In the heart of Taiwan lies a mountain that transforms into a big slab of whiteness during the cold winter months. It also turns into a green grassland during the summer days and in spring it is said to be covered with mist which adds more mystery for those who tried to climb its peaks. The favorable weather during autumn makes it more fun to visit as the sunny skies in Central Taiwan brighten the day while the cold breeze of the Northeasterly winds send chills to every visitor.
This “mountain of joy” is called Hehuanshan (合歡山) and I had been praying for months to finally see this place in Taiwan. I still remember my adventure in Taiwan Day 876 (Center of Attraction Part 2 “When it snows, it pours”) where I failed to reach Hehuanshan. It was winter and snow was falling heavily on its slopes. Unfortunately, a lot of locals and international visitors also wanted to visit Hehuanshan creating a traffic jam in the mountain. The thick snow also made it impossible to enjoy the weather at that time. It had already become dangerous that many decided to go back home.
The good thing is that the gods and goddesses of Taiwan had finally answered my prayers. Thanks to kkday's Hehuanshan half-day tour package [Reserve here] that I was able to visit the mountain. To book a tour, one must have a companion because the minimum order is for two persons. Luckily, I have my Travel Buddy Teklu to join with me. The price of the tour was NTD 800 and the cost was right enough since there is a lack of public transportation that will you take back to Taichung if you plan to have a day trip in Hehuanshan.
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| Cingjing Guest House. I actually didn't book on this hotel and I just set this as my pick up point since Bus 6659 would stop here. My Travel Buddy and I slept in Puli Center Cente Hostel in Nantou and at 6 am we boarded the bus and alighted at the Cingjing Guest House. |
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| The minsu of our fellow passengers |
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| Inside the tour bus |
In the booking website of KKday, I set the meeting place at Cingjing Guest House (清境農場國民賓館). A staff at the front desk of the hotel helped me to talk to the Chinese driver of the bus. After waiting for 10 minutes, a 9-seater van finally came at 8:40 am. There were already two passengers inside our van and the driver drove fast to pick up our two other bus mates in their minsu.
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| The view from the window of the bus |
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| at Yuanfeng Station |
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| Travel Buddy Teklu |
Going up to the mountain was already an adventure. The sky was clear and the clouds seemed to be blown away by a powerful force. The blue color of the heavens matched perfectly to the lush mountains of Nantou and I enjoyed the scenery like there was no fear of our bus falling from the cliff road. A 10-minute stop in Yuanfeng Station made me shiver with the cold temperature of the mountains that I had to wear my shirt made up of wool to keep me warm. There were some viewing points in Yuanfeng but not sufficient enough to see all the beauty of Hehuanshan.
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| The journey continued ... |
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| until we reached Wuling where we saw the winding road looking like a horizontal line that divided the mountains. |
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| Wuling (3,275 meters above sea level) |
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| The view from the marker in Wuling. |
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| Me and Travel Buddy Teklu at Wuling marker |
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| Some high altitude trees in Wuling |
My excitement became higher as the tour bus went to Wuling. At a height of 3,275 meters, the neighboring mountains of Hehuanshan can be seen here. A must-do here in Wuling was to have a photo of the mountain road. It was picturesque as it looks like a horizontal line that divided the green slopes of Taiwan's mighty mountains. I saw some trees but Hehuanshan was almost as green as grass on a clear sunny day. After wandering in Wuling for 20 minutes, my tour bus left the place to reach Taiwan’s highest hotel
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| At an elevaton of more than 3,000 meters above sea level, Song Syue Lodge is the highest hotel in Taiwan. |
From Wuling Peak to Song Syue Lodge to the entrance of the Mt. Shihmen Trail
If the gods of Taiwan came down to Earth to visit Hehuanshan for an overnight stay, then they must have stayed in Song Syue Lodge. Haha! They would also have booked their stay one month before their planned visit. This hotel is always full and prospective visitors must go to its online reservation system to get a room. Seeing the Song Syue Lodge made me fantasize to sleep in that hotel someday but I suddenly got distracted when my tour bus just passed by the building.
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| The entrance of the Mt. Shihmen trail is just beside the road. |
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| Teklu was having a great time in Hehuanshan. |
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| Along the Mt. Shihmen Trail, were some lakes. |
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| There was another trail beside Mt. Shihmen Trail. Can you see it? |
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| climbing... |
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| nice view |
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| Stairs! |
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| Still a long way to go |
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| At the summit of Mt. Shihmen |
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| while going down the mountain |
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| One more look at the Mt. Shihmen trail |
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| The Song Syue Lodge was near the entrance of the Mt. Shihmen Trail. |
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| Song Syue Lodge |
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| Our tour bus as it was parked near Song Syue Lodge |
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| The sky became cloudy at noontime and traffic was also building up in the mountain road. |
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| These cars were going to Song Syue Lodge. |
The trail was easy to climb but Taiwan's Central Mountain range was like a temptation. We stopped every time we saw a good view and then we take photos of ourselves. As we go higher, it becomes colder and the scenery becomes more majestic. Song Syue was visible from the mountain slopes and I imagined how it would look like when there is snow. Teklu and I were able to get back to our bus at 11:40 am and at 12:30 pm we arrived at the north entrance of Cingjing Farm. A half-day tour was not really enough to see all what Hehuanshan has to offer but at least I had already visited the place and I will be back again for another adventure.
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| The view of the sky and the mountains along the road going to Hehuanshan. |
Ah Hehuanshan! How can I best describe you? You are like a gift from the heavens to the Taiwanese people. Towering above at more than 3,200 meters above sea level, your height and your beauty makes you the garden of the gods.
THINGS TO DO IN TAICHUNG - CENTRAL TAIWAN
Sakura Series - Taiwan
2025 Forecast
Taipei 101 first flowers
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Taipei Flower Test Center
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Broadwood Park
Sunshine Sports Park kawazu sakura
Wuling Farm (武陵農場)
SYS kawazu sakura
Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
CKS Memorial Hall
Shibafen Yoshino Sakura
Hope River
Dongfang Temple
Tianyuan Palace
Neicou Stream Trail
Orange Garden Cafe
Yangming Park Visitor Information Center
Yangming Park Service Center Bus Stop
Huashan Road
Qianshan Park
Zhongshan Hall Entrance
Tenglong Sakura Farm
Flower Test Center Shōwa Sakura
Neihu Creek Trail
Shulin Land Office
Xióng Kōng Cherry Blossom Forest
Lung Yen Sakura Forest
Yangming Park cherry stream
Yangming Park fountain
CKS Memorial Hall Tairyō sakura
Wugu District Tianyi Road
CKS Memorial Hall yaesakura
Loving Farm
Yong Long Farm
Zhongbaling Sakura Road
Sun Link Sea
Tai'an Police Station
Cherry Hill Slope
Hsinchu Park
Taipei 101
Kāng Gào Kēng Creek
New Garden City
Broadwood Park
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Alishan Ranger Station
Alishan House
Alishan Police Station
Alishan Forest Railway
Alishan Station
Alishan Entrance
Alishan Gou Hotel
Alishan Magnolia Garden
Wulai tour
Wun Chang Elementary School
Bishanyan
Sanzhi Sansei Trail
Sakura Series - Taiwan
Nei Cuo Stream
Orange Garden Cafe
Sansei Trail
Tenglong Sakura Farm
Yangming Park Cherry Stream
Yangming Park Fountain
Flower Test Center
Broadwood Park
New Garden City
Yinghua Park
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Yangmingshan Visitor Center
Taipei 101
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Sakura Series - Japan
Kamonyama Park
Near the Nippon Maru Memorial Park
Shinko Park
Minato-mirai 21 area
Tokyo Tech Suzukakedai Campus
Onda River
Tenryuji
Byodoin
Kiyomizudera
Himuro shrine and Yakushi-ji Temple
Hōryū-ji Temple
Nara Park attractions
Tokyo Tech Ookayama Campus
Sumida River
Tsuruma Park
Gion
Maple Series
Taipei Aowanda
Shimen Dam
Alishan
Aowanda
Shanlinxi
Taoyuan Valley Garden
Fushoushan Farm
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The "Taipei kong mahal" (My beloved Taipei)
Always in my heart
MRT birdman
Valentine's Day
Tulips Festival
2018 Taipei Lantern Festival
City of Azaleas
Linji Huguo Temple
Nanjichang Night Market
Gudetama Chef restaurant
Dalongdong Bao'an Temple
Shilin hollyhocks
Ningxia Night Market
Ximending graffiti
Discovery Center of Taipei
Chunghwa Postal Museum
Double-Decker Bus
Shilin Cold Balls
Jingimoo
GomanMango
mud volcanic ice
Fire and Ice Dumpling
Opium Fen-Yuan
Ichiran Ramen
Liu Shandong Beef Noodles
hydrangea flowers
National Palace Museum
Other attractions in Taipei
Taipei on a budget
Japanese buildings
Dāoxiāomiàn beef noodles
Presidential Office Building
Yongkang St. and Elephant Mountain
CKS and SYS Hall
City tour
Beitou ramen
MRT Monopoly Game
Winter city tour
Zhicheng Park
Shilin Plum Blossom
Art museums
Shopping in Taipei
Summer desserts
Qingtiangang
Qixingshan hiking
2015 Calla lily
2016 Calla lily
Beitou tour
Beitou-Zhuzihu tour
NTU
Confucius Temple
2015 Dadaocheng Festival
Puppet Museum
Fantasy Ice World
2016 Bread Show
Strawberry picking
2015 Rose Garden
Modern Toilet
Shilin Night Market
NASA Exhibit
Raohe Night Market
Longshan Temple
2013 Taipei Zoo
Maokong Gondola
Lupin flowers
Taipei 101 day visit
Taipei 101 night visit
Tiger Mountain
Din Tai Fung
Taipei Story House
2014 Flower Show
Chrysanthemum Show
Miramar Ferris wheel
Miniatures Museum
Archery
1600 Pandas
Wulaoguo hot pot
Upside Down House
2016 101 Fireworks
New Taipei
Tamsui Pumpkin Tunnel
Shifen Waterfall
2017 Sand Sculpture
Dragon Caves
New Taipei tour
2016 Kite Festival
Pingxi Crags
Bitou Cape
2016 Sand Sculpture
2015 Christmasland
Juming - Jinshan
Houtong - Pingxi
Sandiaoling Waterfall
Jiufen foodtrip
Guanyinshan hike
Yehliu Ocean World
2014 Kite Festival
Pingxi Rail tour
Jinguashi tour
Vigor Kobo Pineapple
British Consulate
Yehliu Geopark
2014 Sand Sculpture
Paragliding
2014 Christmasland
2014 Pingxi Lantern
firefly watching
Yingge Ceramics Street
Jiufen tour
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