©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd PAGE ON THE YOUR COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE 38 In-depth reviews, detailed listings ROAD and insider tips NEXT TOP EXPERIENCES MAP PAGE Taipei p40 #_ Taiwan's Islands Northern p272 Taiwan p108 Yushan National Park & Western Taiwan p190 Taroko National Park & the East Coast p156 Southern Taiwan p230 PAGE SURVIVAL YOUR AT-A-GLANCE REFERENCE 363 How to get around, get a room, GUIDE stay safe, say hello ease is becomingly increas ingly problematic in Taiwa in both cities and rural are (mostly urban areas). Pre- vent by avoiding mosquito Directory A–Z ................. 364 bites – there is no vaccine. Mosquitoes that carry dengue bite day and night. Symptoms include high fever, severe headache an body ache (previously den Transport ........................ 373 gue was known as ‘break- Health Dr Trish Batchelor bone fever’). Hepatitis A & B BEFORE YOU GO complete travel-health All travellers to Taiwan recommendations for every should be vaccinated again Health .............................. 379 If you take any regular medi- country. Revised daily. hepatitis A and B. cation bring double. World Health Organiza- In Taiwan it may be dif- tion (www.who.int/ith) Pub- Japanese B À cult to À nd some newer lishes a superb book called Encephalitis drugs, particularly the latest International Travel and Potentially fatal viral disea antidepressant drugs, blood- Health, revised annually and transmitted by mosquitoe Language ........................ 381 pressure medications and available free online. but rare in travellers.Trans contraceptive pills. mission season runs June to October. Vaccination is IN TAIWAN recommended for travelle Recommended spending more than one Vaccinations month outside of cities. Index ................................ 394 Availability & If you plan to travel from Taiwan to a country with a ty- Cost of Health phoid problem you should get Care Environmental the vaccination elsewhere as Taiwan is a developed coun- Hazards Taiwan does not have typhoid try with excellent universal vaccinations anywhere. Air Pollution medical coverage. Most Map Legend .................... 403 Check the World Health Air pollution, particularly medical care is cheaper than Organization (WHO) website vehicle pollution, is a prob- in Western countries. Many (www.who.int/ith) for rec- lem in all major urban area doctors are trained in West- ommended vaccinations for Avoid downtown during bu ern countries and speak at travellers to Taiwan. hours. Air is much better in least some English th l i t i ht THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED25-health-tai8.indd 379BY 14/12/2010 8:46:56 AM Robert Kelly Joshua Samuel Brown “All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!” TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET Get the right guides for your trip PAGE PLAN YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT 1 Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions YOUR TRIP to help you put together your perfect trip 20 Top Experiences ....... 4 Welcome to Taiwan ........ 13 4 20 Need to Know ................. 14 TOP If You Like... ..................... 16 EXPERIENCES Month by Month ............. 19 COUNTRY & CITY Itineraries ........................ 21 • The original travel guide • Comprehensive Taiwan Outdoors ............ 25 • Adventurousturous Regions at a Glance ....... 35 Need to Know Currency Language » New Taiwanese » Mandarin and dollar (NT$) Taiwanese Taroko Gorge Taiwan’s top tourist draw is a walk-in Chinese painting. Rising above the froth of the blue-gre 1 Liwu River, the marble walls (yes, marble!) of Taroko Gorge (p ### ) swirl with the colours of a master’s palette Add in grey mist lush vegetation and waterfalls seemingly tumbling down from When to Go Your Daily Budget Taipei # GO Sep–Nov Budget NT$1500–2500 » Dorm bed NT$300– 00-top-experiences-tai8.indd 5004 14/12/2010 8:23:15 AM –# » Cheap hotel Taichung NT$500–1200 GO Oct–Jun # Hualien » Eat at convenience # GO Sep–Dec stores, noodle stands, night markets –# #_ TAIPEI – # Alishan » Take late-night # GO Sep–Dec intercity buses for cheapest rates Tainan # GO Oct–Mar Midrange NT$3000–5000 – # Taroko Kaohsiung » Double room in B&B Gorge # GO Apr–May, Oct–Jan #• Warm to hot summers, NT$1500–2400 cold to mild winters N #• » At this price range Hualien B&Bs usually offer superior rooms to Taiwan Outdoors •#É hotels •# Mataian hu » Lunch and dinner at a Walami PACIFIC decent local restaurant High Season Shoulder Low Season Trail #••# OCEAN NT$250–400 Hiking Hiking Yuli (Jul–Aug) (Sep–Oct, Apr–Jun) (Nov–Mar) There are hundreds of well-maintained natu- » Accommodation » Good discounts » Crowds are low » Go to popular destinations midweek ral trails in Taiwan, with no guide needed for É costs increase 30% to on accommodation except during Why Hike Taiwan? – #f # most of them. The best low-altitude trails Taiwan has a striking landscape that is still Chihpen •# Luye 50% in tourist areas midweek Chinese New Year for discounts on better are all located within an hour of Taipei, and heavily forested. With climatic zones rang- accommodation DISCOVERDISCOVER – Hot Springs #• Taitung# » S a t u r d a y n i g h t s » Crowds at major » Big discounts on ENCOUNTERNTER PHRASEBOOKPHRAPH SEBOOK the best high-mountain trails can be found ing from tropical to alpine, the country’s #• #• #÷ and Chinese New sights on weekends accommodation at Top end more in Yushan and Sheipa National Parks. Á ora and fauna range widely (see p ### ). It Green Island than NT$6000 É Year also see » Best time to visit major tourist sights is possible to hike year round on a well- Kaohsiung Chihpen #– increases outer islands (up to 50%) » Double room – # Best-of Cycling developed trail network from sea level to Forest at 4 star hotel Hdt St d iht • • Pocket-sized Taiwan has good roads with wide shoulders 3952m. You don’t need a guide for most Recreation in popular biking areas, with hundreds of hikes, and many trails are quiet – it’s pos- Area kilometres of bike-only routes around cities. sible to hike for days without seeing others, Lanyu and when you do, most other hikers are lo- • Photo-packed Easy-to-use Bikes are allowed on Mass Rapid Transit • (MRT), trains and buses, and there are many cals. There is also a free cabin system on national-park trails. day and multiday rental programs widely Three Weeks Inspirational available. National Parks & Other • • Highlights Hiking Venues Loop Island-Hopping 02-plan-need-to-know.indd 14 14/12/2010 8:26:37 AM Hot Springs Over 50% of Taiwan is mountainous and Springs are located all over the island, rang- heavily forested. About 20% is protected ing from À ve-star resorts to wild mountain land divided between national parks, forest springs. The most accessible springs are in recreation areas, reserves and various state Beitou, reachable by Taipei MRT. Don’t miss forests. Taian hot springs in Miaoli County. National parks and forest recreation areas (FRAs) have excellent-quality trails. Water Sports Within the boundaries of each you’ll À nd Taiwan oՖ ers rich coral reefs for diving a visitor centre and often a small village around the oՖ shore islands. Hundreds of with basic accommodation and food. If clean mountain streams make the island the FRA does not have a village you’ll still an ideal river-tracing destination. There usually À nd basic facilities to support day is beginner to advanced surÀ ng around trippers. Paved trails are available to scenic northern Taiwan, the east coast and Kenting spots, while unspoiled areas with natural National Park. In winter head to Penghu for paths may be further in the park. Forestry world-class windsurÀ ng. reserves may have good trails but oՖ er few facilities for hikers. Looking for other travel resources? 06-taiwan-outdoors-tai8.indd 25 14/12/2010 8:30:28 AM PAGE UNDERSTAND GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP 311 Learn about the big picture, so you TAIWAN can make sense of what you see Taiwan Today .................. 312 05-itineraries-tai8.indd 24 14/12/2010 8:28:20 AM if Taiwan were History ............................. 314 100 people The People of Taiwan ..... 328 314 Religion in Taiwan ........... 334 st LONELYPLANET.COM APPS EBOOKS MAGAZINE Temple Arts & For travel information, Location-based Guidebooks For travel stories, History 84 would be Taiwanese & Hakka Writing a historical overview of any place in just a few pages neces- sitates being both sweepingly general and highly selective. But writing 14 would be Mainland Chinese advice, tips & digital guides for the street for your reader inspiration & ideas Information about Taiwan’s history is especially tricky, because it’s a history of two about Taiwanese diՖ erent entities: Taiwan, the island, and Taiwan, the political entity 2 would be Indigenous history (from the or Architecture .................... 339 known as the Republic of China (ROC). Though uniÀ ed currently, the point of view of gious chapters the Taiwanese) history of the former is far older, and the origin of the latter is found lonelyplanet.com/mobile lonelyplanet.com/ebooks lonelyplanet.com/magazine can be found on many miles elsewhere. Since history is a big part of Taiwan’s appeal www.taiwandc. to travellers, and because Taiwan’s history is so mired in politics, we org/history.htm. endeavour to tread delicately, but boldly, stopping along the way to The site has a lot of interesting suggest places where the reader might À nd living reminders of days Taiwan’s Cuisine ............. 344 gone by. photographs and an excellent recommended Early History reading list. Taiwan has been settled for a long time, this much is certain. There is evidence of human settlement in Taiwan dating as far back as 30,000 The Landscape of to 40,000 years ago, and one theory holds that Taiwan is the linguist homeland of various Austronesian languages currently spoken through out the PaciÀ c.