Taiwan Birds, Culture, Beauty, and Birds!

Hello Everyone,


One of the first questions that I get about Taiwan is "Aren't you scared about China?" and the answer is no. Neither myself nor most of the Taiwan population is worried about an imminent invasion. And the last comment at the end of the tour is always: "We wished we booked a longer trip and stayed longer. Taiwan is so very wonderful". So here is your chance to visit Taiwan and stay a while!


Most of my tours to Taiwan are 16-days long:


Click here to view the complete info: Kaiyote Taiwan Tours


I have two tours if you want to stay longer:


1) Taiwan, around the island in 21 days! November 5 - 25, 2025 (21-days). This will be an amazing trip as we circle the entire island looking for birds. This tour will also spend 8-nights at high elevation areas to view mountain birds. You will see it all: from wetlands to mid elevation, to high elevation habitats, and everything in between.  


2) The Islands of Taiwan: May 19 - June 6, 2026 (19 days). Not only is Taiwan a beautiful island, but the are many smaller islands that are also part of Taiwan. On this tour we will visit four islands of Taiwan: Kinmen, Penghu, Lanyu (Orchid), and Ludao (Green) Island. We will fly to the islands of Kinmen and Penghu, and we will take ferries to Lanyu and Ludao Islands. There will be opportunities to see pelagic birds along the ferry routes. Kinmen has unique birds that you don't see in Taiwan, birds that are found in China. Penghu is a cluster of small islands, one being called Bird Island. Both Lanyu and Ludao have great birding, as well as great snorkeling and swimming. 


Here is more info on Taiwan:


Time to Travel to Taiwan: No visa required, officially bi-lingual with English as the second language, and non-stop flights from many cities in the United States.


Taiwan is a very special place and is one of our favorite places! If you are a birder, in Taiwan you will find 32 endemic species and over 650 species in total. If you are a nature lover, besides the beautiful birds, you will find wonderful forests, canyons, mountains, stunning coastlines, lots of butterflies, fantastic local people, many interesting mammals, and great food! If you are a hiker, you will find great trails through the forests, mountains, and river canyons.


You can find the Itinerary with more details here: Taiwan Tour


You can find a Map of the travel route here: Taiwan Map


You can find the list of Birds that we have seen on this tour here: Taiwan Trip List



Jian Long Wu, our local guide
Jian Long Wu lives in Taipei and is a freelance bird guide and translator. "Wu", as he likes to be called, translated the field guide “Birds of Taiwan”, written by the Wild Bird Society of Taipei from Chinese to English. He is also the eBird regional reviewer for Taiwan and its islands including Kinmen and Matsu. We have one of the top birders as our local guide. Wu lived in Minneapolis for 2-years.
Endemic Taiwan Blue Magpie
Red-and-White Giant Flying Squirrel

Taipei has beautiful parks and botanical gardens that are home to many bird species, including endemics.

Taroko Gorge Canyon
The Taipei 101 building currently is the 11th tallest building in the world and from 2004 - 2010 it was the tallest in the world. The shape represents bamboo with eight segments each having eight floors for good luck and prosperity. Close to the Taipei 101 is a large mountain park where we can view the endemic Blue Magpie, Grey Treepie, Crested Goshawk and many other birds and local squirrels.
Sunset in Budai
The tropic on Capricorn crosses the southern part of Taiwan, just south of Yushan Mountain. Taiwan has a marine tropical climate and the highest peaks occasionally get snow.
Yushan (Jade) Mountain is the highest peak at 12,966 ft and makes Taiwan the 4th tallest island in the world. Taiwan has 200 peaks over 9,500 feet.
Photo of a tea farm in Nantou County. Taiwan produces 20% of the world's Oolong Tea. There will opportunities to learn about tea and enjoy a tea tasting.

We traveling in minivans so we can get to small areas to view birds. Breakfast is buffet style with western food options. Lunch is picnic style and or at a small cafe. Dinner is always at a nice restaurant served Taiwanese family style with both traditional local food.

Birding the northeast coast
Endemic Flamecrest
Birding Hualien
Endemic Collared Bush Robin
Giant Golden Buddhas
Endemic Mikado Pheasant
Taroko Gorge Marble Canyon
Endemic Formosa Macaque
Easy Hiking for Birds and Wildlife
2023 Visiting Hualien and the Taroko Gorge
Visiting the Chiang Kai-shek
Memorial Park in 2018
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park is a great birding area and cultural site.
The Pei Kong Creek Resort
Taipei Botanical Gardens 2019

Kaiyote receiving an award at the Taiwan Bird-a-thon 2016, representing "Team America". Although we didn't win, we were the first American's to compete in the competition.

Private Birding tour October 2019

Southwestern Taiwan is full of wetlands, marshes and slat flats for excellent birding. The Black-faced Spoonbill Reserve has over 200 species of resident and migratory birds listed.

2025 Travel Schedule

  • Alaska Northern Lights (7 days), January 15 - 21st, spots left = 0
  • Panama Gamboa (10 days) February 8 - 17th, spots left = 4
  • Panama The Darien (10 days) February 19 - 28th, spots left = 4
  • Panama Chiriquí (10 days) March 3 - 12th, spots left = 5
  • Sarasota Opera (7 days) March 10 - 16, spots left = 5
  • Taiwan Birding (16 days) March 26 - April 6th, spots left = 4
  • Colombian Andes (13 days) March 29 - April 10th, spots left = 6
  • Colombia Agami Trail (6 days) April 10 - 15th, spots left = 6
  • Alaska Spring tour (14 days) May 10 - 23rd, spots left = 0
  • Peru Hummingbirds (17 days) May 12 - 25th, spots left = 6
  • Iceland Westfjords (11 days) May 29 - June 8th, spots left = 6
  • Iceland Northeast (11 days) June 9 - 19th, spots left = 6
  • Santa Fe Opera & Birding (8 days) August 3 - 9th, spots left = 5
  • Mongolia Mountain Biking (12 days) September 10 - 21st, spots left = 8
  • El Salvador Birding (8 days) October 9 - 16th, spots left = 5
  • Panama Bocas Raptor Migration (10 days) October 19 - 28th, spots left = 6
  • Panama Raptor Migration (10 days) October 29 - Nov 7th, spots left = 6
  • Taiwan Birding (21 days) November 5 - 25th, spots left = 10
  • Okinawa and Taiwan (10 days) December 2 - 12thspots left = 10
  • Stockholm Christmas (8 days) December 20 - 27th, spots left = 6
  • Iceland New Years (7 days) December 30 - January 5th, spots left = 6


2026 destinations are posted on the Kaiyote Tours website

Kaiyote Tours www.KaiyoteTours.com +1 970-556-6103
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