12-Day Taiwan: Taipei, Taroko Gorge, Yilan, Sun Moon Lake & Beyond

Today marks the start of your Taiwan Adventure Tour, and around lunchtime you’ll meet up with your group and Adventure Leader to learn more about what the next 12 days have in store. Alongside learning more about the tour, your Adventure Leader will provide you with tips on adjusting to local life and some best practices for staying safe while travelling.

After this, we’ll whisk you off to your first unmissable activity – a spectacular hike up Elephant Mountain! We’ll jump on the MRT (the metro) to head there, and after a couple of hours spent taking in the incredible cityscape from the 184m peak, we’ll then head back down into the city. One thing you won’t want to miss in Taiwan is the food, and you’ll get your first glimpse of it on a food tour in a local night market. Whether you’re a fan of sweet or savoury, you’re bound to find your new favourite dish here!

If you’ve got some energy left on your first day, this evening you can opt to join your group at a local pub where you can ring in the start of your adventure in style.

This morning, we’ll take you on a tour of this remarkable city, where your Adventure Leader will show you all the most impressive highlights. Among these, you’ll visit the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, and the Longshan Temple.

The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore as you see fit. Whether you’re going in search of more food, museums, or tourist attractions, take the afternoon to explore under your own steam. If you’d like, you might opt to head out to Beitou Hot Springs. Accessible by metro, this lush valley is home to a vast array of flora and fauna, a museum, and the chance to partake in a unique Taiwanese tradition.

We’re checking out early today, bound for our next destination – Yilan! We’ll spend the full day getting there, but along the way we’ll make a truly amazing stop at Leshui Village for an Indigenous life experience. Meet the local Indigenous communities here, where they’ll introduce you to Aboriginal tribal totems, their ‘Atayal gaga’ (belief system), and the ancestors of the rainbow. You’ll also learn about the Atayal way of life from our hosts, before we continue on our journey to Yilan.

Once we’ve arrived here, your evening is free to spend as you’d like. You can either hang out in the hostel after a day spent on the road, or head out into Yilan to see the sites.

You’re up before the dawn chorus today, but it’s in service of a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. We’ll head down to the beach and out onto the Pacific Ocean, where you’ll take to canoes and explore the area as the sun rises over the horizon.

After breakfast, we’re off to our next stop – Hualien. We’ll grab the train, taking a couple of hours and arriving after lunch. Once we’re checked in and settled, you can opt to join us on another amazing marine experience and head out to go whale-watching just off the coast of Hualien.

Back in the city, you can opt to spend the evening as you see fit. For local food specialties, try Hualien Yam, Hualien Taro, or bamboo rice!

Hualien is known as the gateway to the Taroko National Park, so it’s only fitting that we take you out on a full day excursion to explore one of the most stunning natural areas it’s possible to find.

On our trip, we’ll hike throughout the park, where you’ll also get the chance to explore waterfalls, such as the Baiyang Waterfall, as well as the dramatic drops and valleys of the Taroko Gorge.

We’ll arrive back in Hualien in the late afternoon, where you’ll have time to spend at your own leisure.

We’re off to the next spot on our tour today – Kaohsiung. It’ll take us a few hours by train, but as we travel down the south coast of the country, get ready for some seriously impressive views.

Once we’ve arrived and checked in, and you’ve grabbed yourself some lunch, we’ll take you to visit the Fo Guang Shan Monastery. Known as the center of Buddhism in Taiwan, this incredible site now houses a museum, thousands of holy statues, and the 40m high Big Buddha statue.

We’ll then head back to Kaohsiung’s downtown area, where you’ve got the evening to explore the area and grab yourself a local delicacy for dinner.

This morning, we’ll take you out and about for a morning exploring the city. Along the way, your Adventure Leader will show you the city’s highlights, including the Pier 2 Art Center, which hosts several art exhibitions inside old storage warehouses. You’ll also find the most photogenic temple in the entire country here – the Sanfeng Temple. With beautiful traditional architecture and a 300-year history, it’s a truly remarkable place to explore.

Later that day, we’ll hop back on the train to Tainan – on the high-speed rail, it’s under an hour to our next stop. Once we’re checked in and settled, head to Shennong Street this evening, where you’ll get a glimpse of the city’s bustling vibe.

It’s time to explore Tainan, so your group will join your Adventure Leader this morning for a half-day tour of the city. Tainan is home to over 100 religious sites and a sprawling history – including one of the largest trading ports in the region at Anping Old Fort. Dating back to the 1600s, this complex is just one of the places you’ll explore today.

Once you’ve got yourself acquainted with the city, you’ve then got a free afternoon and evening to take a look around under your own steam. We’d recommend visiting the Tainan night market, where you’ll be able to try out local specialties including eel noodles, steamed sticky rice, and milkfish.

No trip to Taiwan is complete without a visit to the truly stunning Sun Moon Lake, so this morning we’re whizzing you off by private coach to explore the scenic area.

After the long journey, it’s time to stretch your legs and hop on electric bikes – you’ll cycle the 32km route around the lake with your Adventure Leader, where along the way you’ll see the stunning alpine lake, the surrounding Central Mountain Ranges, the Wenwu Temple, and the Ci’en Pagoda.

We’ll check into the hostel this evening, where you can then spend the evening as you wish. If 32km isn’t quite enough for you, you might head back out into the local area to do some more exploring!

In the local area surrounding the lake, you’ll find verdant tea plantations scattered across the landscape. This morning, we’ll take you to one of them! After a guided tour of the tea plantation with the staff here, you’ll then join a workshop where you’ll learn to create your own tea. You can even choose your own flavours!

This afternoon is free for you to explore the lakeside at your leisure. If you’re wanting a view from up high, you can opt to take the ropeway over the area – but if you’re determined to get back out on the water, why not rent a kayak for a day spent exploring the lake in the best way possible? If you’d rather spend your day relaxing, you might also head to one of the lake’s many spas for an afternoon getting some much-needed rest and relaxation.

This morning, we’ll head back to Taipei by bus, arriving in the early afternoon.

There’s no way for you to visit Taipei without stopping by Taipei 101 – the vast skyscraper known the world over. So as a final unmissable activity, we’ll take you up to the observatory this evening, where you’ll get a truly stunning view across the city.

We’ll then take you out for a farewell dinner, where you and your group will see off your adventure in style – by sampling the famous Din Tai Fung dumpling soup.

Today marks the end of your Taiwan Adventure Tour, so you’ll bid adieu to your group and Adventure Leader as you prepare to head your separate ways.

However, if you just can’t get enough of Taiwan, we might be able to tempt you with one last optional extra… a day tour to Yehliu, Jiufen and Pingxi! (Let us know when you book your trip if you’d like to join this tour.)