This year, February 10 is not just the first day of the Year of the Dragon. It also marks the beginning of a period of intense merrymaking – a time of year when Taiwanese people can forget work and school and enjoy seasonal festivities. Many will attend local or national editions of the Lantern Festival,…
Long recognized as a biodiversity hotspot, Taiwan is a remarkable ecotourism destination that straddles the Tropic of Cancer. Between June and September, the country’s lowland landscapes swelter. In winter, by contrast, its rugged uplands receive dustings of snow. Between these two extremes, there are a dozen different environments, and each has distinct fauna and flora. …
Taiwan has resumed warmly welcoming overseas visitors, and Taiwanese are once again enjoying overseas vacations. The country’s airports and hotels are bustling. Attractions like Ximending and Taipei 101 are reporting a steady flow of foreign tourists. Another sign that the travel and hospitality industries have finally put the pandemic behind them is the anticipation surrounding…
If the world’s cycling enthusiasts pooled their ideas and designed a country that is ideal for bicycle vacations, they would likely come up with a place remarkably similar to Taiwan. Taiwan is 394 km long and 144 km across at its widest, so end-to-end or around-the-island rides can be accomplished within a vacation of normal…
Some of Taiwan’s many natural wonders are better known than others. For visitors from all over the world, the splendor of Taroko Gorge and the stunning variety of the island’s birdlife are like magnets. The Purple Butterfly Valley in Maolin, a mountainous part of Kaohsiung about 250 km down island from Taipei, is unique but…
Sun Moon Lake is a symbol of both Taiwan’s transformation into a modern industrial economy and its emergence as a favored destination for international travelers. The lake’s romantic English name is a direct translation from the Chinese, Riyuetan, which itself describes the shape of this 8 km2 body of water. The eastern part is round…
Whether you are a fastidious gourmet, a shameless glutton, or somewhere in between those extremes, if you enjoy food, your taste buds are sure to rejoice at the Taiwan Culinary Exhibition (TCE). A celebration of Taiwan’s multifaceted food scene, from fine dining to the simplest of street snacks, the 2023 edition of the TCE will…
When it comes to sightseeing in Taiwan, each season has its distinct themes and particular advantages, and summer is no exception. Between May and September, if you can handle sea-level temperatures that often top 34 degrees Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit), you can enjoy the wonderfully vivid outdoors. The skies are bluer, the rivers are fuller,…
Many of Taiwan’s landscapes are deeply inspiring. The country has East Asia’s tallest mountains, its most spectacular gorge, and stretches of dramatic coastline. The unspoiled eastern part of the island has long been a favorite of both domestic and international tourists. The counties of Hualien and Taitung account for more than a fifth of Taiwan’s…
Straddling the Tropic of Cancer, Penghu is less than 50 km west of Taiwan’s main island, yet this stunning archipelago looks completely different. For a start, it’s quite flat, whereas much of Taiwan is ruggedly mountainous. The islands used to be almost treeless, but afforestation programs have changed this. And perhaps most impressively – and…
