A day to northern Yilan area
Trip Start
Apr 01, 2008
1
30
41
Trip End
Ongoing
Jiaoshi / Wai'ao / Wushieh Harbor, Taiwan, Taiwan
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
How to get there?
You can reach the area by three way of transportation.
- By car via Freeway No.5 from Taipei to Yilan in less than an hour ( no heavy traffic assumed ) Get off at Toucheng freeway exit, the north to Wai'ao, Wishih beach and harbor, Yilan museum and south to Jiaosi.
- By two bus companies taking the same routs: Kamalan ( take bus on Fuashing South Road near Hsin Hai road ) or Capital Star ( from new Eastern Bus Terminal crossing of Keelung and Chung Chiao East roads ). The busses go every 15 minutes - but for this trip you need to take a bus that stops I Jiaosi hot-spring village. The buses take you either directly south to Jiaosi or you you get off at next stop when you exit the freeway in Toucheng and take lokal bus north to Wushih, museum and beach.
- Train from Taipei to Wai'ao station ( Wushi harbor, beach, museum ) or Jiaosi station. This will take the longest ( at least 2 hours ), but will go through beautiful countryside. More information you will find in entry of December 14, 2010.
What can you do there?
- Jiaosi:
-- Hundreds of hot-spring hotels from older and cheap to luxurious, public free old bath ( white building ) or new public bath for small fee. It's all along a pretty, narrow park along a small river flowing west to east in the center of town. You can also sit at one of the basins, dangle your feet in hot water and have beer.
-- Trails :- Paoma trail and
- Wufongci ( five-peak flag ) waterfall trail - both trails are to be found on the same road towards the - you might have guessed it - mountains. Wufongci waterfall is really beautiful,but can have a lot of tourists, especially on weekends
- Linmei Shipan trail - a National Trail, well developed. The trail is located just south and above Jiaosi on the road to the two universities above Jiaosi - follow the signs to the Universities up the mountain; when the road splits to the two universities please take the third road alternative to the right. The trail begins about 200m up that road on the right side ( a golf course is to be seen right hand side ) The trail is very beautiful, well maintained as National Trail and is a round trip of about 1.5 to 2 hours. Beautiful view in Yilan Delta.
--- Travel Tip: There is a tourist free shuttle bus connecting all above travel spots: Where? The bus starts at Jiaosi train station ( at scooter rental on left side when facing the train station ) When? Weekdays every hour on the hour, on holidays/weekends more frequent. During whole year? Not sure, for sure during summer, in winter please ask.
- Toucheng:
-- Beach
-- Camping place ( 400,00 NTD per platform/tent )
-- Houdong waterfall ( Monkey Cave ) - Take the road to Pingling - after about 300m turn left into a small road by a small bridge - follow the home-stay sign to the end until you get to a pavilion by the river - follow up-stream for 15 minutes.
- Wushih Harbor / Wai'ao village:
-- The place for boat trips - trips to watch dolphins and the hot water coming from the bottom of the ocean / trips to Turtle island ( must register days or weeks earlier as access to island is limited ).
-- Fishing harbor
-- New Yilan museum with great architecture and exhibition covering the mountains, the ocean and the delta - nature and culture. The Lanyang museum was been designed by Kris Yao and Artech Inc., Taiwan and has received the Far Eastern Architectural Design Award.
-- Beach north of harbor for swimming and surfing ( very well developed )
-- Yellow building by the beach with coffee shop with great view on ocean and Turtle island through high windows
-- Opposite of coffee shop by the road is a brown board with several destinations:
*** Large Taoist temple ( Chieh Tien Temple - name of god is ' Emperor Hsuen Tien Dadi '
*** behind temple road leads up to the King Car Coffee Shop on top of hill built like a castle.- great views onto Yilan delta with ocean and mountains and Turtle island
*** about 150m before you get to the coffee shop take small road to the right. This will lead to a small temple related to the large one on the bottom of the hill.
*** from the small road described above several trails begin ( look of plastic strip tags bound to trees ). One trail ( also begins already behind Wai'ao train station ) goes to Shihkung old trail. Shihkung is an old abandoned village. This trail is a branch of the Danlan old trail, connecting Wanhan to Yilan in the Qing dynasty. As the way through Danlan was to long, this trail was a shortcut to Shuangsi, Pingsi and Jingmei.
-- Wai'ao village has several home-stays by the beach, a train station, a major Taoist temple
Enough for a day-trip or even an over-night stay? Have fun!
