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There are very few places on Earth that offer such a high concentration of natural beauty as Taiwan. This mountainous island in the heart of East Asia has it all: rushing rivers, scenic cliffs, deep gorges.
With a population of 23 million, Taiwan hosts developed cities with modern buildings such as iconic Taipei 101. Yet, the life in little villages high in the mountains would be very different – some of the aboriginal tribes there still continue their traditional ways. I have listed all my reasons why visit Taiwan here.
The capital, Taipei is definitely a great base for recovering from the jet lag and visiting the rest of the island: when searching accommodation in Taipei, you can check my article on favorite hostels in Taipei here.
Taiwan, despite being the perfect place for exploring both natural and cultural nights, still remains an underrated tourist destination. The following 20 pictures show you why Taiwan should be on your list.
Seven photographers show their best pictures from across Taiwan. Enjoy!
01 | Taipei seen from Elephant Mountain
Author: Guillaume Bouvier. Flickr | Instargam | Web
Elephant mountain is certainly one of the most photogenic places in Taipei. Follow my practical guide to find the way to Elephant mountain, either by sunset or sunrise.
02 | Boats at Fishermen’s wharf in Damshui, Taipei
Author: Billy C Stagner. Faceboook | Instagram
Damsui (sometimes spelled Tamshu) is a smaller city in the north of Taipei, situated near the outlet of the Tamsui (Danshui) River into the Taiwan Strait.It has some Spanish ruts so there is a history to explore, besides many shops and night market that are situated there nowadays. Among Taiwanese, Damshui a popular location for viewing the sunset.
03 | A young temple performer at Akau Mazu Temple in Pingtung
Author: Rich Matheson. Website | Facebook | Twitter
Mazu is the most worshiped deity in Taiwan. Often, she is referred to as The Goddess Mazu. Her divine jurisdiction extends from protecting fisherfolk and helping women in childbirth to restoring social order. There are many temples across Taiwan dedicated to Mazu. Once is a year, the biggest pilgrimage is in her name, too.
04 | Postcard from Orchid island
Author: Veronika Tomanova (that’s me!). Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
There is much more of Taiwan than just a sweet potato-shaped main island. Orchid Island is one of the little-known, under-promoted outlying islands, that consists of is a 45 km2 of peaceful and quietness. Here you can enjoy exploring, without being disturbed by groups of tourists.
05 | The legendary teahouses of Jiufen at sunset
Author: Alexander Synaptic. Website | Facebook
The tiny mountain town of Jiufen is one of the popular day trips from Taipei. It was prosperous under Japanese colonial rule but slipped into steep decline after the closure of the nearby gold mine in the 1970s. The iconic town was featured in various popular movies including A City of Sadness and Spirited Away.
06 | Peak of Yangmingshan National park
Author: Guillaume Bouvier. Flickr | Instargam | Web
Out of nine national parks in Taiwan, Yangmingshan is the easiest to reach from Taipei. It’s famous for its cherry blossoms, hot springs and hiking trails of all categories. It’s the highest peak is Mt.Qixing, which is at 1 120 meters the highest peak of Taipei city.
07 | Lover’s bridge in Damshui, Taiwan
Author: Billy C Stagner. Faceboook | Instagram
The iconic bridge is a symbol of Damshui town in the north of Taipei. It was opened in 2003 and it’s shape is supposed to resemble a sailing ship. With spectacular illuminations, the bridge is a nice attraction to experience by dark.
08 | Tea picker at Maokong Mountain in Taipei
Author: Veronika Tomanova. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Maokong mountain is one of my favorite places in whole Taipei: situated in Wenshan district (near my university, National Chengchi University). When I was living in Taiwan, I loved to walk up here an enjoy views over Taipei. Maokong used to be the biggest tea growing area of Taipei and you can still experience tea pickers doing their job. There is a lot of tea houses on the mountain, and gondola bringing you up if it’s too hot for walking.
09 | View along the riverside cycling track of Taipei
Author: Guillaume Bouvier. Flickr | Instargam | Web
Believe it or not, Taipei is the best metropolis in Asia for cycling. Taiwan’s capital offers extensive infrastructure for cyclists: There are over 100 kilometers of cycle paths that run throughout Taipei’s riverside parks and many bike rentals. Most popular cycling roads are located along rivers and surrounded by greenery including nature parks and amazing mangrove forests. During the night, the routes are very free and you can travel from south to north in just two hours. The trip starts in Muzha and ends in Tamsui.
10 | The view of badlands from Kaohsiung highway 39-1
Author: Alexander Synaptic. Website | Facebook
11 | Former coal-mining town of Jiufen
Author: Chia Cheng Su. Website | Facebook | Instagram
12 | Bizzare rock formations in Yehliu Geopark
Author: Veronika Tomanova. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
13 | Taoist parade in Wanhua district of Taipei (at 2 am!)
Author: Guillaume Bouvier. Flickr | Instargam | Web
14 | Ba Yan wild hotsprings in Yangmingshan National Park
Author: Veronika Tomanova. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
15 | Jiufen tea houses shining into darkness
Author: Chia Cheng Su. Website | Facebook | Instagram
16 | Sunrise in Central Mountain Range seen from Mt. Hehuan
Author: Veronika Tomanova. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
17 | Liwu River cutting through Taroko Gorge
Author: Eve Chiu. Website | Instagram
If you have more than a week in Taiwan, then you should plan a trip to stunning Taroko Gorge. You can get inspired for example by this itinerary for visiting Taiwan that includes Taroko Gorge and the major sights in just a week.
18 | The Taipei cityscape seen from Fuzhoushan Park, Taipei
Author: Billy C Stagner. Faceboook | Instagram
19 | Jiufen buzzing alley
Author: Chia Cheng Su. Website | Facebook | Instagram
20 | Sunset at Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung
Author: Veronika Tomanova. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
You can read my other post on Things to do in Kaohsiung here.
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Thanks for reading!
Veronika Tomanova is the founder of award-winning solo female travel blog Veronika’s Adventure, featuring travel tips, guides and stories from around the world. She is from Czech Republic and has been to 30+ countries.
34 Comments. Leave new
Wow! Amazing shots and brilliant quality. I’m currently in Taiwan and am having the time of my life. These pictures are making me even more excited though! Can’t wait to get to Taipei and explore the North.
Great that you also too time visiting Taiwan!
What beautiful pictures…My heart is always with the island and the beautiful people of Taiwan!
Thanks for this beautiful Journey!
Steve
Thanks Steve!
Yes, totally underrated and ignored by American Game shows which I have yet to see any of them give away trips to Taiwan.
Haha, do you think this would bring more people to Taiwan?
Veronika, I love these pics – some of these are places in Taiwan which I’ve not yet seen. (Saying a lot, as I’ve written two guidebooks on the place!)
What can I do to convince you to get on my one of my Taiwan bicycle trips this autumn? Check it out here, drop me a line!
Hi Joshua, I am not very skilled cyclist. Well, I am …as long as the land is flat:))
Thank you for sharing Veronica. These photos are so beautiful. Had no idea Taiwan was so diverse! 🙂
~Carl~
Thanks! Taiwan is awesome!
Love the tall building…taipei 101…amazing engineering and construction project…
It is, and the lift is super fast!
Thank you for sharing these awesome photos. Growing up mainly between Taipei and Kaohsiung, I had plenty memory of those two places. I moved to U. S. 15 years ago, and I really miss Taiwan. I love your fisherman’s wharf photo. You see something that I’ve never thought of. I have always just thought that’s a kind of smelly place, but great food though, come to think of it, it really was not that bad.
Actually this essay is done by 6 photographers, so the picture in Damshui is taken my my friend Billy! But yeah, I agree wit you: there are at least two various ways to see that part of the town.
Gorgeous pictures of a place that most Americans don’t really talk much about unless they go there to teach! Taiwan seems to have a diverse and interesting array of sites for such a small place.
It is – my favorite country indeed!
Well, you are right, I wanna visit Taiwan!
It is a great place. I love Taiwan so much….
love the photos…. looks so amazing !
Thanks, Sarah!
I will go to Taipei next June as I will go to pick up my daughter who has been in taipei as an exchange student for Rotary Club… she can not stop talking about how wonderful Taiwan is.. clean, secure, nice people, good food, etc. … can not wait to go and see this by my own…
Cool! I hard good stuff about Rotary club. Believe me, your daughter is safer than anywhere else in the world. Enjoy the trip!
Truly enjoyed these photos. I’ve been to Taiwan three times to visit students we hosted in our home while they were in college. It was wonderful to meet their families and to see the beautiful sights of Taiwan. The food is wonderful, people so friendly, and scenery is breathtaking! Eating chicken feet, snails, and octopus was strange for me but the dining experience was an adventure, for sure!
Three times..you must know your way around then!Don’t tell me about chicken feet, it’s a nightmare. So disgusting!
Amazing photos for Tamsui, I can’t even recognize it XD
I love the one you took from orchid island. It reminds me lots memories, miss the place so much.
Love your blog. Keep following 😀
Thanks for your support, Yui. Yes, Orchid island is amazing!
Useful tips! We’re visiting Taipei year-end!
Enjoyed your pictures. My oldest daughter was born in Taiwan almost 50 years ago when I was stationed there in the US Navy.