Early morning of January 14, 2025, a Tuesday we were at the meet up point somewhere in the Ximending area of Taipei for the northeastern coast of Taiwan tour from Klook.
It was a chilly day, perfect weather for two fifty year olds to hike, climb and walk miles without breaking into balls of sweat. :D
First stop was the Yehliu Geopark. Situated in the Wanli district, the park consists of a narrow cape, 1,700 meters long and 250 meters wide that projects in the sea in the northeastern Yehliu village. Its geology consists of the Daliao formation which took shape 10 million to 25 million years ago. The formation is primarily sandstone, which is rich in calcium.
Each layer is different in composition of its sandstone and it was through the interaction of erosion by strong northeast monsoons and waves + the weathering of sun, wind and rain that brought about the diversified landscape.
The most popular is the "Queen's head" and its smaller successor the "Cute Princess". There are also other formations which look like a dragon's head, a pineapple bun, fairy's shoe, heart shaped rock, ice cream rock, gorilla rock and a maling bird rock, among others.
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| Mushroom rocks |
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| Gorilla Rock |
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| The Queen's head, and the heart shaped rock |
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Cute Princess
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Next stop is the Shifen old street where lanterns with wishes are released into the sky along the Pingxi railway line. It is a bit of a walk to reach the rail tracks, you pass through a street with traditional shops. Shifen was a former coal mining town with trains transporting coal from the mines in the region. This tradition of releasing lanterns into the sky started when miners working in the area sent messages to their families signifying they were safe. Mining in the area halted in the 1970s, but the tradition of sending wishes and dreams into the sky through colorful lanterns continued and is now a major tourist attraction in the area. By the way, the sky lanterns are eco friendly! Yes, trains still pass by even though when we were there, it was all quiet with nary a train in sight.
After releasing the lanterns, it is a 30 minute walk to get to the Shifen waterfalls. You walk through the Jingan suspension bridge (built in 1947 to originally transport coal) which was quite shaky, pass through stalls selling food and drinks (there are benches for dining) to set your eyes on the amazing waterfalls, known as the "Little Niagara of Taiwan". The area is quite clean with trash bins and restroom located in convenient spots.
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| Jingan suspension bridge |
40 minutes away passing through zigzaging road up the mountains, the last stop of the tour is Juifen. Nestled in the lush mountains of northeastern Taiwan, this former gold mining town's main attractions are the narrow (and steep) winding alley ways, cobblestone streets lined with lanterns and flanked with traditional old tea houses. Most famous is the A Mei tea house which was made famous by the Japanese animated movie "Spirited Away". There are also bustling stalls selling tea, biscuits and souvenir items. It tends to draw crowds so always be careful with your belongings.
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| the famous A Mei teahouse |
We had a great time, enjoying the scenic sights, the lovely mountain air even though it entailed walking, climbing up and down stairs, rushing through the attractions due to limited time. Truly recommend taking this tour!
