Waterfalls

Guyan Waterfall (谷燕瀑布)

A few weeks ago some friends and I planned a swimming excursion to what turned out to be one of the best swimming holes I’ve found so far in Taiwan. The small peaceful lake next to Hsinchu’s Touqian river (頭前溪) with its deep pool and crystal-clear jade coloured water was the perfect solution to the extremely warm September that we’ve had here in Taiwan this year.

Celestial Lake (仙湖), which I blogged about a few weeks ago turned out to be one of my favourite finds of the summer. It is situated in the beautiful Atayal Indigenous village of Wufeng (五峰) which is an area of Hsinchu that I haven’t spent a lot of time exploring - but have quite a few locations on my list of places to visit.

On my first trip to the lake I decided to make the most of my time and include one of Wufeng’s other tourist locations in my travel itinerary - Guyan Waterfall (谷燕瀑布).

The reason why I decided to make a stop over at the waterfall was actually quite simple - It was just a short hike away from the bridge that connects you to the entrance for the lake so stopping by wouldn’t take a whole lot of time away from swimming.

The path to Guyan Waterfall is clearly marked and it is easy to park a car or a scooter along the road for the five-ten minute hike to the falls. If you don’t feel like taking the hike to the base of the falls however you can still enjoy the beauty of the large falls from the road. I recommend taking the short hike though so that you can get up close and personal to this waterfall.

The falls, which are a short hike up a path marked with hiking flags is easily accessible and if you want to take a dip in the pool below, it is quite easy to do so. The pool however isn’t deep enough for a real swim, but why would you want to have a swim in the frigid mountain water when the beautiful Celestial Lake is so close?

The view of the falls from the base is quite nice and from the top you also get a nice view of the road and river below which make the hike worthwhile.

Don’t be lazy, if you’re in the area just hike up and check it out. Then go for a swim in the lake below.


Map / Location

 

Getting to the waterfall is quite easy - Just follow County Road #122 (縣道122) from Jhudong (竹東) and when you reach Wufeng Village (五峰鄉) switch to County Road #63 (縣道63) which is also known as Luoping Road (羅平道路) and once you cross over Heping Bridge (和平橋) you have arrived.

I’m including a map above which should help visitors locate the waterfall but you can also check out Follow Xiaofei’s blog post about the same waterfall which offers a much more detailed map and directions on how to get to the waterfall. 


Youling Waterfall (幽靈瀑布之水簾洞)

One of my favourite summer activities in Taiwan is getting myself to some of the various waterfalls and swimming holes around the country for not only some photos but also some much needed exercise and swimming.

The cold mountain spring water in these waterfalls often makes for a perfect place to cool off during Taiwan’s sweltering summer days. Unfortunately not all of them are ideal for swimming and in some cases it takes quite a bit of time to get to them. Visiting a Waterfall however is always a great experience and taking photos of them always makes for a some pretty photography.

Last summer I blogged about quite a few waterfalls but so far this year I’ve been a bit quiet, despite having revisited a few of my favourites on several different occasions more for swimming than actual photography.

When it comes to waterfalls and blogging in Taiwan, I feel like I don’t really have a whole lot to add to the equation (save for my photos) with my blog posts as there already a couple of excellent resources with the Taiwan Waterfalls blog as well as the Follow Xiaofei blog.

Both bloggers do amazing work introducing Taiwan’s natural beauty to both the people of the country as well as foreigners. Their work not only includes blogging and photography but also a lot of logistic information that includes mapping them out and offering practical information freely to the public so that everyone can enjoy them.

Having valuable resources like this reduces the need for myself to go into too much detail when I blog about waterfalls while at the same time providing me with future locations to visit and take photos - As you can tell I’m a big fan of both of these bloggers and if you are unfamiliar with both of them, I recommend checking out both of their websites and spending more time out in nature!

The waterfalls I’m blogging about today are located here in Taoyuan and are two that I have wanted to visit for quite some time but have never found the time. Recently however they have become a bit popular on social media and seeing photos of them so often on Instagram and Facebook sort of forced my hand making me want to visit as soon as I could find the chance.

Part of the reason that held me back from visiting the waterfalls is that they are over a two-hour drive up the Northern Cross-Highway (北橫公路) meaning that a visit will require at least a four hour ride up into the mountains which usually wreaks havoc on your bum - That pain however is often soothed by the absolutely breathtaking beautiful mountain scenery that you get to see on the long winding road.

The two waterfalls are part of the same mountain river stream that flows directly into the larger Dahan River (大漢溪) that supplies fresh water to most of Northern Taiwan. The two waterfalls are of ten referred to in English as “The Water-Curtain Waterfall” (水簾洞) and the “Spirit Waterfall” (幽靈瀑布) but I’ll refer to them as “Shuiliandong Waterfall” and “Youling Waterfall” respectively and will introduce them briefly below:

Youling Waterfall (幽靈瀑布)

Youling Waterfall is the most difficult of the two waterfalls in the group to gain access to - Getting to the waterfall requires a bit of a river trace and I don't actually recommend most people even attempt it unless they are prepared to get wet and do a bit of dangerous tracing and rock climbing.

If you do decide to do the trace up the river you are rewarded with a large and beautiful waterfall in a beautiful gorge. Youling waterfall isn’t really a waterfall where you can do any swimming due to the small and shallow pool of water next to the falls but if you wanted to do some swimming you could easily do it in some of the pools on the way up to the falls.

Taking photos from the bottom of the waterfall can be a bit difficult as the amount of mist created by the falls in the small enclosed gorge creates a bit of difficultly for camera lenses that constantly have to be wiped off which is why whenever you see photos of these falls that there are always water spots all over the lenses. Photographers try their best but sometimes the forces of nature can be a bit difficult to control!

The falls can be viewed either from the bottom or the top, viewing from the bottom takes a bit of hard work but is extremely enjoyable. Viewing from the top is much easier and you are able to do it from the trail that takes you to Shuiliandong - Looking down however might make you feel a bit of vertigo if you try. 

To be truthful, I wasn't really prepared for the river trace to the bottom of this waterfall. I figured it would be easy enough so I just dropped my camera bag and started heading up the river with my camera and tripod in hand. I almost lost my camera because of it when I slipped off of a rock and went barreling into a deep pool of water below me. Luckily my camera was saved thanks to some quick thinking! 

Shuiliandong Waterfall (水簾洞瀑布)

Shuiliandong is probably the most popular of the two waterfalls and is the one that has become popular on social media lately. The “waterfall” isn’t actually a natural waterfall but a man-made structure that allows water to flow down the mountain in a controlled manner that doesn’t destroy the valley below - The water that flows over however is actually quite beautiful and makes for some great photos.

The trail that takes you from the parking lot above to the stream below Shuiliandong is quite easy to follow but if you want to get yourself up next to the falls you'll have to get your feet wet and cross the river and then climb over some rocks. 

There is a small pool in front of the falls that could allow for people to get wet and enjoy some water, but it isn’t a place where you could actually do much swimming.

I’d personally just want to use it to cool off if I was visiting on a hot summer day.

Despite being man-made, Shuiliandong is actually quite beautiful and photogenic. It is easy to understand why the waterfall has become popular on social media lately - The photos turned out to be quite pretty which made the long trip up the mountains worthwhile.

If you find yourself on a trip along the Northern Cross Highway between Taoyuan and Yilan or if you're just up in the area visiting the beautiful Lalashan Mountain Reserve (拉拉山風景特定區) it is quite easy to stop off near the entrance of the park and go check out these waterfalls. They are however quite far up in the mountains and not the most accessible waterfalls to get to, so make sure you plan well in advance if you are taking a trip to see these! 


Map Location

 

Getting to the waterfalls is quite easy - Just follow the Northern Cross Highway until you get to Lalashan. When you are close to the entrance there is a small road that veers off to the right. Follow it until you reach a small indigenous village where you will find signage leading you to the trailhead. For a much more detailed explanation and interactive map click the links below. 

Follow Xiaofei's Blog Post / Map


Lingjiao Waterfall (嶺腳瀑布)

Lingjiao Waterfall (嶺腳瀑布) is one of the many beautiful waterfalls found within New Taipei City's mountainous Pingxi District. It's not the highest, the widest or the most visited of them all but it is probably one of the best if you plan on going for a swim.

The waterfall is around 12-13 meters high and the flow of water you are likely to see will vary each time you visit. If you're lucky you may see one very large and wide waterfall but if there hasn't been a lot of rain you may see several smaller falls. I've seen photos where the two falls combine together to make a single set of falls but I think that when they are separated into two that it is actually more beautiful! 

The waterfall finds its source from the Keelung River (基隆河) which flows through the mountains of Pingxi all the way down into Taipei and is the same river that forms the much more well-known Shifen Waterfall downstream. The water from the river is an emerald green and a bit warmer than normal mountain springs making it great for swimming, river tracing and kayaking in the area near the falls.

The water in the pool at the base of the falls is around 9-10 meters deep which makes it quite a deep pool for a waterfall in this area. If you are going to the waterfall for a swim, you need to make sure that you are a good swimmer - The deep water is what makes this waterfall fun though because it makes jumping from the top an activity that (I don't recommend) is completely awesome!

There are two trails to take you to the waterfall, one trail takes you down to the base while the other takes you to the top where people do their cliff jumping. There are several different places to jump from with highest being around 12 meters. Standing at the top and looking down can be a bit scary but once you take the jump you'll want to do it again and again.

This is where I have to caution you though - jumping is dangerous and not really permitted. If you have done this kind of stuff before and you're really comfortable with cliff-diving and swimming you will enjoy this. If not you will have to be really careful - On my visit to the waterfall a friend jumped into the water from the highest cliff but entered the water ass-first. A few days later her legs and back side were a giant purple bruise. It was funny but I also felt really bad for her.

Jumping! 

Coincidentally as I'm writing this blog a friend posted a news link on a photo I shared of myself jumping that reported an 18 year old boy died while jumping. The article noted that he was jumping too close to the actual waterfall and not from the jumping cliffs that the majority of people use. Ultimately the strong current and whirlpools created by the waterfall hitting the water below didn't allow him to resurface in time and he drowned which is extremely unfortunate. 

As far as I know, the waterfall was shut down by the police for some time so that they could conduct their investigation. I'm not really sure if it is opened back up as of yet. 

It seems like the waterfall was more popular years back and someone tried to develop it as a tourist attraction. Next to the pool of water there is a concrete mound with holes, stairs, rooms and even a nude photo of a girl from the 70's or 80's. The mound could be best described as a Hobbit hole or maybe even Yoda's house. It is extremely strange but also quite indicative of how Taiwan poured concrete all over its scenic tourist spots several decades ago in an attempt to attract visitors and seem modern. The mound right now isn't actually in very good shape and it was never really maintained so it looks out of place and there is also a lot of trees and shrubs growing all over it. 

Recently there have been some blog posts from bloggers like Follow Xiaofei who have reintroduced the waterfall to a new crowd of people and I have seen social media posts from friends throughout the summer, but for the most part the waterfall isn't really that busy. I went during the week with a small group of friends and we had the entire waterfall and pool to ourselves which was amazing! 

Personally I'm conflicted as to whether this waterfall being popular is a good thing or not. I fear that if too many people know about it more accidents will happen. If this is the case, the government will definitely overreact and the waterfall might be shut down completely for recreational activity. On the other hand I feel like this is yet another of Taiwan's beautiful and under appreciated scenic spots so it should be promoted.

All I can say is that if you plan on visiting and you plan on swimming and/or jumping please exercise caution, don't get hurt and don't ruin it for everyone else!

Getting to the waterfall is easy - You can travel by car or scooter and park near Lingjiao Train Station (嶺腳車站) just simply take the Pingxi Rail line to Lingjiao Station and walk for five minutes. There are markers along the road that show how to get to the waterfall so it is quite easy to find.

If you're in the Pingxi area and are sick of seeing the sky lanterns pollute the beautiful scenery then why not visit a waterfall or two? There are a multitude to choose from that range from the Sandiaoling hiking trail to the Shifen Waterfall. If you plan on swimming there are a lot of choices and I suggest you checkout Follow Xiaofei or Taiwan Waterfalls blogs to find the waterfall that fits your schedule! No matter what you choose, be safe and exercise caution!