Taiwan Round-Island Tour

Upon arrival at Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), you will be met and transferred to your hotel by private car (NO guide). The remainder of the day will be free.

To be picked up at lobby of hotel in Taipei City, we will drive to Sun Moon Lake which is located in the middle of Taiwan and situated 762 meters above sea level in the lofty mountains of Central Taiwan. Tour will stop at the famous Wenwu Temple, also known as Literature-Warrior Temple, dedicated to Confucius as Master of Pen and to Kuan Ti as Master of Sword, Ita Thao Indigenous Village, Xuanzhuang Temple and Ci En Pagoda. After touring round Sun Moon Lake, check in hotel.

Enjoy natural hot spring at the Fleur de Chine Hotel, Sun Moon Lake. You can also enjoy the walking trails, biking, hiking or boating at the lake.

• Pick up from hotel in Taipei
• Sun Moon Lake
• Round Lake Tour by bus (Ita Thao Indigenous Village, Ci'en Pagoda, Xuanzhuang Temple, Wenwu Temple)

Sun Moon Lake
The poetically lake is the most famous lake attraction in Taiwan. With over 100 square kilometers, the lake got its name because the northern part of it has the shape of the sun and the southern part of it has the shape of crescent moon (those two parts are separated by Lalu Island). “Autumn Moon Scene of the Sun Moon Lake” is considered as the most attractive 12 sights in Taiwan.

Check out hotel, we will stop by Xiangshan Visitor Center before driving to Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Monastery, the most famous Buddhist sacred place of southern Taiwan. Here you will learn about Buddhism during the monastery walking tour and communicate with some of the monks or nuns during the visit. Continuously, we will drive to Kaohsiung which is the second largest city of Taiwan. The tour will take you to Love River and Liuhe Night Market. Overnight stay at Kaohsiung.

• Departure from Sun Moon Lake
• Xiangshan Visitor Center
• Kaohsiung
• Fo Guang Shan
• Liuhe Tourist Night Market

Fo Guang Shan
At the north-east of Dashu Township in Kaohsiung county on the left bank of the Gaoping (Kaoping) river, a famous tourist destination is located. Here you will find the Buddhist center of South Taiwan, established by Master Hsing Yun and his disciples. The architecture of the temples is very characteristic, and at the southeastern side of Fo Gunag Mountain (Gunag Shan) Monastery the most prominent landmark of the region is found: a huge golden statue of Buddha Amitaabha which measures some 120 meters.

Liuhe Tourist Night Market
You will not be considered to visit Kaohsiung if you miss out Liuhe Tourist Night Market. As early as in 1950, more and more stalls came to stationed in Dagangpu of Xinxing District in Kaohsiung, finally forming the well-known "Dagangpu Night Market". No matter what you like to have, a variety of delicious food, specialties, cold drinks, ices and seafood here are offered for your choice. Just remind you, don't miss the opportunity to taste the papaya milk and steamed salty shrimps in Kaohsiung.

Love River Night Scenery
Almost all big cities have a beautiful river passed by, this is specially true in Kaohsiung. Love River lies across Kaohsiung for times of sunrises and sunsets. Love River, known as Dagou River in Ching Dynasty, was renamed by Japanese as Takao River.The river was also called Kaohsiung Canal. After restoration of Taiwan, the riverbanks were beautified with greenery works and developed to be park areas, decorated with pillars chained with iron rope. The area becomes a romantic place for lovers to date with each other, therefore, the river was reputed as Love River.

Morning tour to Kenting National Park, located at Taiwan’s southern tip and the 37 miles of coral-rimmed shoreline along three sides of the park provide its main attractions. Stops will be made at Eluanbi lighthouse, Maobitou, Chuanfan(sail) Rock and Longpan Park. Continuously we will drive to Taitung via Southern Link Highway. Overnight stay at Chihpen. Enjoy natural hot spring at Hotel Royal Chihpen.

• Departure from Kaohsiung
• Maobitou
• Chuanfan (Sail) Rock
• Eluanbi Park (lighthouse)
• Longpan Park
• Taitung

Kenting National Park
Kenting National Park, which was established on Jan. 01, 1948, is Taiwan’s first National Park. The park is superbly located. Spanning the Hengchun Peninsula, it faces the Pacific Ocean to the east, the Bashi Channel to the south, and the Taiwan Straits to the west. Some of Taiwan’s largest coral reefs lie off the coast and the forests along the park’s western edge are the last of Taiwan’s coastal tropical forests. The name Hengchun Peninsula says much about the area’s attractions. ” The fantastic climate, lush forests, beaches, and reef environments make Kenting a rival to internationally famous tropical resorts like Bali and Phuket.

Eluanbi Park (Lighthouse)
Kending's rugged coastline provides some of the area's most outstanding attractions. The most prominent of these must be Eluanbi, also known as "Taiwan's Tail". This is the island's southernmost point. Eluanbi Park was created in 1982 to provide an appropriate venue for people coming to visit Taiwan's southernmost point and one of the peninsula's most notable landmarks, the Eluanbi Lighthouse, also called "The Light of East Asia". It stands 21.4 meters high and is reputedly the brightest lighthouse in Asia. The park covers an area of 59 hectares. Within the park there are a number of recreational facilities and a wide range of interesting geological, botanical, and ornithological features. The area covered by the park is also one of the sites of Kending's prehistoric cultures.

Maobitou
Maobitou is located in the west cape of southern Taiwan, right on the demarcation point of Taiwan Strait and Bashi Channel. Since there is a rock falling from the sea cliff which looks like a crouching cat facing toward the sea, it is named Maobitou. The whole area of Maobitou is a typical erosional landform of coral coast which just faces windward and has abundant sea erosion. It is an excellent landform classroom with various scarps, reef columns, sea trenches, sea erosion caves and pot holes.

Longpan Park
Longpan is the great grassland beside the Jia-Oh highway and near the beach of Pacific Ocean. This area is based on the tableland of coral reef limestone. Eroded by the rain, the terrain of limestone shows a variety of crumbled ridges, subterranean limestone caves, and red soil.

After breakfast, it will be an exciting East Coast Tour. The East Coast National Scenic Area, known as "Taiwan's last unspoiled land", stretches 170 kilometers down the east coast of the island. Weathering, erosion, and accumulation have produced a wide range of landforms here. Our tour will stop at Xiaoyeliu, Sanxiantai, Shitiping (Stone Steps), Fanshuliao marble factory and the exhibition hall.
Late afternoon, we will proceed to Hualien for overnight stay at Taroko National Park.

• Departure from Taitung
• East Coast National Scenic Area (Xiaoyeliu, Sanxiantai, Shitiping, Fanshuliao)
• Marble Factory
• Exhibition Hall
• Hualien

East Coast National Scenic Area
The East Coast National Scenic Area, known as "Taiwan's last unspoiled land," stretches 170 kilometers down the east coast of the island from the mouth of the Hualien River in the north to Xiaoyeliu (Little Yeliu) in the south. To the east it is bounded by the Pacific Ocean; to the west rises the Coastal Mountain Range. The land here consists of volcanic rock, classic rock from deep beneath the sea, and shale that has been pushed upward- and is still being pushed upward- by tectonic action. Weathering, erosion, and accumulation have produced a wide range of landforms here, including coastal terraces, sand and pebble beaches, shoreline reefs, inshore islands, and capes along with sea-eroded platforms, trenches, and caves. This varied topography provides habitat for a rich diversity of flora and fauna.

Taroko National Park
Taroko became a national park in 1986, including Hualien County, Nantou County and Taichung City. Taroko is famous for its spectacular mountains and marble canyons. Cliffs and canyons stretch along Liwu River. Four million years ago, the island of Taiwan was formed by the collision of plates. After millions of years of wind erosion, the marble rocks were exposed and cut by Liwu River, creating impressive grand canyons. From Qingshui to Nanhu Peak, the drop height is 3,742 meters. Such special geography has also bred special flora and fauna in this area.

After breakfast, we will make a visit to Taroko National Park. Taroko Gorge is an exceptionally beautiful, narrow raving created by the Liwu river which has cut deep into the mountains of solid marble. A road carved into sheer walls of rock rewinding its way past forested peaks and cliffs towering thousands of feet above it, while hundreds of feet below a river roars past gigantic marble boulders. Stops will be made at Taroko Gorge Gateway, Shakadang Trail or Lushui Trail, Swallow Grotto, Cihmu Bridge and Changchun Temple (Eternal Spring Shrine). We will then drive back to Taipei with a stop at Qingshui Cliff, drive through Syue-Shan Long Tunnel (12.9 Kms) to arrive at around 6 PM.

• Hualien
• Taroko Gorge Gateway
• Shakadang Trail or Lushui Trail
• Eternal Spring Shrine (Changchun Temple)
• Swallow Grotto
• Cihmu Bridge
• Qingshui Cliff
• Taipei

Swallow Grotto
Along the Swallow Grotto trail which runs about a half kilometer starting from the entrance to Swallow Grotto to the Jinheng Bridge, you can enjoy the sights of the Liwu River from nearly straight above the water, the potholes on the cliff faces, the springs sprinkled along the lower parts of the walls, as well as the famous rock formation "Chieftain's profile rock".

Qingshui Cliff
Qingshui Cliff is a 21 kilometer length of coastal cliffs averaging 800 meters above sea level in Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan. The tallest peak, Qingshui Mountain, rises 2408 meters directly from the Pacific Ocean. The cliff is located at the southern part of the Suhua Highway that connects the counties of Yilan and Hualien in eastern Taiwan. It is considered to be a very scenic area and is the highest coastal cliff in Taiwan.

At leisure until check out and you will be transferred to airport for departure flight by private car (NO guide).