Leaving No Corner of Taitung Unexplored

By Asher Leiss

I admit that, when I first moved to Taitung City in 2023, I didn’t know much at all about the place. In the approximately ten years I’d spent in Taiwan by then, I’d been here many times before — but each time I was just passing through. I never stayed more than a night or two, and mostly I focused on the nature in the mountains surrounding the city.

I’m a rather independent person, so I can live anywhere. But when my dad moved to Taiwan two years ago, I had to find a place for him that had good air quality throughout the year, yet was suitable for someone who doesn’t ride a scooter. After considering many options, we settled on Taitung. Six months later we bought a house just outside the city center, and settled into our new life. Fighter jet trainers frequently fly over the city, so we chose a place that was about 3 km west of the city center. It was far enough away so there is no noise, but still close enough to be accessible on bicycle or with a local bus that runs every 30 minutes.

Initially I was worried that banking and shopping would be an issue in Taiwan’s smallest county capital, but it turns out that we have everything we need. There’s a branch of every major bank. Supermarkets and other chain stores are well represented, and there are many traditional markets. Taitung also has perhaps the greatest per-capita concentration of hardware stores on the island, and there’s even a movie theater.

Since moving here, I’ve never felt that I need to travel farther to fix my car, buy groceries, buy home supplies, or run errands than when I lived in Taoyuan or Kaohsiung. In most cases, I’ve found it even more convenient, as everything I need is within a small area.

One exception to this rule is nightlife. It’s no surprise that Taitung, with barely 100,000 inhabitants, doesn’t have many options to choose from, compared to Taiwan’s big cities. I’m not bothered by the lack of after-dark excitement, however, as typically I spend my weekends out in nature. Within a one-hour drive from the city, there are five wild hot springs that require little to no hiking, and six more that you can river trace to.

My favorite of these is Luye Hot Spring, because not only is it a great place to soak,but it also lies downstream from a beautiful canyon. My routine is to pump up a raft at the top of the canyon and raft downriver, passing more hot-spring outcrops along the way. Then after about 30 minutes of easy rafting (depending on the water level), just as the cold water is starting to get to us, we get to the main hot spring where big pools of hot water are waiting for us. It’s the perfect light adventure and one of the most popular tours I offer through my company, Xiaofei Packrafts.

Leading people on these excursions is an opportunity to nurture both a love of the outdoors and the habits people must develop if they’re to safely enjoy the gifts of Mother Nature. Rafting is a dynamic sport which makes it inherently riskier (and more fun!) than many other outdoor sports. To mitigate this risk, we train first-timers on flat water before paddling in a fast river, so that they understand the basics of paddling and river dynamics, and can apply their new skills in the river. All equipment is provided, and everyone must wear a personal flotation device (PFD) when packrafting.

We also always wear shoes with good traction and toe protection while hiking in the river. And when rafting or river tracing where there is a risk of falling rocks, such as in canyons or along cliffs, helmets are a must.

Once a year, for a more intense adventure, instead of going down Luye River, I’ll hike up it. Some 11 kilometers upstream lies Taolin Hot Spring, one of Taiwan’s major wild hot springs. Water spurts out of the ground at about 80 degrees Celsius, but you can mix it with the river water to reach the desired temperature. Luye Creek is typically a brilliant blue in the winter and the views along the way are magical. You’ll pass by several large waterfalls, including Mamahav Waterfall, and a very narrow canyon, before getting to Taolin Hot Spring, which takes about five hours. We always raft back, which is very exciting, and cuts the return trip time in half.

Fantastic hot springs in the area also include Lulu Hot Spring, the red marble-lined Kaiwong Canyon, Lisong Hot Spring (which is one of the most popular), and Jinlun Hot Spring, which is right by the side of the road. There are many others beside those, and I try to make a point of visiting as many as I can each winter.

Winter is also the best season for surfing, although I’m not much of a surfer myself. Rather, I prefer to go to the ocean in the summertime, when Taitung really shines. The weather warms up, the waves calm down, and the oceans become easily accessible for swimming and snorkeling. Hundreds of small coral reefs dot the shore from Shanyuan to Changbin, including all around Sanxiantai. Few tour operators cover this facet of the county, however, so to see the coral and fish, you’ll just have to swim out when the waves are small and take a look yourself. When there are no typhoons in the area, the best season is June to September.

I spend most of my time in mountain rivers. Clear, clean water flows through Mulberry Creek all year round, and there are many deep pools to jump into. Occasionally I’ll join friends to rappel down the many canyons that can be found in both the Central Mountain Range and the Coastal Mountain Range.

After the first typhoon of the year, the coastal rivers begin to flow again, and there are many extremely narrow canyons and spectacular waterfalls that are worth visiting. You can find maps to them, and much more, on hopout.com. tw, a website we created to encourage people to embark on their own adventures while respecting the principles of environmental protection and sustainable development. It’s a free resource containing detailed information about waterfalls, hot springs, dive spots, and other outdoor locations in Taiwan. There are maps to over 350 waterfalls, nearly 100 wild hot springs, and a couple hundred more places for hiking, snorkeling, and kayaking.

There are also detailed guides for how to mitigate risk while participating in outdoor sports, like by wearing proper protective equipment, and paying close attention to changes in weather and water levels.

What I most like about Taitung is the peace and quiet. I live slightly outside the city, so I don’t get traffic noise — or fighter jets flying over my house. In fact, I don’t hear much of anything, other than the birds, which sometimes fly in through a window. Then I have to run around the house trying to get them to fly back out again. The air smells fresh and clean, and my life is much more relaxed and stress-free than it was when I was living in bigger cities. There are trade-offs, to be sure, and your social life will be very different living in Taitung than it would be in Kaohsiung or Taipei, but different isn’t necessarily bad. And it’s nice to have a change. Overall I feel very comfortable.