Butterflies, cicadas & lots of steps.

Taiwan’s forests are lush and dense. They are so dense that paths have been constructed to navigate through them. The pathways are often made from stone or wood and because the terrain is often steep, the paths are stepped. It’s a whole new style of hiking (or walking) compared to what we’re accustomed to in the USA. These are calf burners! Meishan is about a 2 hour car drive south from Taichung. All 3 hikes are out and back.

• Hike #1 – 太兴岩步道停车场. It meanders past a beautiful temple called 泰兴岩.
• Hike #2 – Starts at Yuntanpubuxiuxi Station 雲潭瀑布休息站 and ends at a small platform that overlooks a beautiful and untouchable waterfall that spills into a crystal blue pool. Yuntanpubuxiuxi Station sells water and food.
• Hike #3 – The 1,ooo Year Bat Cave, also starts at Yuntanpubuxiuxi Station. The name of this hike is a misnomer. Sadly, bats don’t enjoy hanging out here due to the human invasion. There are however, massive sandstone/shale walls with thousands of holes, formed by river erosion millions of years ago, to stare at in wonderment.