nobility and commoners. The chieftains are responsible for preserving traditions and ceremonies and overseeing the welfare of the village residents. They are the landowners and it is the commoners who work their land, providing a portion of the crops to the chieftains for the use of the land. The Paiwan tribe is well known for the high quality of its art works and handicrafts including pottery making, wood carving and bead making.
Sediq tribe
The distribution of the Sediq tribe is in Nantou and Hualien counties. Similar to the Atayal tribe, the Sediq once practiced facial tattooing. A woman was able to receive facial tattoos if she proved herself a skilled weaver, i.e. able to clothe her family. A man was able to receive facial tattoos if he proved himself a capable warrior, i.e. able to defend his family and village. Textiles were traditionally made using ramie, a type of Asian hemp, and woven on a horizontal backstrap loom. This was hard work, especially as many of the traditional patterns were quite complicated such as rhombuses within rhombuses which represent “the eyes of the ancestors”.
Truku tribe
This tribe originally inhabited Nantou County, but as its population grew it moved into what is today Taroko National Park in Hualien County. The highway that cuts through Taroko Gorge was expanded from a Truku tribe hunting trail. However, in the early 20th century, the Truku tribe was forced to move out of this gorge by the occupying Japanese forces. This tribe is still concentrated in villages surrounding Taroko National Park. As with the Atayal and Sediq tribes, the Truku tribe practiced facial tattooing.
Itinerary
From Taipei, we will take the High Speed Rail to the Tainan station.
From there, we will explore some of the sights important to Taiwan's modern history, such as the Anping Fort from which the Dutch ruled Taiwan in the 17th century.
We will also explore the Anping Treehouse, which was once a warehouse of a British trading company that has been taken over by banyan trees.
In the Anping Community, Taiwa's first Han Chinese settlement, we will sample some of Tainan's unique foods and visit traditional Han Chinese artisans who are creating traditional style works such as wooden furniture and paper lanterns. There are also mangrove forest and wetland ecosystems to be explored in Taiwan’s newest national park, Taijiang National Park.
Overnight in Tainan at Far Eastern plaza or equivalent.
About Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan
This large luxury hotel is conveniently located in central Tainan City. Next door is the FE21 Department Store offering a variety of shopping opportunities. Inside the hotel are a gift shop and shopping arcade, as well as fitness center, business center, outdoor swimming pool, spa and sauna. Although located in close proximity to Tainan’s night life venues, the hotel itself has two great places for socializing, the Lobby Lounge and Mezzanine Bar. Both offer live music performances.
From Tainan, we will drive to the beach resort area of Kenting in Pingtung County and tour some of the area's attractions. This will be followed by an afternoon free to enjoy the beach.
At night, the main street of Kenting comes alive with an outdoor market, pubs and restaurants.
Overnight in Kenting
Accommodation: Fullon Resort Kending or equivalent.
About Fullon Resort:
This large resort has nearly 200 rooms and is elegantly designed in Spanish style with red tiles and white walls. It offers an exotic holiday ambience that perfectly integrates into the spectacular natural surroundings of mountains and ocean. It is conveniently located far enough from the noise and traffic of Kenting Main Street but close enough to access the outdoor market, pubs and restaurants there. Amenities include a video game arcade, billards room, fitness center, karaoke, outdoor swimming pool, and spa center.
Today, we start our exploration of Taiwan's indigenous culture and make our way to beautiful eastern Taiwan. First, we head to Mudan Township, which is home to the indigenous Paiwan tribe and visit an eco-park. Here, we learn about the traditional plants used by the Paiwan tribe and enjoy a meal of organic food and herbal tea.
Next to this park are a nature trail and river. Then, we head to Taitung City to an abandoned sugar refinery that has been transformed into an indigenous handicrafts center. Here, we will have the chance to view locally produced handicrafts, such as the glass beads of the Paiwan tribe. You can even make your own bead as a unique souvenir of your trip.
After dinner, we head to Tiehua Village, a live music venue. Artists and bands are mostly from Taiwan’s indigenous tribes or indie bands from Taipei.
About Formosa Naruwan
Located in Taitung City, near the Taitung Fengnian Airport, this large resort is decorated in an indigenous theme including large wood carvings and a traditional fishing boat of the Yami tribe. Amenities include a saltwater swimming pool, hot springs pool, sauna, fitness center, video game arcade and billiards room.
We explore the beautiful Taitung coastline with our first stop at the Jialulan Rest Area. This is a park overlooking the Pacific Ocean that features a collection of locally produced driftwood art installations. From there, we head to the Xindong Sugar Refinery Culture Park in Dulan Village of Donghe Township. Here, we learn about the driftwood sculpting industry and other local handicrafts industries. Then, we explore more of Donghe Township which is a mecca for surfers around the world and visit a workshop run by an indigenous Amis woman. This workshop employs elderly persons from a local Amis village to produce hats and handbags from natural cotton and hemp. Lunch features fish caught off the shores and this is followed by a visit to an indigenous Amis fishing village. This once sleepy and poor community has become a successful cultural tourism destination due to its PawPaw drum ensemble, cultural center, renovation of neglected buildings to create guesthouses and artisan workshops, coastal beauty and collaboration with famous Taiwanese artists such as Jimi. We wind down the day by enjoying the last rays of sun over the coastal mountains in a locally run guesthouse in Changbin Township, the northernmost point of Taitung County.
About Sunny Buhouse
Sunny Buhouse is run by a couple who fell in love with the beauty of Changbin. They have created a place for sharing where people can teach and learn dance, yoga or other talents and techniques. Outside are a pond filled with croaking frogs, a tree swing and a nature trail. Inside, the first floor features large picture windows for taking in the coastal mountain landscapes plus an ethnic chic decor with wooden statues and indigenous wall hangings. At night, the roof is a good place for viewing the stars. In the morning, you are greeted with a homemade, healthy buffet breakfast with bread, jam, fruit, herbal tea and coffee.
The first stop on this day is the Changbin Catholic Church. Father Josef Eugster is originally from Switzerland, but has served as a priest here for decades. He is affectionately known as Father Wu and has developed a reflexology system that has become famous all over Taiwan and Asia. He has passed on this knowledge to the local Amis residents who earn a living by providing reflexology foot massages. Then, we head to Dagangkou, an Amis village, to learn about their efforts to revive their coastal rice paddies and view works by local artisans. Our next stop is Cixingtan Beach, which is a net fishing area. Next to this beach is a museum devoted to introducing the area’s heyday as a wood fish (katsuo) product processor and exporter.
About Crossing the Rainbow Bridge Guesthouse:
In the traditional beliefs of the Truku tribe, only those who observe the moral code of the “gaya” will be able to cross the rainbow bridge and be in the presence of the ancestral spirits. This guesthouse is owned by Teyra Yudaw, an indigenous autonomy activist who has spoken at the United Nations. He is very happy to share his knowledge of Truku culture with guests.
The rooms are beautifully decorated and some have breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. The water for the shower comes from clear mountain springs and is heated by solar panels. Each of the seven rooms has a different name in the Truku language such as Wili (leech) or Skadang (many molars). This guesthouse is located near the entrance to Taroko National Park. Guests can make use of bicycles for a leisurely tour of the surrounding area
On this day, we begin with a cultural tour of Xiulin Township, home to the Truku tribe. We visit a Truku community and a museum devoted to the disappearing tradition of facial tattooing. After our tour, we head to Swallows' Grotto in the spectacular Taroko Gorge and visit Swallows' Grotto to walk a narrow road through twisting tunnels that are favorite nesting places for swallows. This was once part of the main highway through Taroko National Park. It is also the point where the gorge is at its most narrow and the waters of the Liwu River are at their fastest, creating a vision of pure natural beauty.
Overnight at Silk Palace.
This is the only 5 stars hotel offered in this trip, if you like to keep going with a more affordable one, plese, do let us know. Sun Moon Lake offers a wide choice of hotels and B&B.
About Silk Palace:
Silks Place Taroko is part of the Formosa International Hotel Corporation, under the Silks Hotel brand. It is located within the boundaries of Taroko National Park. Silks Place Taroko is designed in the modern Chinese style and combines Taroko’s cultural and environmental characteristics. The four pillars on the hotel’s façade each measure nine meters in height and are made from sandstone from Shanxi Province of China. On these pillars are carved motifs of four of Taiwan’s indigenous tribes: Rukai, Tao, Puyuma and Amis.
Before leaving Taroko Gorge, we hike the Shakadang Trail. Along this trail, members of the indigenous Truku tribe grow bird’s nest fern, an ingredient in indigenous cuisine, and the aquamarine waters of the Shakadang River flow. From there we head to an Atayal tribal community in Nanao Township of Yilan County to learn about this tribe’s weaving and hunting culture.
We then return to Taipei via van along the Suhua Highway and through the Xueshan Tunnel (the fifth longest tunnel in the world measuring 12.6 kilometers) arriving at about 7:00 p.m.
End of Services
注意事項 Notes
Optional for this tour: the Aboriginal Cooking Class in Hualien: Get to know special knowledge about the local, aboriginal culture, cook like an aborignal and afterwards enjoy your self prepared dishes!
This trip is proposed as an example and can be modified upon client's expectations and requests.
To receive a quotation please send us the following information:
1) Date:
2) How many persons (adults, kids and infants):
Interested in this tour or need more information?
Email:
✉ anna@northwest.com.tw
✉ taiwan.tour@northwest.com.tw
We will contact you within 48 hours (Monday to Friday).
This tour is made in collaboration with Tribe Asia.
About Tribe Asia:
Tribe-Asia, working in partnership with responsible tour operators and indigenous villages and communities, is also developing exciting travel itineraries into Taiwan’s indigenous communities. These tours focus on the ecology and culture of these areas. It is also beginning to expand travel itinerary themes to bring attention to Taiwan's incredible diversity and hospitality.
Discover more on https://tribe-asia.com
Texts and pictures belong to Tribe Asia.
About Northwest:
Founded in 1986, Northwest is one of the major travel agencies in Taiwan. With its 30 years of experience and 2 offices in Taiwan, Northwest offers a professional and multilingual service to satisfy all the needs of our clients.Our network of specialists guarantee you to enjoy the incredible sense of hospitality that the island of Taiwan has to offer with a broad range of budgets.
