Few destinations are more suitable for a cycling vacation than Taiwan, and few places within Taiwan are more bike-friendly than Sun Moon Lake. This fact has been recognized not only by the thousands of people who have pedaled all the way around the island — a journey that takes 10 to 14 days — but also by media outlets like CNN, which in 2012 described the round-the-lake bike route as one of ten around the world “that’ll take your breath away.”

Sun Moon Lake is the country’s largest body of freshwater. Located in the very center of Taiwan, at an elevation of 748 meters above sea level, it has a surface area of 7.93 km². A reasonably fit cyclist can circumnavigate the lake in less than three hours.

Sightseers who want to slowly absorb the splendid landscape, however, should devote the better part of a day. That way, they’ll have time to explore the beguiling temples that look over the water, learn something about the Thao people — a tiny indigenous ethnic group renowned for their pestle music — and sample a few of the delicious snacks available in Shuishe (the area’s transportation hub and a good place to rent a bike) and Ita Thao (the capital of the Thao tribe).

Like their counterparts in other countries, Taiwan’s government has been promoting cycling for its health and environmental benefits. As in previous years, one day this fall has been designated Come!BikeDay, and the upcoming edition is set to feature a range of activities and challenges starting from Sun Moon Lake’s Xiangshan Visitor Center.

The 2025 Come!BikeDay will be held on November 22, but anyone interested in participating should firm up their plans soon, as registering in advance is required and there are limits on how many people can join each ride.

If that date doesn’t work for you, consider making an overnight trip to Sun Moon Lake during the 2025 Sun Moon Lake Cycling, Music, and Fireworks Festival. In addition to concerts and spectacular pyrotechnics, the autumn period will see the Sun Moon Lake Wedding (October 17, an event designed to make newlyweds’ special day even more memorable), the Sun Moon Lake Marathon (October 26), and the Sun Moon Lake Black Tea Culture Festival (November 1-2).

The last of those events isn’t the only draw for tea aficionados. From October 4 to 12, the Nantou Global Tea Expo will celebrate the high-quality output of local tea farms. There’s much more to the expo than drinking and talking about tea: Attendees will have opportunities to enjoy the best of the county’s cuisine, along with performances by indigenous singers and musicians (about 5% of Nantou’s population belongs to one of Taiwan’s Austronesian tribes).

Encouraging people to choose biking over driving is just one facet of Taiwan’s push for sustainable tourism. At the 2025 ITB Berlin International Travel Fair earlier this year, the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area was honored with third place in the Business & Marketing category of the Green Destinations Top 100 Story Awards. In addition to promoting low-carbon transportation such as cycling and electric bicycles, reducing the use of plastics, and devising low-carbon itineraries, the scenic area administration has worked with the Bunun indigenous people to enhance recreational offerings and create products that incorporate maqaw, the “mountain peppercorns” that are a distinctive ingredient in indigenous cuisine.

Visitors wanting to reduce the environmental impact of their vacation will find the websites of the central government’s Tourism Administration (TA) and its subordinate units (such as Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area) well worth studying. For those who prefer not to rent a car or hire a personal driver, the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle network offers reliable access to dozens of rural destinations.

Thoughtful travelers should also look for the acronym LOHAS, which stands for “lifestyles of health and sustainability.” This term is widely used in Taiwan, in both English and Chinese, to describe an approach to life that bears some similarities to Europe’s Slow Movement. Rather than pursue indulgence and material satisfaction, it’s a state of mind that emphasizes enriching experiences and authentic flavors.

Another entity working to develop tourism modes that benefit both outsiders and locals is Sun Moon Lake Tourism Union (Sun Moon Lake Plus). One of several tourism unions established in Taiwan in recent years, this destination marketing organization brings together stakeholders who want visitors not only to have the most enjoyable time, but also to recognize that the area offers so much that they should come back.

In addition to being a top-tier attraction in its own right, Sun Moon Lake makes for an excellent base from which to travel around. Tourists settled into a hotel in Shuishe can drive to Shuang-long Rainbow Suspension Bridge in just under an hour, to Xitou in a bit over an hour, or to Qingjing Farm in around one and a half hours.

Shuanglong Rainbow Suspension Bridge, which is a 342-meter-long bridge, 110 meters above solid ground, has been dubbed “the most beautiful, the longest, and the most thrilling” footbridge in Taiwan. Xitou offers a unique blend of tranquil forest scenery, educational nature walks, and quirky Japanese culture in the form of attention-grabbing mascots displayed in Monster Village. Qingjing Farm is the only place on the island where sheep are raised. Its rolling grasslands and Alpine backdrop remind some sightseers of Switzerland. Thanks to the international airport and high-speed rail station located nearby in Taichung, reaching Sun Moon Lake and other attractions in Nantou County has never been easier. With its abundance of accommodation options and countless things to see and do in downtime, the county is also an appealing location for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) travel.

TOURIST INFORMATION
Travelers considering a visit to the heart of Taiwan can gather additional information from the following websites:
Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area (multilingual)
Nantou Global Tea Expo (bilingual)
Nantou County Government Scenic Area Administration Office (bilingual)
Tourism Administration (Ministry of Transportation and Communications) (multilingual)
Taiwan Tourist Shuttle (multilingual)
Meet Taiwan (MICE) (bilingual)
The 24-hour tourist information hotline (0800-011-765) is toll-free within Taiwan and staffed by speakers of English, Japanese, and Chinese.