Description

Taiwan (11D10N) – Classic Highlight Tour

Highlights:

• Taipei 101 Tower508-metres-high and known as the capital city’s landmark, this was the tallest building in the world until early 2021.
• National Palace MuseumThis is one of the top museums in the world and houses an exquisite collection of more than 650,000 Chinese imperial exhibits.
• Taroko National ParkThis magnificent park features a marble gorge, covered in beautiful patterns and geological details.

Tour Overview: 

Day 1 . Arrival in Taipei

Ni Hao! Welcome to Taiwan, considered to be the jewel in the Asia Pacific rim. You will be greeted by our representative at the airport and escorted to the capital city – Taipei (80 km, 45 minutes). Along the way, we’ll see city landmarks from a distance, such as the palace-like Grand Hotel and the Taipei 101 Tower, the tallest building in the world until early 2010.
Check in the hotel (check in time 15:00pm) and refresh. Afterwards, explore the city’s CBD area. Get a feel for the city as you drive through – the organised traffic, the greenery, the tall buildings, and how everything keeps moving at a steady pace.
Visit Taipei 101 Tower. Take the high-speed elevator to the 89th floor Observatory Deck and see Taipei from a bird’s eye view. Within the tower, there is the famous dumpling restaurant, Din Tai Fung – a great place to sample local food.
Overnight in Taipei

Day 2 . Taipei

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Today we’ll visit the major highlights in Taipei City.
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall: Built in the memory of Taiwan’s late president, Chiang Kai Shek. We’ll view the building with its blue glaze and clear white colours from a distance. It also acts as the huge backyard garden of the Taipei Citizens.
Lungshan Temple: Established in 1738, it was and still is, one of the religious centres for local Buddhists and Daoists. Here we’ll see the beautiful temple structure, paintings and worship ceremonies.
Lin Family Historical Mansion: This elegant mansion was built during the Qing Dynasty by a wealthy business man, Lin. Appreciate the beauty of the details and get to know the interesting stories (or theories) about Feng-Shui.
National Palace Museum: This is one of the top museums in the world containing exquisite Chinese imperial collections. The exhibition features paintings, documents, pottery, porcelain, curios, calligraphy, jade and bronze – dating back thousands of years. They’re not only great artistic works but also a record of the Chinese culture and historic development.

Lunch will be at the museum’s restaurant, Silks Palace.

Night Market: In every city and town, there are night markets where the locals tuck into cheap yet delicious street food. It’s a great way to experience the local night life.

Overnight in Taipei City

Overnight in Taipei
Meal(s): Breakfast, lunch

Day 3 . Yehliu Geo Park, Jiufen & Shifen

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Today we’ll visit the scenic Northern Coast.
Yehliu Geo Park: Explore interesting rock formations as well as real fossils right beneath your feet. Enjoy the wide open ocean view, the small tidal creatures and the sea breeze.
Jiufen Village and Jinguashi: Jiufen is a small village located on the mountain slopes. It was famous for gold mining back in the late 18th century. Although the gold has now gone, you can still get a feel of the charming ambience of the village while walking through the crooked lanes. A photo stop will be made by the 13 Layer Remain.
Shifen Village and Shifen Waterfall: Dotted along the railway, there are many charming small villages and towns – Shifen is one of them. View the scenic waterfall and set off a sky lantern: write your wishes on the huge lantern (4 pax per lantern), release it up into the sky and your wishes may come true.
Dinner will be served at a Teppanyaki Restaurant, where the chef cooks right in front of us.
Overnight in Taipei City
Meal(s): Breakfast, dinner

Day 4 . Taichung, Sun Moon Lake

After breakfast, check out and head down to the centre of Taiwan. Before reaching the biggest city in Central Taiwan, Taichung, visit the colourful Rainbow Village and see how a retired veteran community became a popular attraction.
Photo stop at Taichung Opera House and to view the distinctive architecture. Then continue to the Kaomei Wetland to enjoy the wide open views and hopefully spot wildlife such as mudskipper, fiddler crab and little egrets.
Continue to Sun Moon Lake. By the name you can easily imagine the shape of the lake – with the sun on one side and the moon on the other. Enjoy a motor boat ride around the lake.
Tse En Pagoda: This pagoda literary means “mother’s loving-kindness”. It was built by Chiang Kai-Shek in loving memory of his mother. Walk up the trail and to the top of the tower for views over Sun Moon Lake.
Wen Wu Temple: This temple is a local landmark, enshrining the greatest teacher in Chinese history, Confucius, and the God of Warriors. It stands high, overlooking the beautiful lake.
Overnight in Sun Moon Lake
Meal(s): Breakfast, dinner

Day 5 . Alishan Forest

After breakfast, wave goodbye to Sun Moon Lake and drive to the Alishan Forest Recreation Area. Alishan is one of the top three forestry’s in Taiwan and was famous for the logging industry in earlier days. See the rail tracks in the mountain that were built to transport the wood. During sunrise, the area is famous for its sea of clouds.
Highlights include: a local tea plantation; a soft trek through the Alishan Forest Recreation Area to see the Giant Woods, Sister Pond and Zaoping Park; and a short ride on the small forestry train.
Overnight in Alishan
Meal(s): Breakfast, dinner (buffet dinner at the hotel)

Remarks: March and early April is peak season for the cherry blossom.

Day 6 . Tainan

Today you can choose to get up early (around 04:30- 05:00 AM, depends on the time of sunrise) and take a short train ride to Mt. Ju to see the sunrise. After seeing the sunrise, enjoy a relaxing walk around the scenic trail. Return to the hotel for breakfast.
After checking out from the hotel, head to the first capital city of Taiwan, Tainan. Explore the Anping area – where the recent history of Taiwan begins.
Anping Fort: Built by the Dutch in 1624, also known as Zeelandia, it was the Dutch governing centre four centuries ago.
Tait & Co., and Anping Tree House: Anping Tree House was the warehouse of Tait & Co. and Taiwan Salt Industry during the Japan period. However, it has been deserted for more than a century and banyan tree roots now grow within the walls.
“Taiwan Amazon” Green Tunnel Boat Ride in Sicao: Sail among the mangroves onboard a local boat, and under the ‘green tunnel’ formed by the mangroves. As you cruise, observe the tidal insects and animals.
The guide will then lead us on a walking tour to Tainan Confucius Temple. Although it carries the name “Temple”, Tainan Confucius Temple was actually the first public school in Taiwan.
Tainan is also famous for its delicious cuisine and street food. Even local people often travel to Tainan just for the food! Dinner will be at the local restaurant.
Overnight in Tainan City
Meal(s): Breakfast; dinner

Day 7 . Kaohsiung & Kenting

After breakfast at the hotel head to Kenting, the famous beach resort. We’ll go via Kaohsiung – the biggest city in Southern Taiwan. Highlights include:
Dragon and Tiger Pagoda: Standing on the scenic Lotus Lake, these two pagodas are the landmarks of Kaohsiung City. Walk into the Dragon’s mouth and exit from the Tiger’s mouth while hearing all the interesting stories of the pagodas and the area.
Buddhist Memorial Hall: Definitely not “another temple” – the Giant Bronze Buddha statue and the parallel pagodas are beautiful to see.
Pier-2 Creative Park: Kaohsiung Port was used for exporting bananas in the past. Now the banana warehouses have been transformed into exhibition halls and gift shops selling creative handmade handicrafts. Take a walk on the Big Harbor Bridge, the longest horizontal suspension bridge in Asia.
Drive to Kenting, check in the hotel and refresh. Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight in Kenting
Meal(s): Breakfast, dinner

Day 8 . Kenting National Forest Park & Taitung

After breakfast in the hotel, there is free time to relax or to explore the beach. In the early afternoon, check out and visit Kenting National Forest Park and major attractions such as the Eluanpi Lighthouse, Longpan Grasslands and Sheding Park.
Then drive to Taitung via the South Link Highway. Check into the hotel and enjoy soaking in the hot springs.

Overnight in Taitung
Meal(s): Breakfast, dinner

Day 9 . Taitung

After breakfast at the hotel, visit the National Museum of Prehistory and Peinan Site: During the South Link railway construction in the1980’s, prehistorical remains, slate coffins and exquisite artifacts were discovered. Thus, construction work was halted and the government, scholars and archeologists urged for the establishment of this museum.
Luyeh Highland and the tea plantation: Enjoy the view from Luyeh Highland Observatory. Visit charming Lungtien Village, which used to be a Japanese immigrant village. Then hop on a bicycle for a cycle through the fields.
We’ll then drive northward to one of the highlights in this tour: Taroko Gorge.
Overnight in Taroko
Meal(s): Breakfast, dinner

Remarks: Every summer (July-August) the International Hot Air Balloon Festival wil be held in Taitung.

Day 10 . Taroko

Today we’ll wake up and find ourselves in the embrace of a valley and a magnificent marble gorge. Breakfast at the hotel.
Shakadang Trail: Take an easy walk along this scenic trail. Stroll alongside Shakadang River and see the beautiful gorge with its crystal-clear river.
Swallow Grotto: Swallow Grotto is a marble cliff. River erosion has created many holes in the cliff that are now inhabited by swallows – hence the name of the grotto.
Tunnel of Nine Turns: This scenic trail is only 700 metres long but is considered as the best in the area. Walk beside the mountains and cliffs, overlooking the Liwu River. Take your time to admire the beautiful details, faults and folds of the marble cliff.
Also visit Bulowan Terrace and walk over the Sanyue Bridge to see this marble gorge from a different angle.
Overnight in Taroko
Meal(s): Breakfast, dinner

Day 11 . Taipei

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and then explore more of Taroko National Park, before driving back to Taipei.
Baiyang Trail & Water Curtain: This scenic trail will take approximately two hours to complete. Walk through a cave and reach the water curtain. It`s an easy walk and should not be missed while visiting Taroko.
Qingshiu Cliff photo stop: From here enjoy the panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean.
Yilan Green Scallion Farm: In this hands-on experience, we will pick green scallions from the farm and learn how to make them into green scallion dough. The farm assistant will help us to panfry it, before we get to sample it as a delicious afternoon snack and energizer.
Return to Taipei. Check into the hotel and rest of the day at leisure.
Overnight in Taipei
Meal(s): Breakfast

Day 12 . Taipei & Farewell

After breakfast at the hotel, we’ll get to explore more of Taipei.

Traditional market and Daodaocheng area: Visiting a local market is one of the best ways to experience the local life. Near to Dadaocheng Wharf, discover buildings with beautiful details, interesting Chinese medicine workshops, fabric markets, traditional pastry and more.

Yangmingshan National Park & Xiaoyukeng: Just half an hour drive will bring us to the national park. Smell the sulfur and see the volcanic landscape.

Your guide and driver will then escort you to the airport. Wave goodbye to Taiwan.