This is Taiwan’s mini Niagara Falls. Quite impressive, just listen to the endless storm of water pouring downwards.
The trail to the waterfall offers good workout, with flights of steps, but visitors get to enjoy the greenery and fresh air. (GPS 25.049165, 121.787412 )
Shifen attractions
There are a few visitor’s points to admire the waterfall. It was too misty when we visited, due to the rain.
Shifen Waterfall on a clearer day
Photo below is taken during another trip, when the sky was much clearer.
From here, take a leisurely 15 min walk back to Shifen Old Street.
The second Shifen Attractions are the 天燈 Lantern
We pen our best wishes and auspicious couplets on our own lantern.
Not to worry if your Mandarin is weak, there is a sample template for you to copy and paste the idioms 🙂
You can choose to draw on only one side or all four side, let your cartoon creations dot the lantern.
Our 李家 lantern (and gif below)
Family Lantern Shifen
They were still releasing the lanterns in drizzle, a novelty for tourists.
The lanterns are cheap, and the helpers will help you take your family photos. 1, 2, 3 Let IT Go! Huat Ah!
There are actually two famous spots to release lanterns, 十分 Shifen and 平溪 Pingxi. Most tourists will be letting their lanterns soar in bustling Shifen, Pingxi is normally a quiet town
Train map below, Pingxi is 3 stops away from Shifen.
Can you spot Ruifang and Keelung station?
Ruifang Station is the interchange for the region.
Train map Shifen
The “1000” lanterns in Pingxi are only released during special occasions, like Chinese New Year or Lantern Festival (Mar). What a sight!
Real trains cut through Shifen old street very hour.
Train rumbling across Shifen Old Street is the 3rd Shifen Attractions
Someone will whistle a warning before the train arrives. The crowd would instantly disperse to the sides. We would recommend waiting to pose with the trains (Please be safe!)
Bring out your cameras! Do take note this train is notoriously packed during holiday seasons, some tourists actually miss the last train due to overcrowding.
Shifen attractions
The 4th Shifen Attractions must be the festive atmosphere along the train track (十分老街)
Families would be jostling for family portraits, trying their best Instagram angle. When we are hungry, snacks line the street too.
Maybe this suspension bridge can be a mini attraction too?
靜安吊橋 (Jinggan) links you to the old town, and we can see the spans of the river on both side. You can see the lanterns floating away towards the forest fringe.
We pass by this mini cafe on our way back hop in for some hot chocolate.
Ok #TrueStory. The lanterns look good for photos, but they are not good for the environment. What happens if they caught fire or drop into the sea? The plastic components will contaminate the surroundings.
We are guilty.
After Jiufen and Shifen (both venues were raining), our driver from Round Taiwan Round brought us back to Taipei. I am going to miss the Great Outdoors 🙂
Photo albums :
–Day 1 Aowanda, Cing Jing
–Day 2 Cing Jing
–Day 3 Xitou Nature Education Area, Monster Village, Sun Moon Lake
–Day 4 Taichung (Zhongshe flower, ShengXin station, Cycling, Fengjia)
–Day 5 Taichung (Animation Lane, Rainbow, Miyahara)
–Day 6 Keelung 基隆 -Day 7 Ruifang, Jiufen and Shifen
–Day x Taipei HomeAway and Neighbourhood
–Day 8 永康, Xi Men Ding, 象山, 饒河 Raohe
–Day 9 and 10 北投 Beitou, Toyshop, 士林 Shilin
Presenting our 10D9N Taiwan Itinerary for families.
(The itinerary and links to our photos and each day’s blog post are at the end of this page)
We love 台湾 Taiwan’s forest, mountain and waterways . Trails and hikes are simply refreshing for us, away from urban cities and just enjoying the great nature. We make an effort to spend more time to absorb the greens and fresh air in the mountains.
As it was near to Winter and with the high altitude, we were constantly blanketed with mist. So mystical and surreal, LOVE !
Boon Kang taking a breather at Aowanda
We last visited Taiwan as a family six years ago, read our precious itinerary here. Kids have all grown up and we can afford to add more sports and hiking into our itinerary.
[4 videos below]
YouTube link – 10D9N in 2 minutes, we Love Taiwan Day and Night, Dry or Wet
溪頭 Xitou’s mini hike was actually my second favourite activity, but I over-estimated our family’s fitness. Just amazing to see the bamboo forest :p
清境 Cing Jing farm, everyone knows about the sheep and fresh air, but did you know about the sheep poo :p (It was still a lot of Fun for our family)
奧萬大 Aowanda National Forest’s famous suspension bridge, only 180m long.
Our 10D9N trip took us from Nantou to Taichung to Ruifang and back to Taipei. We plan for only 4 or 5 sights per day so that we can fully enjoy and appreciate each hop.
We are still sorting out the photos. Tips, Venue and GPS will be added later. If you have any urgent requests, just drop us an email “andy@SengkangBabies.com”
Day 1 (Thu) – Dec 2017
Taiwan Itinerary for families start at 桃園 Taoyuan Airport. We hired a van to 清境 Cing Jing (Nantou).
1)Aowanda National Forest (奧萬大國家森林遊樂區) for hiking and maple leaves. The maples will not be as stunning as Osaka’s.
(Ticketed, recommend 2 to 3 hours, you need 1 hour to walk from entrance to bridge)
Taiwan Itinerary for families
2)Do take note Carton King 紙箱王 and Swiss Garden 小瑞士花園 are closed till end December 2017.
3)Our Minsu 好家寨民宿, 8 min walk to 7-11 and Starbucks. One thing we quickly realised is we need a cab to get around. Would be challenging to drive when the fog sets in.
For meals, you can call the F&B outlet and they will provide complimentary transfers.
4)We visited 廬山 Lushan for a dip in their hot spring (aka Onsen, 泡湯, 溫泉). Feels shiok to indulge in hot spring in cool autumn or winter period (be it indoor or outdoor pools).
Temperature can drop to 7 degrees in the evening, we all love our snug and heated blankets.
We love the weather, the mist, the sheep and all the photo opportunities.
(ticketed, recommend 2 to 3 hours, including tea break)
Trailed 487 steps from horse ranch and walk back to 7-11. We did not try Sunset trail 4pm (Sun sets around 1705 during Winter time).
How come there are so few stars in the Winter evenings?
The cold weather gave us the perfect excuse to indulge in Hot Chocolate and cheese cake. Visited 星巴克 Starbucks every night 🙂
Day 3 (SAT) Xitou and Sun Moon Lake
9)Visited 妖怪村 Monster Village and 溪頭自然教育園區(Xitou), they are side by side. Nature lovers can spend up to half a day here. Famous icons are the bamboo forest and 天空走廊 “Sky corridor”. (Ticketed, recommend 2 to 3 hours)
Families might find Monster village fascinating, like a Japanese popup neighbourhood. Look deeper and you will find all stuffs quirky and even crass haha. (1 hour should be enough)
Taiwan free and easy family
Love the mist which keeps floating in and out, so cool (literally).
10)We spent so much time at Xitou that we had to skip 車埕 and 貯木池.
11)Sun was setting and we had to forego cycling around 日月潭 Sun Moon Lake. If time permits, cycle towards “向山觀景台 天空步道” within 20 to 30 minutes. One round around the lake is about 25km, or 2 hours.
Rested at Sun Moon Lake 日月潭民宿 水社海 for the night (Homeaway link)
Day 4 (SUN) Taichung 台中
Finally, the SUN came out to play with us but temperature is still a cool 15 to 20 degrees YES!
12)苗栗大湖採草莓 Strawberry picking along Dahu (Miaoli). This is the first batch of strawberries so size is smaller and slightly more sour.
(Pay by grams, we recommend 30 to 60 mins)
13)勝隆客栈 (客家 Hakka restaurant) restaurant was recommended by our driver, Xiao Li. Love the old school feel and delicious home-cooked food.
Do visit the old Sheng Xin Station too, so nostalgic.
(1 to 2 hours, lunch and attractions)
14) 中社花海 Zhong She Flower Market (Take note this is different from 新社花海, which is free but open only in Nov/Dec). We found our Lavender field, pity too much photobombs.
(Ticketed, 30 to 60mins to pose with Piano and props :p )
We rented bikes (got eBikes too) and cycled South to the famous 九號隧道 Tunnel 9. Trains used to run through the tunnel!
(Go and Google Map “隧道口烤肉租車中心” for estimated bike rental location. The whole lane has at least 10 rental stalls, yet bikes can be fully rented during weekends!) (recommend 60 to 90mins easy ride time)
The kids all agree that Taichung cycling was the best activity from our trip
(I had planned for goKart too, but did not have time to drift).
16) 逢甲夜市 Fengjia Night market
After a few days of hills, Tai Chung offered our first Night Market and YES, 泡泡茶 bubble tea. Street food are best shared 🙂
The nights are still 15 to 18 degrees, huddle together to keep warm. Boon Kang (no2) mentioned he loves the aircon weather 🙂
17)台中逢甲葉綠宿旅館 Green Hotel is just 6 min walk from night market, plenty of food options around and dry cleaning washers downstairs.
The Mrs prefer Taichung to Taipei, I can understand why. It is slightly more laid back, and the small lanes are packed with good food and boutique shops.
18) 動漫彩繪巷 Painted animation lane was recommended by my boy, pity many painting had been demolished. (30 to 45min is enough, Manga fans can spend more time with selfie)
19) 彩虹眷村 Rainbow Village
SengkangBabies started with Mummy and Daddy. Rainbow Village has a lot of mushy couplets, perfect for love birds. (we recommend 30 to 60mins)
20) Taichung yummy Food tours 🙂
From Famous ice cream, 太陽餅 Sun cake, 鳳梨酥 pineapple cake to 日出蛋糕 (cheese cake) , you must visit 宮原眼科 Miyahara.
Besides the “eye treats”, the building interior is also Instagram worthy 🙂
(recommend 30 to 60mins)
21)大東屋日本活鰻店 (Japanese style eel was not suitable for kids, too much bones) and 春水堂 Chun Shui Tang, rumoured to be the world’s first Bubble Tea 🙂
(recommend chill 30 to 60mins each)
Boon Xin (no 4)’s favourite activity is actually hunting for Bubble tea at all the night markets haha. Kids all love to catch a toy or two at the Night Markets‘ arcades.
22)Optional tours in Taichung:
-新峰農場 Xin Feng to pluck Grapes – not in Season during our trip
-高美濕地 Gaomei Wetlands (check the tides and sunset timing first)
-九二一地震教育園區 Earthquake Museum (educational tour)
29) Skipped a few attractions due to rain and heavy fog.
-南雅奇石 Nanya rocks formation
-黃金瀑布 Golden Fall (10 mins)
-九份老街 Jiufen Old Street (60 to 120mins, inclusive lunch)
(Skipped)
-金瓜石黄金博物馆 Gold Museum (trailhead for Teapot mountain hike)
-不厭亭 Buyen Pavillion
30)十分大瀑布 Shifen waterfall (15 mins)
十分天燈 Shifen Lantern + train (passes by hourly)
(we recommend 30 to 45mins)
31) Optional tours near Ruifang:
-鼻頭角燈塔 Bitou lighthouse (previous blog link)
-猴硐貓村 Cats Houtong (for cats lover)
32)Taipei stay (Homeaway link) at Nanjing Fuxing Station (central location)
Play the Instagram video (slide to second picture below), felt like Christmas has come earlier. This Taipei Homeaway unit totally exceeded our expectations 🙂
33) Visited 遼寧夜市 Liao Ning Night Market (8 min walk from our unit)
34) Legs Massage (爽 shiok)
Day 8 (THU) Taipei
35)永康街 Yong Kang for brunch and ice mango (many famous food here). Maybe you can visit 師大夜市 Shida Night Market (1km South), for dinner and snacks after Yong Kang.
(60 to 90 min to explore the corners, just follow the queues)
36)西門町 Xi Men Ding, sightseeing and 阿宗麵線 :p
(recommend 60 mins)
37) Split- Gals went 五分埔 Wu Fen Pu (recommend 60 mins) , boys hiked 象山 Elephant Mountain (recommend 60 mins, including 30mins for slow climb)
38) Gather at 饒河夜市 Rao He Night Market for snacks again 🙂
Acting cute, kids always role play Assassin Creed with their hoods :p
Day 9 (FRI) Taipei
39) Christmas toys shopping 東東玩具百貨
(10min walk from Taipei Main Station)
40) 北投區 Beitou hot spring dip our sore legs for free (recommend 20 mins)
Beitou Hell valley hot spring 地熱谷 (di4 ri4 gu3) (20 mins for surroundings)
滿客屋拉麵 Full House Ramen, enjoy some good broth in cool weather. Do sit outside.
41)士林夜市 Shilin Night Market. Kids thought all Night Markets are the same until they visit the Mother of all Night Markets.
A pity I ran out of time to discover the Coffin Bread stall, it is now located at basement near to prawn catching.
42) Back to Taipei 101 but minimum Christmas celebrations here.
“Frozen” special exhibit (ticketed) close at 10pm.
If you wish to soak in the Christmas festive atmosphere, take a train to 新北市板橋區 Banqiao Station (GPS 25.013666, 121.464886, Facebook link).
Day 10 (SAT) Taipei
43) walk around neighbourhood, no itinerary. Just anyhow explore.
Rest, eat, relax, eat and recuperate. This is our type of Holiday 🙂
Boon Yee (No3) is easy to feed. Just buy him 滷肉飯 (Lu3 Rou4 Fan4) and 鸡蛋糕 (Ji1 Dan4 Gao1) :p
Boon Wee (no 1)’s favourite activity is exploring Night Markets, because of abundance of cheap and delicious food choices! Our 50th bowl of Lu Rou Fan.
Our kids actually prefer local “mixed rice” compared to fancy restaurant or cafes! So easy maintenance right.
We did notice there are many accessories for pet dogs. Why do Taiwanese like to parade their pet dogs?
* 44) Taiwan culture is best experience. Most folks are very hospitable and helpful. 人情味 is so strong in Taiwan, and I hope the kids remember the friendly guides, host, drivers and many other vendor, hawkers we met in Taiwan.
Taiwanese know we are from Singapore or Malaysia from our accent haha.
As the Sun set somewhere in Taiwan, we got 10D9N of memories to bring home. 台灣赞!
Additional tips :
a)Be it high in the mountain, deep in the forest or exploring some back alleys in Taipei, ChangiWiFi from Changi Recommends did not disappoint. We could connect up to 6 devices simultaneously.
ChangiWiFi could last us 4 hours easily before a recharge.
Being Online means we can utilise Google Map, Google Images, Email, Social Media and if parents allowed, online games for the kids :p
Rental of ChangiWiFi is only $5 per day for Taiwan, more details here www.changiwifi.com
b)YouBike is very popular in cities, but you need a Taiwan number for registration. When we were walking around in Taichung and Taipei, we love the dedicated bike lanes, there was minimum risk of being knocked over by a reckless eBike or eScooters.
By the way, bikes can only park at designated lots, thus no messy situation like Singapore’s bikes.
Easy connections via the Train routes 🙂
c)Lastly, we wish to recommend our guide and driver for 3 of the days, 小李 Xiao Li (from Tour Taiwan Hong Lee).
He did not know we are blogger but he treated us like VIP because we were introduced by Angeline (https://www.lifestinymiracles.com). Thank you Angeline 🙂
小李’s Hello Kitty van is his trademark and he is very popular with Singaporean tourists. Kids are comfortable around him and he never hard-sell any attractions. Do Whatsapp or WeChat 小李 +886 955 133572
We cannot guarantee that his price is the cheapest, but you will get honest recommendations and feedback, and most importantly “Peace of mind“.
d)Do follow our Instagram hashtag #SengkangBabiesTaiwan for all our Taiwan Fun episodes 🙂
Instagram #sengkangBabiesTaiwan
This page is the overview of our 10D9N Taiwan Itinerary for families. Too much Fun! , pardon the spam of photos.
Do pop by this page again as I will be updating the urls for new photos (on Facebook) and each day’s blog post. We hope our itinerary will be useful for your planning and reference.
Do visit our Google Sheet for our 10D9N itinerary (and Google Map tips)
*Updated 2019Oct – We cycled 250 km from Hualien to Taitung. Super Fun !
Cycling Hualien to Taitung
Photo albums :
–Day 1 Aowanda, Cing Jing
–Day 2 Cing Jing
–Day 3 Xitou Nature Education Area, Monster Village, Sun Moon Lake
–Day 4 Taichung (Zhongshe flower, ShengXin station, Cycling, Fengjia)
–Day 5 Taichung (Animation Lane, Rainbow, Miyahara)
–Day 6 Keelung 基隆 -Day 7 Ruifang, Jiufen and Shifen -Day x Taipei HomeAway and Neighbourhood
–Day 8 永康, Xi Men Ding, 象山, 饒河 Raohe
–Day 9 and 10 北投 Beitou, Toyshop, 士林 Shilin
ps..
for the two Homeaway links above (Sun Moon Lake and Taipei), use promo code “HomeAwaySKBabies” and enjoy 8% off your booking (Valid until 31 Mar 2018)
