A myriad of surprises are waiting for you at the Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area. Explore its scenic waterfalls, enjoy the autumn foliage of maple leaves and dawn redwoods during fall, while in spring catch the falling petals of the cherry blossoms that had been flying in the wind. The tourist spot offers a variety of attractions every month making it suitable to visit at any time of the year. They have a firefly season, a hydrangea season and other beautiful things to see. Located in Zhushan Township of Nantou, it seems to be far away from Taichung but easy to visit with options for public or private transportation.
1. How to go to Shanlinxi?
Also known as Sun Link Sea, its English name sounds like its Chinese name which is Shanlinxi. For a car drive of only 35 minutes by a distance 17.1 kilometers from the Xitou Forest Nature Education Area, it is possible to see these two places in just one day. If you are only interested to see Sun Link Sea, then there are two ways to get to this place. The first one is to board the bus at Taichung Yuanlin Station or arrange your own private transportation via tripool taxi.
1.1 by Bus 6871
The travel time from Taichung Yuanlin Station
[Google Map] to Shanlinxi is 3 hours. I suggest boarding the 0645 bus to have more time in exploring the entire recreation area.
Timetable of Bus 6871 (Taichung - Shanlinxi)
Origin | Destination | Time | Operation Day | Fare |
Taichung Yuanlin Station | Shanlinxi | 0645 | SunMonTueWedThuFriSat | NTD 281 |
0840 |
0930 |
1200 |
1600 |
Shanlinxi | Taichung Yuanlin Station | 1030 |
1230 |
1310 |
1350 |
1630 |
 |
Bus 6871 as it waits for its passengers at Taichung Yuanlin Station |
If you find the buses for the return trips in the afternoon to be scarce, then do not worry. Based on my experience, Shanlinxi provides extra buses for the departures for Taichung during the maple season. So if you arrived at the scenic area in the morning but wanted to leave the place after 1350, expect a special bus to bring visitors back to downtown Taichung.
 |
Buses parked at the bus stop in Shanlinxi |
1.2 by tripool taxi
Tourists can arrange their own transportation through the Taiwan Tourism Bureau officially recognized tripool taxi. You will enjoy traveling in Taiwan without the hassle of talking in Chinese and being fooled by opportunistic taxi drivers with this service. Imagine visiting Xitou Nature Education Area/Monster Village and Shanlinxi in one day with no need to wait for the bus and get frustrated because there are no more seats.
How to book? Just go to the web app:
https://www.tripool.app/?utm_source=luomuji, and select your pick-up point and destination plus the number of people joining the car. The fare prices are cheaper than most yellow cabs that you will find in Taichung City. The more people who join the trip, the more savings that you can get. If you are a solo traveler, then it's not a problem but I suggest going with a group so you can have other people to share the tripool taxi fares.
To make life easier, I have made an itinerary table to help prospective passengers plan their travel in Shanlinxi and Xitou Nature Education Area. The names of the pick-up point and drop-off points in the tripool taxi web app will automatically adjust in the search box as you type them in the web app.
Itinerary: HSR or TRA Taichung Station → Xitou Monster Village / Xitou Nature Education Area → Shanlinxi → return to HSR or TRA Taichung Station
Suggested tripool taxi itinerary on visiting Monster Village/Xitou Nature Education Area and Shanlinxi in one day. The prospective passenger should make 3 separate bookings in the tripool web app for each pick-up point - drop-off point pair.
Pick-up point | Drop-off point | Distance | Travel time | Estimated tripool taxi fare (NTD) | Suggested pick-up period at the pick-up point |
# of passengers |
1 or 2 | 4 | 8 |
HSR Taichung Station
| Xitou Monster Village | 69.7 kms | 1 hr 7 mins | 969 | 1,066 | 1,451 | 8:00 am - 8:30 am |
Xitou Monster Village | Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area | 16.9 kms | 35 mins | 633 | 696 | 1,081 | 12:30 pm - 1:00 pm |
Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area | HSR Taichung Station | 85.2 kms | 1 hr 38 mins | 1,489 | 2,140 | 1,638 | 5:00 pm - 5:30 pm |
Estimated budget per person for this suggested itinerary via tripool taxi: HSR Taichung Station → Xitou Monster Village → Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area → HSR Taichung Station
Total budget per person in tripool taxi for the suggested itinerary | Bus 6871 |
# of passengers | - |
1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | Roundtrip ticket (Taichung-Shanlinxi) |
NTD 3,091 | NTD 1,546 | NTD 850 | NTD 584 | NTD 562 |
The cost of riding tripool taxi becomes lower as more people join the car. This is suitable for friends who want to have some fun in Shanlinxi on a weekend or during the holidays. For a group composed of 8 people coming from HSR Taichung Station, each of them would only have to set a budget of NTD 584 if they want to see Monster Village/Xitou Nature Education Area and Shanlinxi in just one day. And that's already the total for a roundtrip ride in tripool taxi! The cost won't be that different if they also start at TRA Taichung Station.
If you are not interested to see Xitou, then you can just a book ride from HSR or TRA Taichung Station to Shanlinxi directly. The fares will start at NTD 1,489 for 1 to 2 persons. Just remember to book also a return trip by tripool taxi if you want to get back home. Shanlinxi is a very big place with two waterfalls located in different places. I suggest starting your trip early in the morning so you can see all the hiking trails and beautiful flowers and plants that Sun Link Sea has to offer.
Those coming from Changhua and in other cities of Central or even Southern Taiwan need not worry. Just board a train going to Ershui Station and start your tripool taxi trip from that train station (
pick-up point: Ershui Station,
drop-off point: Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area ). Prices start at NTD 1,445 for one or two passengers and you will arrive at Sun Link Sea after 1 hour and 28 minutes drive.
Tourists staying at Sun Moon Lake can also visit Shanlinxi by tripool taxi. From Shuishe Visitor Center, the fare for two passengers is NTD 1,655 for a travel time of 1 hour and 41 mins (
pick-up point: Shuishe Visitor Center,
drop-off point: Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area).
tripool taxi web app:
https://www.tripool.app/?utm_source=luomuji
2. Entrance tickets at Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area
The entrance tickets are collected at the toll gate of Sun Link Sea. For tourists who boarded the Bus 6871, a ticket collector wearing a vest of Shanlinxi will enter the vehicle and visitors will have to give their money to that person. In exchange for the money paid, a ticket will be given plus a receipt.
 |
my NTD 200 entrance ticket at Shanlinxi |
Adult tickets generally cost NTD 250 which is quite expensive. Fushoushan Farm only charges NTD 100 for adults. Haha! I was only asked to pay NTD 200 when I presented my student ID.
Entrance ticket prices at Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area
Ticket type | Individual ticket | Group ticket (30 or more people) | Description |
Full ticket | NTD 250 | NTD 220 | For adults |
Preferential ticket | NTD 200 | NTD 180 | military, police, students: elementary, junior high and senior high |
Elderly ticket | NTD 150 | NTD 150 | for the handicapped and guardian & senior citizens aged 65 years old and above |
3. Maple Season/Autumn Foliage at Sun Link Sea
3.1 Where to see the maple trees at Shanlinxi?
The maple trees in Shanlinxi are located at the Maple Garden aka Flower Center (花卉中心) while the Metasequoia pine trees can be found after a short walk. To get to these places one can hike for two kilometers but the easiest method is to board the bus
[Google Map] going to Songlong Cave Waterfall. For a fare of NTD 80, tourists can get off the vehicle at the Flower Center
[Google Map] to first enjoy the orange color of the needles of the Metasequoia forest and then walk to the Maple Garden to have pictures with the red leaves of the Japanese maple trees. If the person on the booth could not speak English, just show the photos of maples or the dawn redwood forest from the luomujie blog to let him/her know about the place you want to go.
 |
The ticket booth where people buy the bus tickets to get to Songlong Cave Waterfall. Expect the bus to be full of tourists on a weekend. |
 |
Japanese red maple leaf |
3.2 When is the best time to see the red maple leaves at Shanlinxi?
It depends on the weather conditions. For the autumn season of 2018, normal conditions were expected. The maple trees turned red on the last week of October and its beauty is expected to last until mid-November. If there is an El niño or other abnormal weather conditions, expect the maple viewing season to get shorter or worst become delayed for a few weeks.
Another attraction that one should not miss in Shanlinxi during the maple season is its dawn redwood forest. Also known as the Golden Metasequoia Forest
[Google Map], they are deciduous pine trees meaning they shed their leaves every year particularly during the winter season. These trees have a characteristic conical shape which sets them apart from the bald pine trees, wherein the entire growth of the needles or leaves tend to become broad and don't follow a specific shape. The dawn redwoods, on the other hand, look so attractive when seen in great numbers. They can also grow very tall reaching up to 100 feet in height.
Considered as a living fossil, the Metasequoia glyptostroboides was re-discovered in China in the 1940s. It used to be described only in fossils until it was later identified by a team of researchers to be not extinct and living up to this modern times. Paleobotanist considers the dawn redwoods aka Metasequoia to have lived 50 million years ago.
 |
The leaves of the dawn redwood trees look like feathers. |
In Taiwan, the Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area has the best dawn redwood forest that I have seen so far. As the temperatures turn colder, their noodles start to turn to a copper red color. If Aowanda has the picturesque trio of bald trees during its maple season, Shanlinxi boasts its Golden Metasequoia Forest. Visitors get delighted to see pine trees in orange color and they can't stop themselves from taking selfies. At the arrival of winter, the needles of these pine trees become brown and will drop on the ground forming a carpet of autumn foliage leaves. The life-less looking trees now showing its conical shape formed by its branches will still attract visitors.
If you want to see the dawn redwoods in their orange color, I suggest visiting Shanlinxi in
mid-November to
late-November.
3.4 Maple Garden
Just a short walk from Golden Metasequoia Forest is the Maple Garden
[Google Map] of Sun Link Sea. A Shinto shrine together with red Japanese maples makes it a perfect spot to take pictures. There is also a giant windmill with some trees of
Gingko biloba around. At the time of my visit, the leaves of the Gingko have turned yellow but I was more interested with the red maple leaves here.
Manage your expectations when you come to this place. The maple trees are not that tall nor they were in a big forest. Their leaves are also small with 6 to 7 leaflets. When shined upon the sun, they look great. But when the fog arrives in Shanlinxi, the entire place becomes more mysterious as the autumn foliage mixes with the white color of the clouds. Visitors should be quick if they want to capture this scenery in the Maple Garden.
 |
fallen leaves of the Gingko tree |
 |
Gingko trees with their leaves starting to turn into a golden yellow color. |
4. Cherry Blossom Season at Sun Link Sea
In spring, Shanlinxi is another place to see cherry blossoms. It is an alternative for those who weren't able to see the sakuras in Wuling Farm. I was lucky to see them during their peak season which usually happens between the late-February to the first week of March. Together with Travel Buddy Teklu, I had lots of fun taking pictures of the sakura. From the bus stop, we followed the river leading to the Sun Link Sea Hotel where there is a cherry blossom forest waiting for its fans.
Status of flowering during my visit: full bloom. However, rain and strong wind made the life of the flowers shorter.
 |
The map of Shanlinxi. The cherry blossoms are planted near the Sun Link Sea Hotel. |
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 Sansheng Trail
Sakura Series - Taiwan

Nei Cuo Stream

Orange Garden Cafe

Sansheng 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
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Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival

Elephant Rock SUP/kayaking

Meteor Garden school

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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