Mountains

Wulai (烏來)

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Have you ever walked on the side of the river and put your foot in the water to feel the cold fresh water flowing on your feet? 

How about walking on the side of the river and putting your foot in the water to feel water at a temperature ranging from 55 to 80 degrees celsius?

Taiwan is an island almost exploding with geo-thermal activity and the people here have learned to harness the energy into a relaxing experience. 

This small island country happens to be one of the top hot-spring destinations and has the greatest variety of geo-thermal hot springs in the world whether you're looking for hot-springs, cold-springs, mud-springs or seabed hot springs - Taiwan has it all. 

Its believed that having a geo-thermal hot-spring bath will help to increase your metabolism, accelerate healing, soothe muscles, improve blood circulation, and detoxify the body’s lymphatic system.

One of the major destinations in northern Taiwan is the small Indigenous village of Wulai (烏來) in the mountains of south-eastern New Taipei City. 

Wulai is renowned for its hot springs as well as its giant waterfall and the Atayal Indigenous culture you experience while visiting. The small village is a very convenient excursion for the residents of Taipei as its easily accessible by car or public transportation and for people living in the capital, its a breath of fresh air to escape to the mountains and enjoy some of the local Indigenous culture and cuisine (which tends to be much healthier than normal Taiwanese-fare) 

Wulai has developed quite a lot and even though its transforming into an expensive touristy village with beautiful hot spring resorts and hotels popping up, for me, it still retains its quaint small village feeling that I experienced on my first visit almost ten years ago. 

Arriving in Wulai, you are automatically greeted by the “old street” which you will ultimately have to walk through to get to the hot springs resort area or to the river where you can take a free dip.

The old street is a show case of Atayal Indigenous culture with shops selling millet wines and restaurants selling dishes with wild mountain meat, bamboo tube rice and wild-boar sausages. If you are brave enough, there is even flying squirrel on the menus of some restaurants. 

After passing the old street you cross a small bridge and you either make the decision to turn right towards the hot spring area or turn left to take the one or so kilometre hike to see the waterfall. 

For me, the hike to the waterfall is always the best part of visiting Wulai. You get to walk up a paved mountain road with no traffic and excellent views of the Nanshi river below you. The hike isn’t that long and once you arrive at the waterfall there are a lot of things to see, eat and do. 

The waterfall itself is one of the largest in the country and depending on the time of the year and the weather the amount of water flowing varies. This visit had probably the most I’ve seen through all of my visits to the area. 

Taiwanese people enjoying the view of the Wulai Waterfall

Getting There

 

If you want to visit Wulai, I suggest taking public transportation. You can take the Taipei MRT to Xindian Station (新店捷運站) and wait for the bus that comes every 15 minutes at the exit ($15NT - behind the tourist information bureau) 

If you plan on driving, just take the famous number nine highway up into the mountains going towards Yilan county and follow the signs. If you drive however, be prepared for traffic jams on the weekend. 

Guanyin Mountain (觀音山)

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- The Yinghanling Trail to the peak of Guanyin Mountain

Guanyin Mountain (觀音山) is a 616 meter tall extinct volcanic mountain in New Taipei City that is ecologically diverse and has excellent panoramic views of the Danshui River as well as the Taiwan Strait. The mountain is commonly frequented by hikers, bird watchers and families enjoying their weekend.

It was named after the Buddha of Compassion who in Chinese-speaking countries such as Taiwan, China, Singapore and Malaysia is a female Buddha known as Guanyin (觀音).

There’s an old saying in Taiwan that if you look at Guanyin Mountain from the Danshui side of the river that it looks like the Buddha Guanyin lying down. Personally, I don’t see it, but in Taiwan, you will come across many places where imaginative people who have partaken of just the right amount of rice wine have seen images in rocks that they think look like something else.

I’m exaggerating of course, but there are quite a few tourist spots in this country where you will be told that a certain rock looks like something else and your neck will hurt from trying to see the resemblance. 

- Looking towards a hazy Taipei from the peak of Guanyin Mountain

There are over nine different trails available for hiking on this mountain and each trail is well maintained and they are all relatively easy to navigate as well as hike. The trail I took on this specific occasion was the Ying Han Ling trail (硬漢嶺步道) or the “Tough Guy Peak” which was named because it was used in the past for military training exercises. I found out quickly why it was called the “Tough Guy Peak” because right from the start of the trail, it's all very steep stairs and is pretty hard on the legs going up.

At all trailheads in Taiwan you will be see a sign that tells you that it will take a certain amount of time to complete the hike. As a general rule when I see these signs at a trailhead, I divide the time by at least half or three quarters as I think they measure time on these trails by how quickly senior citizens move.

- The bridge connecting Taipei city to Bali and Wugu 

The weather in Taipei is notoriously hazy during the Autumn and Winter months and the available light for photographers isn’t the best, so even though the forecast wasn’t calling for rain, we knew that when we reached the top of the peak, it wasn’t likely that we would have a great view.

The Ying Han Ling peak is renowned for giving excellent panoramic views of Taipei City as well as the northern coast and the Taiwan strait. Of all the peaks I’ve been on in Taipei, its one of the most scenic and probably less photographed than some of the others. 

- A small park devoted to the Buddha Guanyin

After we finished the hike we had a bit of extra time, so we drove over to check out a little park dedicated to Guanyin. There wasn't much there other than the statues and another trail heading down to a temple. So we didn't stick around very long and made our way back to Taoyuan. 

I enjoyed my time on this hike and I will definitely try to go back on a sunny day to get more shots on the peak as well as trying some of the other trails.

This hike was extremely easy, the trails are well developed and their are lights following the trails if you happen to stay later or want to get night shots of the city. Anyone can do this hike and you don't need anything special to do it other than a bottle of water and a camera. 

And now for a bit of a rant.. 

- An abandoned pet on Guanyin Mountain

I try not to complain too much or present a negative view of the country I love when I blog, but there is one thing I want to talk about with regards to Guanyin Mountain: 

This is a mountain, its not a dumping ground for your unwanted pets.

Seeing dogs on a mountain is a common sight in Taiwan, but I don’t think I’ve hiked a mountain in the Taipei area where I’ve seen so many abandoned and extremely human-friendly dogs.

An old habit among Taiwanese is that when a pet suddenly become a burden, they are loaded up into a car and then dropped off at a mountain. Guanyin mountain seems to be Taipei’s biggest recipient of such irresponsible behaviour. There isn’t much for these dogs to live on in such an area and they all suffer from hunger and often injuries that will never be taken care of. 

Becoming a pet owner is a commitment for at least 10-15 years. If you’re not sure that you can commit that amount of time to a pet, you shouldn’t take one into your home just so that you can abandon it when it becomes a burden.

Next time I go to Guanyin Mountain to hike, I’ll be sure to carry one or two less lenses and a sufficient amount of dog food to feed the poor animals that were helplessly thrust upon the mountain. 

Map / Location

 

Gallery / Flickr (High Res Photos) 

Xiao Wulai Waterfall (小烏來瀑布)

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Xiao Wulai Waterfall from the start of the hiking trail

Xiao Wulai (小烏來) or "Little Wulai" is a scenic waterfall park in the mountains of Taoyuan (桃園) in Taiwan that features several large waterfalls, hiking paths, hot springs, and the opportunity to experience a bit of Taiwan's Indigenous culture. 

The area is often confused with the Wulai District (烏來區) of New Taipei City (新北市). The Wulai area in New Taipei City also has a giant waterfall, but its more well-known for its hot springs resort area where people like to go to enjoy a nice hot volcanic bath during the cold winter months. 

Both areas are inhabited predominately by the Atayal tribe (泰雅族) one of the largest of the Indigenous groups in Taiwan. In the Atayal language, both areas were known as “Ulay” (Kiluh-ulay) which referred to the volcanic hot springs found in each.

Coincidentally “Kiluh-Ulay” translated into English loosely means “Be careful, the water is hot.” (小心水很燙) 

When the Nationalist Government took control of the island, both areas names became known as “Wulai” (烏來) which was transliterated from the Atayal language into Mandarin.

Xiao Wulai likely became known as "Little Wulai" at the time because the waterfall in New Taipei City is much higher (but not nearly as beautiful as Xiao Wulai)  

I’ve usually visit the park at least once a year and have explored the area many times. Its not a short drive from where I live, but its a beautiful drive that takes you away from the noise, commotion and pollution of the city through the Daxi river valley and up into the Indigenous village of Fuxing (復興鄉) where the air is clean, the water is fresh and the pace of life is much slower. (And during the summer months, you can find peaches everywhere.) 

If you continue driving past the Xiao Wulai park the road eventually takes you across the Fuxing bridge up into Baling (巴陵) and across the famous Northern Cross Highway (北部橫貫公路) which is well known for its mountain views and ultimately brings to you back down into Yilan county (宜蘭縣) on the eastern coast of Taiwan. 

- The walking path to Xiao Wulai Waterfall's base.

Each time I’ve visited the park there have been constant noticeable changes. The county government has been investing a lot in the area over the years trying to make “Xiao Wulai” a popular tourist destination. I have to admit that my first few visits were the best when the area wasn’t developed very well. There was a simple hiking path that would take you to the base of the falls and other paths that would take you around the falls and behind it to the Dragon-Phoenix Waterfall (龍鳳瀑布).

During these earlier visits there was easy access to the the base of the falls, but for obvious safety reasons there are now barricades stopping people from getting too close (as it would be too dangerous to have a bunch of tourists trying to navigate around a bunch of wet rocks and a giant waterfall.) 

The good news for the majority of tourists is that the government has recently invested almost $8 million New Taiwan Dollars ($250,000 USD) into the construction of a skywalk that allows tourists to walk on a transparent glass floor that is very close to the top of the falls and 70 meters above the base. This was a major tourist attraction when it first opened and the lines were huge. I hadn't actually tried walking across the skywalk until my most recent visit and even then I wasn't particularly interested (which is why there are no pictures of it.)  

As an avid hiker and nature photographer, I’m not particularly interested in that kind of tourist trap and I’d much prefer to take the short and very easy one hour hike from the falls observatory down to the base and enjoy the mountain air and scenery away from the crowds. 

- Under the viewing bridge at the base of Xiao Wulai

Since the completion of the skywalk and due to its popularity, the majority of people visiting the park will make their way in that direction. The well-developed pathway to the base of the waterfalls is relatively empty - So once you arrive at the falls, if you are so inclined, it is easy to climb under the bridge and get a bit of a closer view of the falls.

You do need to exercise caution though. The river running from the base of the falls can flow quite quickly, especially during the rainy season and rocks are often wet from the rain and the constant mist, so its very easy to slip. You’re no where near a hospital and should anything serious happen, you’d be out of luck. 

The Xiao Wulai Waterfall is one of the biggest and said to be one of the most beautiful waterfalls in northern Taiwan. It is considered special because you can see it from close up and from a distance due its location in a clearing in the mountain.

There is a constant heavy flow of water from the waterfall during both the rainy season and the summer months so any time you visit you’ll have no problem enjoying the natural beauty of the area. 

From the base of the falls you can make your way back up to the trailhead or go back to take another path which will lead you around the mountain and ultimately behind the falls to where they are currently constructing a new pathway and observatory for the Dragon-Phoenix Waterfalls. (Often incorrectly named the Double-Dragon waterfalls) It wasn’t possible during this visit for me to get to see both layers of the Dragon and the Phoenix waterfalls because the top layer was closed due to construction.

- Xiao Wulai Waterfall from the base (小烏來瀑布)

The area around Wulai has developed quite a lot over the years and there are now restaurants, coffee shops and vendors selling food as well. There are new hotels opening in the village near the falls and you can also enjoy some swimming areas during the summer months.

If you do visit Xiao Wulai, you need to make sure to sample some Indigenous food which if you ask me, is probably one of the best styles of food found in Taiwan. The area is well known for its mushrooms, so be sure to try some deep-fried mushrooms, some wild boar, rice baked in a bamboo shoot and any of the awesome mountain vegetables that you won’t find on tables anywhere else in the country!

- Dragon Pheonix Waterfall (龍鳳瀑布)

Getting There

 

No. 3 National Highway (國道三號) -> Dasi Interchange (大溪交流道) -> Dasi (大溪) －> Fuxing (復興) -> No. 7 Provincial Highway (台7線) -> Xiayun Bridge (霞雲橋) -> Xiao Wulai Scenic Area (小烏來風景區)

By Scooter/Motorcycle: 

From Taoyuan (桃園) or Zhongli （中壢）make your way to Dasi (大溪) －> Fuxing (復興) -> No. 7 Provincial Highway (台7線) -> Xiayun Bridge (霞雲橋) -> Xiao Wulai Scenic Area (小烏來風景區)

Gallery / Flickr (High Res Shots)