FAQs

You can get change at the post office or convenience stores in the Shuishe Commercial Area.

ATMs are available at the 7-Eleven in Shuishe and the post office on Mingsheng St. For visitors in Checheng, we recommend the ATM inside the 7-Eleven in front of Shuili Railway Station.

The annual Harvest Festival of the Thao tribe takes place at Ita Thao Village in September. The exact date will be decided one month before the event.

Nowadays, there are four temples nearby the lake. From the clockwise direction, they are Wenwu Temple, Xuanzang Temple, Xuanguang Temple and Lonfong Temple. Among those temples, Xuanguang and Xuanzang Temples are pure Buddhist temples. Wenwu Temple was built to worship Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. Longfong Temple is a Daoism Temple. Xuanguang and Xuanzang Temples worship (enshrine) the relics of the great monk Xuanzang. He was born in Tang Dynasty about 1600 years ago. His great achievement was that he went to India to study Buddhism and brought back a lot of books about Buddhism. Moreover, he translated those books written in Sanskrit (梵文) to Chinese language. He indeed made a great contribution to the development of Buddhism in China and other Asian countries. Wenwu Temple worships the Civil Saint of Confucius, the Military Saint of Guan-gong and the foundation Gods. Confucius was the greatest teacher in ancient China. Today, many students come here to pray for blessings of good grade in examinations. Whenever you can see many copies of "Certificate of Entrance Examinations" on the altar, you are forced to believe Confucius has done a good job. Long-fong Temple worships the god of Matchmaker and other local deities. The god of Matchmaker was moved to this temple from the Lalu Island after 921 Earthquake. Many couples in love like to come here to pray for marriage as soon as possible and their love last forever.

Both the deer and the owl are sacred animals to the Thao people, each carrying its own legend.

The Legend of the White Deer: Long ago, the ancestors of the Thao people lived in the Alishan region. One day, while out hunting, they spotted a white deer and gave chase. The deer led them far from Alishan, all the way to the shores of Sun Moon Lake, with its abundant waters.

The Legend of the Owl: A woman had been married for years without having a child, a sorrow she carried quietly. One day, alone in the mountains gathering firewood, she came across an owl being chased and brought it home to nurse back to health. Her family objected, and she was forced to let it go. But every night after, the owl returned and called from her rooftop. Before long, she discovered she was pregnant. From that day on, the Thao people have believed that an owl calling near a home at night is a sign that new life is coming, a blessing.

Sun Moon Lake is a reservoir managed by Taiwan Power Company, primarily used for pumped-storage power generation. For safety reasons, swimming is not permitted. Exceptions may be made for special events through a dedicated application process.

Yes, this area is enriched with resources of natural ecology: crystal clean lake water, verdant forests and continuous mountains. All these riches make this area suitable for the survival of plants and animals. Plants are mainly low elevation evergreen broadleaf trees, such as Camphor tree and Nut tree. Varied ferns can be seen at every hiking trail. Animals are mainly insects, birds and aquatic life. Nowadays, larger animals are rarely seen at this area due to the development of tourism. Insects which you can often see here are beetles, bees, cicadas, butterflies, dragonflies and fireflies. Spiders are also very common seen here, but they do not belong to the species of insects. Birds which you can often see here are Little Egrets（小白鷺）, Black-crowned Night Heron（夜鷺）, River King Fish（翠鳥、魚狗）, White-breasted Water Hen（白腹秧雞）, Bamboo Cock (竹雞), Thrushes (畫眉). The lovely voice of the Thrushes is a special feature here. Aquatic life consists mainly of lake shrimps, Chubs (鰱魚), Keng Fish (鯁魚), Carps, Wukuo Fish, Chili Fish and President Fish. Chili Fish and President fish are of the largest population in the lake, and the President Fish is also the most famous fish in Taiwan.

A variety of events take place at Sun Moon Lake throughout the year. Major highlights include the Cherry Blossom Festival, the Firefly Season, the International Swimming Carnival, the Fireworks and Music Carnival, and the Come! Bikeday cycling event. The Cherry Blossom Festival is held each February at Sun Moon Lake, Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, and National Chi Nan University. The Firefly Season usually takes place around April, while the Swimming Carnival is held annually in September. The Fireworks and Music Carnival and Come! Bikeday cycling event are typically held in October or November each year.

Firstly, you have to enter the temple from its right side door, and exit from its left side door. According to the geomancers, the right side belongs to the lucky animal “dragon”, and the left side belongs to the fierce “tiger”. It sounds like a man going into the tiger's mouth if you go into the temple from the left side door. Secondly, never enter or exit the temple from the middle door. The middle door is only for gods. Thirdly, it is allowed to take pictures inside the temple. Be careful not to disturb other worshippers. The last but not the least, you don't need to buy a ticket for entering almost every temple.

Fares for the Sun Moon Lake shuttle bus are calculated based on travel distance. For detailed fare information, please refer to the Nantou Bus website. A one-day pass is also available for NT$80. Some routes extend beyond Ita Thao to Xuanguang Temple.

After getting off at Shuishe, several attractions are within about a one-hour walk, including Shuishe Pier (Shuishe shopping district), Meihe Garden, Longfeng Temple, and the Hanbi Trail.

If time allows, be sure not to miss the 14 lakeside and mountain trails that circle Sun Moon Lake. These trails range from around 150 meters to over 10 kilometers in length, and most can be completed in about 30 minutes to one or two hours. Along the way, you can enjoy a peaceful natural setting with expansive views, taking in sweeping vistas of the surrounding mountains and the full panorama of Sun Moon Lake, while breathing in the phytoncide-rich forest air and rejuvenating both body and mind.

You can board a boat at Shuishe Pier, Ita Thao Pier, and Xuanguang Temple Pier.

The total length of the round-the-lake road is approximately 30 kilometers.

Yes. You can either pay by segment or purchase a One-day Pass for unlimited hop-on, hop-off travel throughout the day.

You can visit those beautiful spots by driving a car, taking the round-the-lake bus, renting a bicycle or motorcycle, or taking a boat trip.

Besides taking the round-the-lake bus, you can rent a motorbike or bicycle or take a boat trip around the lake.

Boat ticket pricing has returned to a market-based system, with operators setting their own fares. Prices are subject to change, so please check with individual operators for current rates. For your own protection, purchase tickets only from designated counters.

Clinics are only located in Yuchi Township. However, a First Aid Station is available next to the Ita Thao Visitor Center (Operating hours: 08:00 – 20:00).

You can buy post cards at almost every shop.

Souvenirs can be found in the Shuishe and Ita Thao shopping districts. The most popular item right now is the black tea gift set, alongside perennial favorites like wood carvings, indigenous clothing, and millet wine, plus a variety of local specialties to bring home.