
Railway Wonders of Taiwan
• TAIPEI • CHIAYI • ALISHAN • TAINAN • KAOHSIUNG • TAIPINGSHAN •
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Departure
- Overview
- Highlights
- Map & Itinerary
- Trip Inclusions
- Transport & Accommodation
- Reviews
- FAQs
Ilha Formosa, the Beautiful Isle, as Portuguese sailors in the fourteenth century called Taiwan, is indeed a treasure! Its mountainous tropical location boasts beautiful sandy beaches, marbled walled gorges, coastal jungles and forested ranges that reach to almost 4,000 metres. Taiwan’s vibrant cities are dynamic, sophisticated and exciting while the markets, restaurants and street-food are second to none.
Departure dates
Per person twin share: $8650
Single Supplement: $2850
Some highlights of your tour
- A plethora of scenic train trips on all types of rail, including the HSR (high speed rail)
- Ride the recently reopened magnificent Alishan Forest Railway all the way from Chiayi to Alishan and beyond
- Sunrise trip to Zhushan at the top of the mountain
- Ride the line and Inspect the new blue locomotives and Formosensis Carriages at Chiayi Garage Park
- If current negotiations prove positive, we may have the chance to travel behind a Shay hauled train and experience some exclusive group tour arrangements. TBC
- Visit Kaohsiung Outdoor railway museum and Takao Railway Museum
- Visit the Sheng Shing railway station and Long Deng viaduct
- Ride the Pingxi Railway and if time permits, we can participate in the magical lantern experience
- Visit Taipingshan National Park and the wonderful ‘Bong Bong’ train
- Ride the Wulai Log Cart to the magnificent Wulai Waterfall
- Explore abandoned narrow gauge rail remnants and per way on a hiking tour with your knowledgeable tour leader
- Revel in the story of Japanese industrial era working at the Gondola Museum
- Quality hotels, restaurants and our own dedicated coach
- The assistance and leading of your local guide and Australian host
Your Journey
You’ll be met at the airport and transferred to our hotel. Please note that check in time is 3.00pm. You will have the evening to relax before our tour starts tomorrow.
If you are in early enough, you’ll have the opportunity to meet your tour leader for a drink in the bar!
Overnight: Green World SanSui, Taipei
Today, we explore the wonderful city of Taipei by the Taipei Metro Subway (MRT) and on foot. Our adventures, with lunch in between, will include visits to the Observation Deck of the incredible Taipei 101 Shopping Mall (only recently surpassed as the tallest building in the world), Tamsui Old Street, The Red Fort, also known as
Fort San Domingo and the magnificent old Fisherman’s wharf located on the river mouth.
After some time back at the hotel to freshen up, our Welcome dinner this evening is hosted at the charming Riverside Restaurant, with drinks included.
Overnight: Green World SanSui, Taipei (B, L, D)
This morning after breakfast and check out we’ll transfer to the railway station to board Taiwan’s High Speed railway south to Miaoli. Here, we’ll have a good look around, starting with the Railway Museum. With its collection of steam and diesel locomotives, passenger trains, work trains and railway monuments and memorabilia all housed in historic railway buildings, it’s a railway enthusiast’s paradise. We’ll get a sneak preview of the wonderful Shay geared engines used on the Alishan Railway and the Taiwan Sugar Railway and different firewood engines including the S400 model from 1969.
After this we’ll examine the remains of the Longten Bridge. The original red brick bridge was built in 1906 during the Japanese colonial period and connected passengers on the old mountain rail line between Sheng-Hsing and Yutengping stations. The bridge was damaged beyond repair by a 7.1 earthquake in 1935 and a new iron bridge was constructed just 80 metres away. The old line suspended operation in 1998 in favour of the new Western Line – which was faster, more efficient and did not have to waste so much power climbing the steep hill between Miaoli and Taichung.
After pausing for lunch, we’ll (follow the route) of the Old Mountain line to Chang Hua, where we’ll stop to visit the Railway Administration Changhua Roundhouse, a must-see historic site that’s been dubbed “the last steam train paradise in the country!” This living monument is the only operating steam locomotive roundhouse in the country, and it’s dedicated to preserving the fascinating evolution of Taiwan’s railway history. It’s then on to Chiayi by train, where we’ll settle into our hotel and have dinner together.
Overnight: Maison de Chine Hotel, Chiayi (B, L, D)
The Alishan Forest Railway is one of the world’s famous mountain railways and we’ll be riding it tomorrow but this morning after breakfast, we’ll pay a visit to the Alishan.
Forest Railway Garage Park, where you can immerse yourself in several decommissioned steam trains, diesel locomotives, railcars, passenger and freight cars as well as a locomotive turntable and various railway equipment. With its goldmine of displays, the Park treats visitors to an up-close look at the heydays of the forest railway. This is a perfect photo site for train buffs!
It’s then on to Hinoki Village, also referred to as the Cypress Forest Life Village. Originally built during the Japanese rule of Taiwan as dormitories for forest workers, the village was brought back to life in the early 2000’s to create Taiwan’s first cultural and creative park based on the theme of “Forest Culture and Creation”.
We’ll return to the hotel later in the afternoon for some downtime before regrouping for dinner.
Overnight: Maison de Chine Hotel, Chiayi (B, L, D)
This is the day you’ve been waiting for – a whole day on the Alishan Forest Railway! There may be longer, higher or steeper narrow gauge railways but there is no other railway in the world which climbs from near sea level to over 2400m in just 75 kilometres! After breakfast and check out, we’ll head down to the station to start our journey. This 86 km network of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railways running up to and through the popular mountain resort of Alishan was originally constructed by the Japanese Colonial Government in 1906 to facilitate logging. However, its rare Z shaped switchbacks, and over 50 tunnels and 77 wooden bridges has made it an international tourist attraction and a mecca for railway enthusiasts from Japan as well as the western world. Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture has listed the forest railway as a potential World Heritage Site, so watch this space!
From Chiayi to Zhuqi Station, our climb is gentle as we pass through farmland and cross rice paddies. Immediately after Zhuqi, we traverse a large river where our grade commences as we perform a series of ‘omega curves’ through the Betelnut Palms and rainforest, heading for the remarkable Dulishan Spiral. After leaving the cone shaped Mt Duli via a convenient land-bridge we pass through isolated mountain villages to reach our scheduled lunch stop at the delightful mountain town of Fenqi-Hu. This scenic village located at 1200m+ features a famous hotel where Bento or ‘railway lunch-box’ has been served to railway passengers for over 100 years. If time permits, we can explore Fenqi-Hu’s ‘old street’, the locomotive engine shed and for those feeling fit, atop a nearby stone staircase is a wonderful lookout from where the railway sidings, sheds and station below look just like a model railway!
Beyond Fenqi-Hu, we climb very steeply again, passing through the new Tunnel 42 which was constructed at great cost to run behind the great landslide which broke the line in half from 2009. Soon after tunnel 42, we commence a series of zig zags or switchbacks which will take us up the great ridge behind us, passing through Erwin Ping Village and ShenMue Station, the giant fallen ‘God Tree’ and on to Alishan Station, located in the middle of the wonderful Alishan Forest Recreation Area.
Dinner tonight will be a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the day together.
Overnight: Alishan Guo Hotel, Alishan (B, L, D)
A very early morning start is recommended today as we travel by train to Jushang, the highest railway station in Taiwan. Here, seemingly on the top of the world, we witness one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences: in a last-minute hushed silence, we see the sun slowly rise behind Jade Mountain, Taiwan’s highest peak and right above the mystical ‘sea of clouds’. This celebrated landscape is accessed from one of the most beautiful railway journeys in the world. What’s not to like about that?
If watching the sunrise doesn’t make your heart skip a beat, then views from the mountain will. We’ll return to the hotel for breakfast – or you may like to slowly wander back to the hotel on foot – a long stone staircase leads back through the forest, almost right to the Gou Hotel. The rest of your day is at leisure and your tour leader Craig will have lots of options available for you to consider.
Overnight: Alishan Guo Hotel, Alishan (B, L, D)
It’s a lazy morning with free time to explore your surroundings and enjoy a lunch at leisure. In the afternoon, we’ll embark on an excursion by private coach to the Tefuye Historical Trail. Considered one of the most beautiful trails near the Alishan Forest Railway, the 6.32km trail goes through 13 bridges, including wooden and railway bridges. Originally used as a hunting trail by the indigenous Tsou people, it was claimed during the Japanese occupation and rebuilt as a trail for timber transport. Near the end of the trail, there are descending steps made of railway sleepers with the old railway between the luxuriant trees creating an air of nostalgia.
We return to our hotel for an evening at leisure.
Overnight: Alishan Guo Hotel, Alishan (B)
Today is a free day. Your Tour Leader and local guide will be on hand to facilitate your exploration of the area by foot including some abandoned mountain branch lines. Explore the area, hiking through a land of ancient cypress tree stumps, some of which invoke the dwellings of ancient Hobbits! You can even hike back down to Shen Mu Station through the Land of Giants then take the train back up to Alishan Station or simply sit on a chair and immerse yourself in the stunning mountain scenery that dominates this part of the world.
Overnight: Alishan Guo Hotel, Alishan (B)
Today we’ll spend another day in and around Alishan indulging our railway enthusiasm. If all our plans come together, we’ll ride in a heritage carriage hauled by Shay locomotive SL31 under steam from Alishan Station up to the railway workshop where there’ll be time for a closer inspection and photos. You may even have the chance to follow your counterparts on the railway – guards with guards, drivers with drivers etc. Our Alishan team will have numerous activities for us to engage in.
Overnight: Alishan Guo Hotel, Alishan (B)
Today, you have the choice to return down the mountain on the Alishan Forest Railway or take the coach which will arrive much earlier than the train giving you time to explore. Upon arrival in Tainan, we’ll embark on some sightseeing, including a visit to the Wushulin Leisure Park and the adjoining Sugar Factory. The factory was established during the Japanese colonial period in 1910 and was an important centre for the production of Taiwanese sugar. Because Wushulin Train Station was situated inside the park, it became an important hub for the transport of sugar to the Tainan region. If you are a serious railway enthusiast, you’ll enjoy more than 20 kinds of locomotive and passenger train cars on display here.
After checking into our hotel, we’ll regroup for dinner together.
Overnight: Tainan Dynasty Hotel, Tainan (B, L, D)
Today we head further south by train with Kaohsiung as our destination. Travelling by the regular train service out of Tainan, we’ll change to the KRTC Light Rail system at Cingpu Station and go the rest of the way into Kaohsiung, where we’ll pay a visit to the Qiaotou Sugar Refinery. Established in 1902, this factory could squeeze 200 tons of sugar cane a day, thus starting the first wave of industrial revolution in Taiwan. It led Taiwan into its glorious era of sugar gold and set many indicating records in the sugar industry of Taiwan. Such is its cultural value; it was designated a county historical heritage preservation area in 1988.
We’ll then transfer to our hotel, check in and enjoy some time to freshen up before dinner.
Overnight: Kaohsiung Howard Plaza Hotel, Kaohsiung (B, L, D)
Travel by Metro and Light Rail, including stops for lunch, and at the Takao Railway Museum and the vibrant Pier 2 Arts Centre, both located on the harbour.
The railway museum was formerly the Kaohsiung Harbor Station, built during the Japanese period. Then called the Takow Station, the station was the first railway station in Kaohsiung. The Pier 2 Arts Centre also carries Yancheng’s past and serves as the founding highlight of Taiwan’s Cultural and Creative Corridor, after reopening 25 old warehouses dedicated to memory became living moments again.
After checking into our centrally located five-star hotel, there’ll be plenty of time to relax before dinner together.
Overnight: Kaohsiung Howard Plaza Hotel, Kaohsiung (B, L, D)
This morning after breakfast and checking out, we’ll head off to the station to board the High Speed train back up to Taipei, making the 360 km journey in less than 2 hours! Upon arrival in Taipei, we’ll use the Taipei Metro Subway (MRT) to explore Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, one of Taiwan’s oldest temples – the Lungshan Temple built in 1740, the Beimen Railway Department Park – Taiwan’s National Railway Museum and the Ximending Shopping area.
The architecture of the Memorial Hall is inspired by Beijing’s Tian Tan (Temple of Heaven) and the four sides of the structure are similar to those of the pyramids in Egypt. On the other hand, the construction of The Taiwan Railway Museum is classically industrial. Considered the best railway museum in Taiwan, it was built inside the old Railway Department of the Governor General of Taiwan and features multiple interactive exhibitions, thousands of artefacts, and a large miniature of Taipei’s railway.
For those who would like an alternative activity to railways, we recommend a visit to the National Museum and the Martyr’s Memorial. The museum is magnificent and the changing of the guards at the memorial is something to behold.
Overnight: Green World SanSui, Taipei (B, L, D)
This morning, we head back to the railway station where we board a local express train for Luodong via Yilan.
As the train departs Taipei, it travels through suburban and industrial areas, morphing into fields of rice, corn, and canola before we slice through the ranges, crossing to the East Coast to follow the coast south. The train crosses the Keelung River, offering picturesque views of the waterway and surrounding landscapes. The route includes several tunnels and bridges, adding to the dynamic scenery.
Upon arrival in Yilan Station, our private coach will meet us for the transfer to Luodong Culture Park then on to our accommodation at or close to Taipingshan Mountain. The Taipingshan Forest Railway was just one of four vast East coast mountain railway networks which transported valuable Cypress down to the coast not by a continuous railway like Alishan but by steep, multi-stage aerial ropeway. Taipingshan was unique in that it employed both aerial ropeway and a 30 km, 762mm railway across the mighty Lanyang River to Luodong where today, there is a well-presented museum dedicated to the memory of the Taipingshan Forest Railway. SL15, a Japanese built 0-6-0 steam locomotive has been recently restored and now resides in the renovated engine display shed.
Overnight: Taipingshan or similar (B, L, D)
Today after breakfast our coach will be on hand to do transfers throughout the day so we can do as many rail related adventures as we can manage. First up after breakfast, we walk down to the station to ride the Bong Bong train out of Taipingshan. The bright little “Beng Beng” train chugs along a cliffside route to Maosing, giving passengers a taste of the old logging days of the Taipingshan Forest Railway. This ride is a great way to experience the mountain and valley views as the track winds through the green canopies of the Red Cypress, Taiwanese Yellow Cypress and Cryptomeria woods.
After alighting from this charming little train, we’ll watch the locomotive spin on the hand operated turntable then briefly explore the recently created Maosing Heritage Trail to examine in safety typhoon track damage, original fallen bridges as well as recently renovated Cypress bridges. After Maosing, we return to Taipingshan Villa by train to examine the beautifully restored Japanese built VIP Guest House, one of Taipinshan’s stunning cultural Assets. After lunch, our coach will meet us for the short transfer to the famous Jianqing Huaigu Trail. Built on a section of the old logging railway known as the Jiancing Line, this area too used to be a major logging site during the Japanese occupation.
Overnight: Jiaoshi, Yilan (B, L, D)
Today we explore the PingXi branch line. The line branches off the main line to Yilan/Hualien at Sandiaoling Station (the only railway station in Taiwan without road access and from where an entire day can be spent walking the various minor waterfall trails. The branch then follows the Keelung River upstream along a deeply wooded valley to terminate at JinTong. The Taiwan Coal Mine Museum is located near Shifen Station, and the Kato DL underground mine train ride is located further up the line at Houtong (Cat Village) IMO, both Mine Museum and a DL mine ride are planned. To cap off the day we enjoy the famous ‘lantern experience’, lighting the lamps from the railway line which at dusk is atmospheric. We continue to Taipei for dinner later in the evening.
Overnight: Green World SanSui, Taipei (B, L, D)
This morning after breakfast we board our private coach for an excursion to the magnificent Wulai district. Here, we’ll board the Wulai Log Cart to the impressive Wulai Waterfall, which boasts the most significant drop in height in northern Taiwan. Dubbed the “waterfall in the cloud,” it was listed as one of the eight most scenic spots in Taiwan during the period of Japanese rule.
The Wulai Log Cart is one of the few remaining lightweight railways in Taiwan. Originally built for log transportation in the early times it was converted to passenger transportation in 1963 and driven by people manually pushing it along. To meet the increasing demand of visitors, it was motorised in 1974 with a diesel locomotive to drive the trolley. It’s considered a ‘must do’ if you’re a rail enthusiast visiting Taiwan!
We’ll also take some time to explore Wulai Old Street, paved in stone slate and lined with shops featuring indigenous food and products, including things like roasted boar meat, hot spring eggs, rice dumpling wrapped in Alpinia leaves, millet wine as well as excellent draft beer & brewed coffee!
We’ll return to our hotel in Taipei to relax before heading out to enjoy a farewell dinner with drinks.
Overnight: Green World SanSui, Taipei (B, L, D)
Our tour comes to an end after breakfast this morning. Transfers to the airport will be provided.
What's included
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Accommodation as listed in the itinerary
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Airport transfers upon arrival and departure
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Daily breakfast, 13 lunches and 13 dinners with drinks included at welcome and farewell dinners
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Services of Australian Tour Leader and local expert guide throughout
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All entry/excursion fees for visits listed in the itinerary
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All train tickets for trains listed in the itinerary
What's not included
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Flights to connect with the commencement and completion of the tour
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Any pre and post tour accommodation or travel services
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Excursions/entrances listed as optional in the itinerary
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Items of a personal nature e.g. telephone, laundry, minibar, train tickets in leisure time, etc.
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Travel insurance
Some ways you’ll travel
The best train trips possible, private luxury coach for off-train travel, guided walking where suitable, and other appropriate and appealing options to make exploration easy

Taiwan’s High Speed Rail
Taiwan
AFR Hinoki Carriage
TaiwanSome places you’ll stay
Hand-picked hotels and resorts based on location, customer feedback, value and atmosphere. Please Note: Hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.
Our track record
Hear from some of our adventurers that have already ridden the rails with us.
FAQs
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