Nantou｜Hehuan Moutain’s Taiwan white fir coniferous forest with alpine hiking at glacier ruins｜2-Day Tour

This is a tour that is a feast for the eyes, reveling in the magnificent beauty of Taiwan’s high mountains! An easy highway drive brings you to the cluster of peaks that inhabit the Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area, located in central Taiwan in the Central Mountain Range. This is the perfect launching-point for exploration of Taiwan’s high mountains. Visit the park’s Mt. Hehuan East Peak, Mt. Hehuanjian, and Mt. Shihmen, and enjoy the magnificent panoramas of the interconnected mountain giants. In spring and summer, savor the wonderful bloom of Hehuanshan’s Yushan Rhododendron, which seems to burst forth everywhere. The forested, emerald-green mountainsides are thickly dotted with brilliant splashes of red-pink flowers. In autumn and winter comes the chance to see the great seas of clouds roiling and curling, creating an ever-transforming dreamlike mountain world!


Beyond the easy conquering of the three aforementioned members of the Taiwan 100 Peaks, we’ll also traverse the Xiaoqilai Trail, which begins beside Hehuanshan’s Ski Lodge. This will bring us through the mountain-valley terrain between Hehuanshan and Qilaishan (Mt. Qilai). The trail’s end-point is the Xiaoqilai grassland, perched atop rolling hills, which offers a thrilling vista back toward Hehuanshan and the Qilaishan peaks in the opposite direction, amidst a landscape both unique and awe-inspiring.


－ About the Accommodation｜Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area －
# Accommodation Type: " Song-Syue Lodge " or similar level of accommodation in Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area.
# Room type: Website price is for a two persons room.
# Number of occupants: 2 adults (if two participants are not booked together, the travel agency will arrange room combinations)
# If you need a 3 or 4 persons room, additional fees will be charged (no adjoining-room combination policy)


－ About the costs｜Hehuan Moutain’s Taiwan white fir coniferous forest with alpine hiking at glacier ruins 2-Day Trip－
# Infants under 2 years old: only insurance and administrative service fees are charged.
# Children 2-6 years old: no extra bed, but meals, vehicle, activities, and insurance fees are charged.
# Children over 7 years old: full adult price.


－ Scenic Highlights －

▲ Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area
This was Taiwan’s first designated national forest recreation area, which was bestowed this honor because of its special scenery and alpine ecosystem. Among the numerous high summits in the park are Mt. Hehuan Main Peak, Mt. Hehuan East Peak, Mt. Hehuanjian, and Mt. Shihmen. The coniferous forest landscape over 3,000m high is a rarity around the globe, featuring an undulating interchange between coniferous trees and waving Yushan Cane that creates a forest boundary terrain that is dramatically unique. On your ascent, you can observe the rich flora and fauna of the alpine ecology waiting patiently for your visit!

▲ Mt. Hehuanjian
The distinctive shape of Mt. Hehuanjian took shape during the Ice Age, as a result of the digging and grinding of two or more adjacent glaciers that were headed in different directions. They left behind a highly peculiar landform, a peak in the shape of an ice bucket. The ascent to the peak is up the south face, with the path up dominated by rock and dirt sections. The exposed stone is rugged, and the Yushan Cane crowds in along the edge of the pathway.

▲ Xiaoqilai Grassland
The Xiaoqilai Trail is the first section of the Qilaishan Hiking Trail. It is comparatively gentle, and is suitable for shorter, invigorating outings. The trail’s end-point is the Xiaoqilai grassland, an expanse of Yushan Cane (a type of arrow bamboo) that undulates in the breeze like waves on the sea. This is a superb vantage point for views of the powerfully majestic, black-hued Qilaishan (Mt. Qilai). It is a “secret place” unknown and unvisited by most Hehuanshan visitors.