A chaotic bike trip around Taiwan infodump
Several years ago a friend told me about their bike tour around Taiwan, and as someone who’d studied mandarin for years, the seed planted and grew into a goal of mine. And now I’ve done it! And here is how I did it. I imagine this can serve as both a guide for some and maybe a cautionary tale for people who have different travel style from me….
TLDR:
- If you want to do it, you can do it! I was weak af and did it anyway. If you go clockwise and make it to Dapu, you can make it up the mountains!! Go!!!
- The farmland and the mountains were my favorite part!
- Weekends in touristy regions are Hellish. Avoid tourist spots on weekends as best you can.
- The sun is hot: hotter than I was prepared for! Bring good sun gear.
- Please comment any questions, I’m happy to answer as best I can.
環島 (huán dǎo) The Roundabout:
There’s a well established bike route, called Route 1, around the island that follows the coast on highways with huge bike/scooter lanes. From the sections of 1 that I did, and what I heard, it’s kinda lame. All the best parts of my trip were off that dang highway, and I’ve heard as much from other folks. I saw online somewhere while doing (minimal) planning that it takes 12 days to get around the island, but that’s if you follow the dull ass route 1 which skips anything worthwhile. So allotting myself 14 days to get around the island was totally not enough. Once I realized this, already in Taiwan with my bike rental booked, I decided to start in Hualien to expedite the east coast. I wanted to do the Taroko Gorge but it was still iffy from earthquake damage and I’m still not sure if I could have ridden it but didn’t feel like trying to figure it out, and if you say anything about it I’ll cry. Towards the beginning of my trip, I encountered the book Roads Above Clouds that I promptly downloaded on my kindle and used that route for the rest of my trip. He has two alternative routes up the west: one through the mountain passes and one through the foothills that I spliced together for the last few days of my trip.
Some decision context:
Before this tour, I’d done one other long tour down the pacific coast from Portland OR to San Francisco. I’ve always been a pretty outdoorsy person, done a lot of backpacking and camping. For the past 3.5 years, however, I’ve fallen into a pit of bodily disrepair following a car accident. When I decided to go on this tour, I was probably in the worst physical shape I’d been in my whole life: weak, sciatica in my left leg, joint injuries in my ankles and wrists from said weakness…. I was a wreck. Much of my decision making before I was actually on the road revolved around my anxiety about being in poor shape. But this has historically been my methodology: throwing myself into extreme physical routines and just suffering for the first few days. I did do a few 30 mile rides at homey before I left. It’s definitely not the best strategy, but it worked again sooooo…
- I decided to stay in hostels and hotels for similar reasons as above: I didn’t want to haul camping gear around if it didn’t work out. I love to camp and camped on my last bike trip, but this ended up being a good decision for the route I did with the budget I had. If I’d wanted to go down the coast all the way from hualien or had time to go further into the mountains, I’d have wanted to camp since accommodations are more limited there. Also if I’d been traveling with a tighter budget, it obviously would have been cheaper to camp. I did try to use Warmshowers (app that connects bike tourers with hosts, super fun and awesome) a couple times but nobody got back to me. Sad. At the bottom I’ll put a link that a friend I met gave me to a map of hostels in Taiwan.
- I decided to go clockwise because I knew I wanted to go into the mountains instead of riding the industrial west coast, and I didn’t want to start with that. Also I heard some stuff about headwinds going north on the east coast that turned out not to matter.
And that is honestly the extent of my decision making for this trip before touching down in Taiwan.
Renting bikes:
I used Mathew Bike to rent my bike for this trip. Bike Express Taiwan was another company, with the option to pick up and drop off the bike in two different cities, but Mathew Bike was more affordable. Both companies will hold any extra luggage for you while you ride. I rented a 12 speed flat handlebar steel frame road bike for 15 days (8000twd) and then ended up extending it 2 days (500twd). I would have liked drop handlebars and gravel tires, but they didn’t have those left when I rented. The road tires were mostly fine but I would have preferred gravel tires in the mountains. The rental came with a helmet, panniers (though I brought one of my own, as a charm), lights, and repair stuff. I brought my own clipless pedals so I could use my bike shoes. If I were to do this again, I would have just brought my own dang bike, but this worked well for the reasons listed above. Also I met a bunch of guys on the road who just bought a cheap bike off facebook marketplace, but that would have added a level of stress that I was honestly glad to avoid.
Notes about trains:
There are a few types of trains in Taiwan: High speed rails and local trains. High speed trains have these “bike friendly” trains where you can just roll your whole rig right on. Otherwise, you always need to use a bike bag. I decided to start in hualien the day before I left, and realized that bike friendly trains for my weekend start were all booked, so I had to use a bike bag, which I was mad about at first, but I was glad to have it in the end so that I could ride a bus. (more later) If you want a bike friendly train you can, and should, book tickets in advance using the app: 台鐵e訂通 There’s a whole “bike friendly” tab in the booking window. Otherwise: bike bag. Local trains only have a few cars where there’s large luggage storage, but you can slide the bike bag behind the last seats in the car if there’s room.
The route, the good stuff:
📍Hualien (Cozy House 小羊房 花蓮背包客棧)
🚲 54.2 km, 480 m up, 370 down.
We rode south from Hualien into the rift valley because the options for accommodation were limited on the section of the coast just south of Hualien. We cut over away from the highway and Route 1 to ride on the Eastern side of the valley which I LOVED, it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was slightly more hilly than Route 1, but totally manageable with my weak bod. Views of the cloud tipped mountains over rice fields. Stunning. Forest also beautiful.
📍Guangfu (It's a Good Time Homestay)
Before riding, we went on an excursion to the Wanrong hot springs which involved an unexpected 1.5 hr hike up the riverbed, 5 crossings, and scaling a cliff face with a rope. Worth it tho! Had some life changingly good beef noodles in Guangfu.
🚲 50.1 km, 270 m up, 260 m down. Enjoyable, we tried the highway because we’d started late and didn’t want to take too long, but got tired of it and cut over to the eastern side of the valley again after a ride through the strange and beautiful 大農大富 forest. Also lovely views but CRAZY bugs… riding through so many swarms of gnats had me literally coated in dead bugs by the end of the day. Nast.
📍Yuli (910 Hostel)
Absolutely lovely hostel, very clean and homey. Met some girls that I linked back up with in Taipei after the trip. Yuli apparently has some famous stinky tofu I was sad to miss.
🚲 70.0 km, 720m up, 800m down.
We were so scared to try and go up that mountain to get to the coast, that we started super early. It ended up being a non issue: the highway is a marked bike path, the grade is totally fine, okay shoulder. We didn’t realize that there’s a tunnel that cuts through the top of the mountains, which was very bike friendly. We got down to the coast by like 9:30 am (fun descent with ocean views) and decided to go all the way to Dulan where there’s a cute hostel and my childhood friend was also randomly there. We stopped to check out 三仙台嶼 with the bridge and volcanic rock formations which was cool. Theres apparently a good fish market in Chenggong that I would have liked to visit, but we did have some cheap yummy sashimi.
📍Dulan (The travel Bug Bistro inn 旅行蟲 The Travel Bug Hostel旅行蟲背包客棧)
Another super sweetie hostel with social hippie surf vibes. Nick, who co owns it, is really cool. Had some super yummy rice noodle soup from a lady in the neighborhood behind the main strip and really enjoyed my black tea with salt foam from the Japanese photo cafe down the street. There are apparently some cute galleries but they were closed.
🚲 18.6 km, 90m up, 120m down. Simple ride, we stopped at a beach (杉原灣沙灘) to admire the mountains undulating into clouds.
📍Taitung (HOSTEL WHO KNOWS 遊民公社) (2 nights)
My friend took the train back to Taipei from Taitung and I took a day to get myself organized, do laundry, and plan the next leg of my trip. I liked the art museum a lot!
🚲 58.2 km, 470m up, 470m down.
Perfectly sweet coast ride. Stopped for a rest from the heat in Jinlun and had a really yummy indigenous lunch: mackerel and millet donut! The bag shop 笆札筏布工坊 in the Paiwan village of Pacavalj is also worth visiting.
📍 Dawu (尚武民宿 台東縣民宿382號)
I can’t really recommend this hotel… it was clean enough and positioned me well for the next day but was pretty run down and the overhead light didn’t work. I met a friend at a cafe in town who invited me to dinner in the aforementioned village Pacavalj where I tried millet dumplings, so yum. There’s also a hotel in Pacavalj that my friend recommended too!
🚲 74.9km, 1170m up, 1160m down.
I LOVED this ride. I started as early as I could, admiring the sunrise, and the ride up to Shouka pass was actually so lovely: easy grades and lush forest in the morning chill. Then I rode down to this INCREDIBLE section of T26 that is quiet and stunning. Great tide pools, don’t skip em. Then back into the hills before dropping into a little surf town.
📍Jialeshui (A Fei Surf Inn Nanu)
I wanted to surf here but I met some guy at the hostel who said he got injured so I decided against it. Fun to watch them though! Not a lot of food options here, my vegetarian friend I met there had to bike back 20km to the 7eleven in Manzhou!
🚲 76.4km, 430m up, 430m down.
I actually hated this day…. I started too late because I thought I was waiting for free breakfast when I was not, and only rode out at 8:45–already too hot. The coast was beautiful but I really struggle in the heat which was a theme for the next leg of my trip… Additionally it was a Sunday and I was hit with weekender traffic which was unpleasant. I stopped to visit the aquarium to escape the heat but it was so busy that I went to a quiet beach and took a dip instead. Then I had to post up in the 7eleven for an hour. Anyway this day would have been 200% better if it had been a weekday and I’d actually chilled out in the heat.
📍Fangliao (枋寮民宿 鐵騎休息棧)
Sweet hostel recommended highly by the friends I made in Jialeshui for the host’s conversation, but I was too tired to chat. Sad.
🚲 67.8km, 310m up, 250m down.
I loved this day so much, I was so glad to get away from the highway and the coast. Stunning ride through forests and farmlands on bike paths and quieter roads. Really enjoyed my stop in Shuimen: a cute town with an old water wheel and lots of Paiwan and Rukai artist shops. I tried to go to the Indigenous Culture Park that came recommended by my Pacavalj friend, but it was sadly closed on Mondays.
📍 Meinong (美濃雲山居民宿)
Such a lovely and affordable bed and breakfast. Riding around the farmlands at dusk to find dinner was ethereal and so peaceful.
🚲 41.0km, 380m up, 380m down
This was actually my most mentally challenging day because it was the hottest and driest with poor air quality. The fruit stands in Qishan were fun and I stopped at a community center to sing karaoke with some elders which was delightful. I honestly don’t know how I could have avoided suffering that day… I almost gave up and bussed into Tainan!
📍Yujin (長興旅社)
Adequate hotel, seemed clean enough and was super cheap. My tough day was rewarded with a delicious soba noodle dinner at the buckwheat factory down the road.
🚲 7.92km, 40m up, 10m down.
I started late with the intention to stay at the monastery to cool off, but ended up staying the night….
📍Nanxi (Xuankong Temple)
I’d heard about this monastery that was friendly to cyclists and I decided to see if I could rest there for a few hours but they were so nice and suggested I just stay, especially since it was supposed to be even hotter than the day before. So I did! Delicious vegetarian food, gorgeous temple gardens, and fun conversation with the monks. I slept in a neat little dorm room.
🚲 85.3km, 1840m up, 1780m down.
Soooo this was my most nuts day but was one of my favorites! I got up early to catch temple breakfast and had tea with my monk friends before heading out. The ride to Dapu was hilly but fun and beautiful in the morning chill. I got to Dapu around 10:30 and took a nap in the park before deciding what to do next. I’m not going to regale you with my 2 hour decision process, but I only had a few days left with my bike and didn’t think I had the strength to make it up to Alishan like I’d hoped. I decided to ride up over a pass to get to Chiayi where I could take a day trip up to Alishan. The pass was actually crazy steep!! Steepest part of my whole trip! And it rained at the top but I was so grateful not to be hot anymore that I cried, it was so beautiful. Anyway, I got to Chiayi and realized I’d done more elevation in that 1 day than I would have done each day to get to Alishan……. And was so pissed that I decided to bus back into the mountains.
📍Chiayi (嘉義小青旅 Chiayi Petite Hostel) (2 nights)
Very chill and comfortable hostel, owner was nice and super helpful. I could only get a bus ticket up into the mountains for the following day, so I took a rest day in Chiayi. I was mad at first, but I liked Chiayi a lot, so I was glad to have gotten the chance to visit. The tile museum was very cool and I loved the turkey rice paired with some bitter melon—wow. I called Mathew Bike and they were able to extend my rental for 2 extra days before someone else needed my bike.
🚌 I rode the bus up to Shizhuo because the bit of highway before Shizhuo looked steep (confirmed this with my eyes, sheesh) and because even with 2 extra days, it would have been tight to get back down the mountains. Plus I didn’t want to. But I did want to struggle a little, which is why I didn’t bus all the way to Alishan. I was able to squeeze my bagged bike into the tiny luggage compartment. You can avoid this Chiayi bus kerfuffle by going straight from Dapu to Shizhuo 🙃
🚲 45.8km, 2060m up, 740m down.
This was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be, in fact it was awesome! It wasn’t as steep as that dang pass from Dapu to Chiayi. The only tough part was right before getting to Alishan, and that might have been because I was hungry. The highway up to Alishan was a little hairy because there wasn’t a shoulder and these huge tour busses were always careening past. Grades were fine, though, and the tea farm views rocked. Alishan kinda sucked, but it was a weekend during cherry blossom season, so of course it was overrun. I had to stop for the 7eleven (no food on Yushan!) but hightailed it out of there after some lunch and tea. And boy, was I glad I did: the road from Alishan to Yushan was INCREDIBLE. I cried again from joy. Quiet winding roads, literally among the clouds. Huge trees. Jaw dropping views. I was tired but so happy.
📍Yushan National Park (Dongpu Lodge 東埔山莊)
THERE’S NO FOOD HERE! You have to pack in your food! It is also cold up there! I was wearing a wool base layer, wool flannel, and a puffy jacket. This was a true barebones backpacker hostel that packs you in like sardines (they still had a hairdryer though). The energy was fun because everyone was getting ready to embark on the Yushan summit trek the following day. If I’d thought to bring more food and had more time, I might have take 2 extra days to do it in my Chaco sandals… I settled for doing a shorter hike the following morning up over Linzhi mountain which was STUNNING. Flowering trees everywhere, hemlock old growth, and more incredible views. Took me a few hours before getting back on the bike.
🚲 42.2km, 540m up, 2370m down.
Insane descent. More crazy views. Would have been scary if rainy!
📍Heshe (雲想 Forest Ville)
Thought I was booking a dorm bed but it was a bed in a triple hotel room… I was the only one there otherwise the vibe would have been odd. Very comfortable though! I rode into Dongpu to soak at a hot spring which was only okay mostly because I was already so hot. Ate at a really amazing Bunun indigenous restaurant that required I hike up into the village, one of the owners was kind enough to take me down on her scooter.
🚲 64.8km, 270m up, 990m down.
Chill ride, I enjoyed the snake kiln park and a green tea passion fruit boba stop in Shuili. I took a road out of Shuili that was busy with trucks and very dusty, I was glad to have a scarf to wear over my mouth.
📍Tianzhong (犁園民宿)
Very sweet affordable guesthouse. Took the train out of here the next morning back to Taipei to return by bike!
Other random notes:
- Pack some tissues or toilet paper, as most public bathrooms don’t have. I was saved by a French biker at Shouka pass… thank you French biker.
- Food was mostly abundant, I’ve noted where it was not. Some of the best meals I had were in spots that looked like someone’s porch. “可以吃饭吗?” will get you far.
- Speaking of speaking Chinese, my language skills came in so clutch. Many city people speak English, but most people out of the cities don’t really. In fact many don’t speak Chinese—they speak Taiwanese, which I found unintelligible. Almost all road signage had English translations but menus did not. Google Translate is your friend. Practicing some basic phrases will not only help you, but endear you to all the aunties you meet and they might give you some guava...
Hostel link:
https://walk.layana.com/%E7%92%B0%E5%B3%B6%E4%BD%8F%E5%AE%BF%E5%9C%B0%E5%9C%96