Taiwan Nature, Culture, Beauty |
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Greetings!
Where am I these days? This one of the most common questions I get. Currently I'm in Washington State and for the next couple of weeks I have a few backpacking trips and birding tours on the schedule for the Olympic Peninsula. In late June I will be heading to Colorado for tours at Rocky Mountain National Park and the Great Sand Dunes National Park
And then it is on to the next big trip: Mongolia from August 2 - 11, 2023 and it is not too late to join the trip.
If you can't make the Mongolia trip, you should consider visiting Taiwan. Just this past April, I spent 2-weeks in Taiwan for birding and visiting cultural sites. Taiwan is a great place to visit and here are a few reason why:
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 our favorite places! If you are a birder, in Taiwan you will find over 30 endemic species, with 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.
Taiwan is a small island located 110 miles off the coast of southeastern China. Although Taiwan maintains its own independent government, it is officially: “The Republic of China”. Taiwan is about 1.5 times larger than the state of New Hampshire and has a population of nearly 24 million people. Taipei is the capital city and is located in the northern part of the country and 9.3 million people live in the Taipei–Keelung–Taoyuan metropolitan area. Artifacts dating back 30,000 years have been found on the island and the Taiwanese Aboriginals have lived in Taiwan for 6,000 years. Over the past centuries, there have been many occupying forces: The Dutch, Spanish and Japanese, with China having the most control and influence. Today 85% of the population identifies as Han Chinese. Most Taiwanese are either Buddhist or Taoist and freedom of religion is in the constitution.
Taiwan is a mountainous country with over 268 peaks above 9,800 feet across the subtropical zone. Yushan (Jade Mountain, Mount Yu) is 12,966 feet, 3,952m. Taiwan’s culture is a blend of indigenous, Chinese and Japanese influences that travelers can actually experience through tasting the island’s creative culinary scene. Taiwan is also an advocate for human rights and is the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Enjoy a vacation in this scenic paradise. Don’t miss out on this colorful and vibrant travel destination!
Through all the years of changes, the one thing that has not changed is the Taiwanese people's love of nature. Taiwan has 10 national parks covering a total of 1.9 million acres and every county has local forest preserves and parks. Taiwan is dominated by forested mountains and has 18 National Forest Recreation areas. The island is criss-crossed with a network of well-maintained hiking trails. Taiwan has 65 different fire-fly species, which are a beloved insect and protected in the country. Taiwan is home to abundant biodiversity. Over 650 different bird species, 61 mammal species (including the endemic Formosan White-throated black bear), 92 reptile species, 30 amphibian species, 400 butterfly species and over 4,000 vascular plant species.
Taiwan is a very modern and developed country with all the conveniences and luxuries anyone could need. About 10 million foreign tourists visit Taiwan every year and the country has the best hotels and restaurants for a great travel experience. It is a free, democratic and progressive society. You can visit Taiwan without having to get a visa in advance and much of the country is bi-lingual with English as the second language. Taiwan has a fantastic infrastructure including a wonderful rail system with bullet trains traveling 185 mph. We will take the train several times on the Taiwan tour and it is a very nice and relaxing experience to travel on the trains. According to the U.S. Department of State, violent crime against foreigners is unusual, and overall violent crime rates in Taiwan are among the lowest in the world. Taiwan has modern medical facilities, with state-of-the-art equipment available at many hospitals and clinics. For many of the other countries we travel to, these things are not always the case and so there are no excuses not to go to Taiwan!
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
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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, while his wife got her masters in Ornithology at the University of Minnesota.
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National Bird: Taiwan Blue Magpie |
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Red-and-White Giant Flying Squirrels |
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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. |
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Taipei has beautiful city parks, forest parks and botanical gardens that are home to many bird species, including endemics. The are small mountains surrounding the city with great hiking trails. |
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The tropic on Capricorn crosses the southern part of Taiwan, just south of Yushan Mountain. Taiwan has a marine tropical climate and tall mountains that occasionally get snow. |
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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. |
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Photo of a tea farm in Nantou County. Taiwan produces 20% of the world's Oolong Tea. There will opportunities to learn about teas, enjoy a tea tasting and purchase tea. |
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We travel in a very comfortable mini-coach. Breakfast is buffet style with western food options. Lunch is picnic style and either eaten on the bus or at a small cafe. Dinner is always at a nice restaurant served Taiwanese family style and with both traditional local food or western food options. |
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Taiwan Travel Dates & Information 2023 |
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Travel Dates: November 30 - December 10, 2023 with a 4-day option to visit Taroko Gorge from December 11 - 14, 2023
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Group Size: 10 travelers plus two guides
- Trip Length: 10 - 14 days, (4 days at Taroko optional), but Taroko is the largest marble canyon in the world, so you should probably go there too!
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Rates per person = $4,150, Taroko Gorge add-on = $1070 (based on double occupancy). For single occupancy it is $1,670 for 10-day tour and $540 single for Taroko.
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Rates include: Domestic transfers and transportation, lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, group tours, entrance fees and Allianz basic travel medical insurance.
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Not included: International airfare, customs & immigration fees and visas, alcohol, travel cancellation insurance.
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Adventure level: Easy, please check "Welcome" page for definition
Special offer: Included with your trip (one per room) is a copy of the field guide “Birds of Taiwan”, by Wild Bird Society of Taipei. You will receive this when you reserve your trip so you will have time to study the beautiful birds of Taiwan
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Taiwan has 29 endemic bird species, with over 650 bird species in total.
Pictured are the Taiwan Barbet and the Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler.
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Birding the northeast coast |
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Endemic Collared Bush Robin |
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Taroko Gorge Marble Canyon |
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Easy Hiking for Birds and Wildlife |
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Amazing paths and vistas at Taroko |
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Visiting the Chiang Kai-shek
Memorial Park in 2018
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Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park is a great birding area and cultural site. |
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Staying at the Grand Hotel 2019 |
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Taipei Botanical Gardens 2019 |
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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. |
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Private Birding tour October 2019 |
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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. |
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Time to Sign- up for the Taiwan Tour |
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Video: Taiwan Blue Magpies bathing at Huisun Forest |
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Travel Schedule 2023
- Mongolia (10 days) August 2 - 11th
- Santa Fe Opera & Birding (7 days) August 20 - 26th
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El Salvador (8 days) October 18 - 25th
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Panama Gamboa (8 days) October 28 - November 4th, (Peak Raptor Migration)
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Panama Darien (7 days) November 4 - 10th (Raptor Tour)
- Panama Chiriquí Cloudforest (9 days) November 10 - 18th
- Taiwan (11 days) November 30 - December 10th
- Taiwan Taroko (4 days) December 11 - 14th
- Stockholm Christmas (8 days) December 20 - 27th
- Iceland/Estonia New Years (7 days) December 30 - January 5th
Travel Schedule 2024
- Panama Darien and Gamboa (16 days) January 25 - February 9th
- Panama Chiriquí Cloudforest (9 days) February 9 - 17th
- Panama Gamboa (8 days) February 17 - 24th
- Argentina spring tour, dates are still flexible
- Nepal (10 days) March 5 - 14th
- Peru Hummingbird Tour (17 days) March 15 - 31, 2024
- Colombia Andes (16 days) March 1 - 16th
- Colombia Amazon (9 days) March 17 - 25th
- Colombia Bogota (9 days) March 26 - April 4th
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Taiwan (15 days) April 13 - 27th
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Taiwan and Okinawa (17 days) April 28 - May 14th
- Santa Fe Opera & Birding (7 - 8 days) mid August
- Stockholm Christmas (8 days) December 20 - 27th
- Iceland/Estonia New Years (7 days) December 30 - January 5th
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