Discover Taipei’s more natural side on this day trip to Yangmingshan National Park, the mountains and trails north of the city. Stroll through its lush forests, admire the impressive nature just minutes from urban Taipei and enjoy the spectacular views offered by its privileged location.
Yangmingshan National Park is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and home to a big number of diverse fauna, flora and hiking trails which give access to several mountains. The most famous one and tallest in north Taiwan being Qixing mountain, with a height of 1,120 meters. In addition, Qixing mountain is the highest non-active (dormant) volcano in all of Taiwan. This national park, within the city limits, has an extension of more than 113 square kilometers. Due to this fact, it’s easy to find areas with geothermal activity, such as hot springs, steam columns that emerge from the ground and sulfur deposits while walking around the park. Its valleys, cherry blossom and numerous trails are also famous.
Qixing mountain, with a height of 1,120 meters is the highest dormant volcano of the island.
Qixing mountain in Yangmingshan National Park.
Taipei city in the background.
In this day hiking tour we propose you three different hikes to enjoy Yangmingshan National Park. All these hikes varies in duration, difficulty and starting points. We want to make sure that there is a hike that you will be able to enjoy!
If you would like to get detailed information about Yangmingshan National Park, its several trails and how to go there by public transport to enjoy them by yourself, please don’t miss this complete guide by our good friend Anusha.
This hiking tour is shorter and going straight to Qixing mountain peaks, the tallest mountain of Yangmingshan. Be ready to face never ending steps with the satisfaction at the end to conquer the highest point of Taipei and north Taiwan. We will visit the Yangmingshan National Park Visitor Center, and from there we will enter the trailhead and start our journey that will not only bring us to Qixing mountain Main, East and South peaks but also we’ll visit Xiaoyoukeng, a post-volcanic geological landscape, famed for the fumaroles, sulfur crystals and spectacular landslide terrain.
Xiaoyoukeng with its fumaroles.
Qixing mountain.
This is the most complete and longest, in distance covered and time spent hiking tour of the following proposals. We’ll start far from most of the famous hiking trails at Fengguizui and from there we’ll start to to explore several of its paths and valleys on foot. We will discover the native flora, such as its bamboo forests, and we will enjoy the spectacular views that the several mountains offer. As with option A, this hiking tour will climb Qixing mountain and we will end at the fumaroles of Xiaoyoukeng.
Yangmingshan rivers.
Water buffalo in Qingtiangang.
Like our option A hiking tour, this one is shorter but a little bit more challenging as we’ll be visiting Datun mountain peaks, with the second highest mountain in Yangmingshan National Park. These group of mountains are fun to climb because it involves the use of ropes in some sections of the hike to help us not slip on its slippery terrain. For this hike we’ll start next to one famous location in the the park called Erziping. From there, get ready to face several steps to the main peak of Datun mountain. After conquering the main peak, we’ll face several ascending and descending slopes to pass throught the other peaks of Datun mountain: South and West peaks.
Steps to Datun Main Peak.
Datun slopes.
Visit very modern Taipei 101 skyscraper, and also get a peek at the past through a collection of old buildings still remaining, known as 44 South Village, Taipei’s very first military dependents village.
Stroll through a traditional market, select the ingredients, and learn how to prepare typical food in a Taiwanese cooking class.
This half-day Taipei walking tour pass through historical villages, recognized landmark buildings and combines with a pleasant urban hike.
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