Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area

Mountains and forests are the core tourism DNA in the Sun Moon Lake sightseeing circle. The rich mountain and forest resources create a wide range of experience activities. There are 38 unusual, dangerous, steep and beautiful mountains in the area, as well as Hehuan Mountain, Aowanda, Xitou, Huisun, Shanlinxi and more rich forest recreation and environmental ecological education resources. In the magnificent mountain forest environment, various natural trails (including national grade Nenggao Cross-Ridge Historical Trail), waterfalls, suspension bridges and other scenic and recreation spots have been developed to offer fun open, free and innovative travel experiences. This is the best location for mountain and forest travel experiences in Taiwan.

In recent years, cultural and creative tourism in the Sun Moon Lake Tourism Union has become increasingly diverse. The first category is crafts, including pottery, bamboo art, wood art etc. The National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Center in Caotun is a leader in the development of such craft arts; the second category is temple culture, with the well-known Zhushan Zinan Temple, Sun Moon Lake Wenwu Temple, Puli Dimu Temple, Ershui Mr. Lin Temple etc.; the third category is revitalized old buildings, the most notable being Zhongxing New Village, Taixi Passenger Terminal, Zhushan Cigarette Factory, taxation agencies etc; the Zhongxing New Village settlement takes the culture of the provincial government period and the British Garden City as its focus. Through the introduction of 12 resident brands to the village and creative curation, it has become a stylish cultural and creative settlement; the fourth category is themed tourism experiences, including Jiji railway tourism, factory tours, stargazing tours, tea tours, coffee tours, rural small tours, rural kitchen experiences, old street walks, yoga, singing bowls, aromatherapy and other themes, which have been a big hit with tourists.

The Sun Moon Lake Tourism Union offers four fun water recreation activities. The first one is located in the famous Sun Moon Lake and Liyu Lake, providing a variety of activities such as yachting around the lake, SUP stand-up paddle boarding, canoeing, self-made rafts etc. This experience can also be paired with five-sense experiences such as afternoon tea, tea parties, expert hand-made coffee, and watching the sunrise and sunset. Every September an international swimming activity across Sun Moon Lake is held; the second type is hot springs, which are located in Beigangxi Hot Spring Area in Guoxing Township, Dongpu Hot Spring Area in Xinyi Township and Puli Hot Spring Area; the third type is the Ershui International Water Running Festival in Babao Canal, Ershui Township, held every November, which combines Ershui culture, water running experience and agricultural featured products from the mountains and sea; the fourth type provides special geographical environments such as amazing waterfalls and river tracing activities.

There are three theme parks in the Sun Moon Lake Tourism Union, including Sun-Link-Sea Vacation Resorts, Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village and Atayal Resort. Sun-Link-Sea Vacation Resorts focuses on ecological exploration, and the beautiful natural environment provides parents and children with opportunities to enjoy various flowers, trips to see the sea of flowers, stargazing, natural landscapes, environmental education, dining, and accommodation; the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village is divided into three themed areas: European Palace Garden, Amusement Isle, and Aboriginal Villages. It provides the richest and most complete aboriginal cultural singing and dancing performances in Taiwan, as well as the latest recreational facilities and certified Muslim-friendly restaurants. With a focus on cultural experience, Atayal Resort provides services such as aboriginal singing and dancing performances, cultural guided tours, ecological guided tours, hot springs, skywalks, recreational facilities, camping, dining and accommodation.

The Sun Moon Lake Tourism Union provides a variety of ecological experience activities. The first type is ecological observation of flora and fauna. For example, Tao-Mi Eco-Village has the largest number of frog and butterfly species and provides experiences such as frog watching, butterfly watching, and stream shrimp watching. Firefly watching is offered from April to May and is a wonderful ecological activity; the second type includes natural trails, ecological education halls, nature education centers and other resources; the third type is flower viewing through all four seasons, including cherry blossoms, plum blossoms and tulips from January to February, sandpaper vine, alpine rhododendron and hollyhocks from March to April, hydrangeas from May to June, daylilies from July to August, ginkgo and Muhlenbergia capillaries (Pink Muhly Grass) from September to October, sunflowers, bald cypress and maple leaves from November to December; the fourth type is special geological and ecological topography such as Toushe live basin, which is one of only three peat soil live basins in the world.

The Sun Moon Lake Tourism Union provides a variety of ecological experience activities. The first type is ecological observation of flora and fauna. For example, Tao-Mi Eco-Village has the largest number of frog and butterfly species and provides experiences such as frog watching, butterfly watching, and stream shrimp watching. Firefly watching is offered from April to May and is a wonderful ecological activity; the second type includes natural trails, ecological education halls, nature education centers and other resources; the third type is flower viewing through all four seasons, including cherry blossoms, plum blossoms and tulips from January to February, sandpaper vine, alpine rhododendron and hollyhocks from March to April, hydrangeas from May to June, daylilies from July to August, ginkgo and Muhlenbergia capillaries (Pink Muhly Grass) from September to October, sunflowers, bald cypress and maple leaves from November to December; the fourth type is special geological and ecological topography such as Toushe live basin, which is one of only three peat soil live basins in the world.

There are five major indigenous ethnic groups in the Sun Moon Lake tourist area (Tsou, Atayal, Bunun, Thao, Seediq), which have nurtured rich aboriginal cultural diversity. Tribal tours are divided into three routes covering Provincial Highway 14 (Qingliu, Zhongyuan, Meiyuan, Meixi, Wushe, Chunyang tribes), Provincial Highway 16 (Tannan, Dili, Shuanglong tribes) and Provincial Highway 21 (Fengqiu, Jiumei, Wangxiang, Dongpu tribes) with the Qinai tribe, Qubing tribe, Wujie tribe, Bakurasu tribe, Tamazuan tribe, Luona tribe etc.

The Sun Moon Lake Tourism Union is rich in agricultural resources and is particularly known for four agricultural products in Taiwan: tea, coffee, passion fruit, and water bamboo. There are eight tea areas in the Sun Moon Lake Tourism Union, offering the famous Tongding Oolong tea, Sun Moon Lake black tea, and high mountain tea from Yushan, Shanlinxi, Hehuanshan and Dayuling, grown at an altitude above 1,000 meters; the area also has the country's largest output of passion fruit, water bamboo and related products; specialty coffee is also booming, winning international coffee awards and being designated for state banquets; other products such as space-packed shiitake mushrooms, summer loofah, edible roses, Mengzong bamboo, Qingmei, sugar cane, mountain banana, longan, organic Jabuticaba, flowers, imperial pomelo etc., are among the best and most distinctive agricultural products in Taiwan. These first-level agricultural resources have also been developed into sixth grade leisure agriculture. There are currently 14 leisure agriculture areas in the area, providing tourists with interesting agriculture activities, such as fruit and vegetable picking, food farmer education, rural kitchen cooking lessons, rural winery wine tasting, specialty souvenirs and other experience activities; In October, the nation’s largest Nantou World Tea Expo and Chocolate Coffee Festival is held, making this the perfect destination for agricultural tourism in Taiwan.