Nantou County (南投縣) is in the Central Region of Taiwan. It is famous for its mountain scenery and is the only county in Taiwan without a coastline.
Regions
[edit]
| Nantou Region (Nantou City, Caotun, Mingjian, Jhongliao) Contains the major city in the County and is the most lively of the regions. |
| Puli Region (Puli, Guosing, Yuchih, Ren-ai) The region is well-known for its hot springs, hiking, cycling, and coffee. |
| Jhushan Region (Jhushan, Lugu) This region is known for its bamboo forests and its tea. |
| Shueili Region (Shueili, Jiji, Sinyi) A popular destination for its hot springs, its suckling pork, and millet wine. |
Cities
[edit]- 2 Caotun – Location of the Nan Tun Old Street.
- 3 Jiji – A small scenic town.
- 4 Jhushan
- 5 Lugu – More than half the area is comprised of "Experimental Forest", a government initiative where universities conduct research into environmental issues.
- 6 Puli – a town located at the geographic center of the island and often gateway to Sun Moon Lake
- 7 Ren'ai – An area with a nice environment and sporting a number of European-style B&Bs.
- 8 Shuili – an alternative to Puli due to its closer distance to Sun Moon Lake, with a scenic and historic train from down the valley in Ershui
- 9 Xinyi – The highest peak in Taiwan is located here.
- 10 Yuchi – The location of the Sun Moon Lake. The area is also the home of the indigenous Thao people (邵族).
Other destinations
[edit]- 1 Sun Moon Lake – The largest lake in Taiwan, famous for its clear, sparkling blue water set against a picturesque mountain backdrop. It has also been a center of aboriginal life for thousands of years.
- 2 Yushan – The highest mountain of Taiwan and also the name of the related National Park that lies partly in Nantou County, Hualien County and Kaohsiung County.
- 3 Dongpu Hot Springs – Hot spring resort village with hiking options.
Get in
[edit]Many people come in through Puli from Taichung by bus or car, especially for Sun Moon Lake. However, also consider taking the scenic and historic train from Ershui to Shuili (worth a visit) or vice-verse when heading out again.
Get around
[edit]By bus
[edit]Many bus services run in the region. Try Google Maps, which has many connections available, but is a little bad on the timing.
By thumb
[edit]Due to the remote nature of the region and fewer urbanisation, hitch-hiking is straight forward. You can easily hitch-hike from Sun Moon Lake into Taroko Gorge, or vice-versa.
By train
[edit]- Ershui-Shuili Train: This historic train is a tranquil and picturesque way of getting in and seeing Nantou County. It also stops at several stations along the way from Ershui in Changhua County.
See
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Do
[edit]- Qing Jing Scenic Area in Ren’ai Township is popular with locals. It has a 1-km-long scenic bridge/walkway, a grassland with sheep and great views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.
- Mount Hehuan near Ren'ai is a 3,416-metre-high mountain which straddles several different districts in central Taiwan. It has 7 peaks that you can climb, many hoking trails, and a scenic bus trip.
- Jiujiufeng Forest Trail in Caotun is a 1.9-km-long hiking trail that makes a loop past a picturesque mountain range.
- Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village near Sun Moon Lake is a theme park and cultural village showcasing the cultures of nine of Taiwan's indigenous ethnic groups, namely the Amis, Atayal, Bunun, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Sasiyat, Tao and Tsou.
Eat
[edit]Drink
[edit]There are many good teas coming from the Nantou area. Donding Oolong (凍頂烏龍) is famous worldwide.
Go next
[edit]| Routes through Nantou County |
| Miaoli ← Taichung ← | N  S
|
→ Chiayi → Tainan |