12-Day Private Island Tour of Taiwan

Day 1 – Taipei City Tour

• Pick up at the hotel at 2pm for visiting Taipei 101 for sunset and Ding Tai Fong Dumpling before visiting a night market. This is a half day tour and we will include the meal and tickets to the 101. Will return to the hotel at around 10pm.

Day 2 – Taipei City Tour & Tea Tasting

• Start from the hotel at 9am. Morning visit to the Lin Family Garden which is a beautiful heritage site and shines a light on the family traditions of Taiwan.
• Then visit the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and break for a light lunch at a famous tea house nearby. After lunch is a traditional Chinese Tea Tasting.
• Then onto Yong Kang Street which is a bustling artisan area with boutique coffee shops and additional points of cultural interest. Beef noodles or other fine dishes can be enjoyed before dinner. Returning to the hotel at around 6pm.

Day 3 – Taipei National Palace Museum and Yang Ming Mountain

• Pick up from the hotel at 9:30 am for a 10:00am guided tour of the National Palace Museum.
• Here you’ll find the greatest collection of Chinese Arts and Artifacts in the world. At least 2-3 hours are required.
• From here, we’ll travel to the beautiful Yang Ming Shan to see the flowers and do some gentle hiking after a lunch of fresh mountain veggies and other delights.
• Spend a relaxing afternoon in Yang Ming Shan before returning to the city for dinner and a foot massage in ‘shemingding’ (little Tokyo). Back to the hotel around 9pm.

Day 4 – Taipei to Hualien via Yeh Liu and Jiu Fen

• Depart from hotel at 8:30 am and stop in Yeh Liu to visit the unique geological park.
• Then onto the old Gold Mining Town of Jiu Fen to visit the museum (includes the prison camp in Jingwaushi).
• Continue down the East Coast to Hualien where you can enjoy local food (dumpling soup with vinegar, mochi and seafood etc.) and culture.
• The hotel has an excellent sauna and spa facilities.

Day 5 – Taroko Gorge and Hualien

• Depart from hotel at 8:30am for Taroko Gorge.
• First, stop at the Eternal Spring Temple to visit the Pagoda and Monastery. Then continue into the gorge stopping at Swallows Grotto, Lui Shwei trail and the Bai Yang trail.
• We will be staying in the very heart of Taroko Gorge in wood cabins nestled into the hills side. Aboriginal dancing for evening entertainment.

Day 6 –  Taroko to Sun Moon Lake

• Depart from Taroko Gorge at 9am and begin the climb from 700 meters to 3,500 meters as we cross the central cross highway. One of the most stunning roads in Asia.
• Visit a 3,200-year-old divine tree. See monkeys on the roadside as we head for Herhua Mountain for a high-altitude stroll.
• Lunch at the top for roast chicken before we drop down to Sun Moon Lake. Dinner at Crystal Hotel.

Day 7 – Sun Moon Lake and Tea Plantations

• Visit tea gardens and do some DIY tea making activities.
• Return to Sun Moon Lake to take an afternoon-chartered boat ride with drinks. Then some free time strolling the old lakeside village of Ita Thoa.
• Dinner at the Sun Moon Lake restaurant for some local foods including wild boar.

Day 8 –  Alishan National Park

• Depart early for Ali Shan over the beautiful route 21 going up past Jade Mountain.
• Beautiful Mountain passes before arriving in Ali Shan National Forest.
• Lunch and dinner in the National Park which has a great selection of mountain foods.

Day 9 – Alishan National Park

• Early rise at 4:30am for the stunning sea of cloud sunrise over Ali Shan (this is very early and is optional). Return to the hotel for breakfast.
• Hiking and exploring the ancient forests of Ali Shan. Free time in the afternoon for tea drinking, hiking and photography.

Day 10 –  Tainan the Ancient Capital

• Depart at 8:30am for our drive to Tainan, the ancient capital of Taiwan.
• Lunch in Anping Tainan, then a brief tour of An Ping, the oldest trading port in Taiwan.
• Plenty of quaint old streets for exploring here. Check into the hotel around 4pm. Roast Duck for dinner in the Hotel.

Day 11 – Kaohsiung

• Foguangshan Buddhist Temple in the morning before visiting the old British consulate at Takaw in the early afternoon.
• Return to Tainan to visit the Dutch Fort and Confucius Temple. For dinner we’ll try traditional street food for the final night.

Day 12 –  Tainan to Airport

• Free morning to enjoy the hotel and stroll around the university grounds.
• Midday departure for the High Speed Rail to catch the High Speed Rail to the airport.