around Taiwan

After Japan and South Korea, now the next island: Taiwan. A new country, new adventures, new experiences…

My plan is to cycle around the island: down the west coast to the south and back along the east coast.

Starting in Taipei and the smooth west coast

The journey began in Taipei, where I cycled out of the city on a Sunday through a large park along a river. It was a fascinating sight: in addition to cyclists and joggers, I encountered groups with kites and model aeroplanes. It was particularly enjoyable to see the parrot owners letting their birds fly together on public holidays.

National Cycle Route No. 1, which circles the entire island of Taiwan, often runs along busy roads. However, the individual districts have created beautiful cycle paths along the coast. Because I arrived in Taiwan two weeks early due to the cold weather in Seoul, I had plenty of time to really enjoy these quiet stretches along the coast and through wetlands – including beautiful picnic spots.

There are also plenty of great places for wild camping. People either ignored me or were thrilled that I was cycling around Taiwan – alone, at my age, and camping too. They showered me with all kinds of food, which isn’t always easy. For example, chocolate, which melts in the local temperatures, or two large packets of instant noodles, which I somehow have to fit into my bags. Of course, I gratefully accept everything.

Taiwan has a few things in common with Japan and South Korea, for example: cycling is fantastic!

A short detour to Sun Moon Lake in the mountains

“Sun Moon Lake is truly a magnificent lake in the mountains,” I heard repeatedly. So I set off from Taichung. First, I passed through bustling market towns with their wonderful aromas, then onto small, quiet forest roads.

The climb to the lake at an altitude of 800 metres was steady and therefore easily manageable for me. Along the way, I was able to watch the monkeys jumping from palm tree to palm tree. The first view of the lake, surrounded by high mountains and a cycle path right on the shore, was fantastic.

But the closer I got to the hotel blocks, souvenir shops and small supermarkets, the heavier the traffic became. The cycle path, which was actually quite beautiful, was clogged with e-bikes for hire. The idyll was gone. I decided to leave the mountain quickly. The return journey the next day was magnificent – the detour was worth it for that alone!

Along the way, I encountered an incredible variety of fruits: dragon fruit and guavas, each individually wrapped in bags for protection – a laborious task. I was happy to pitch my tent at a temple again and, thanks to Google Translate, have a conversation about Buddhism.

Headwinds and hospitality

A brief visit to the frame builder at Velotraum in Taichung took me back north. Unfortunately, one of the most strenuous stages awaited me here: a strong, gusty headwind whipped dust and sand into my face. The beautiful coastal cycle paths of the north were missing, and I often rode on four-lane roads, fortunately with wide hard shoulders.

In the evening, I found shelter again at a temple sheltered from the wind. At first, only the “guard” was there, but then the head of the temple and his sister were called. They decided that it was too cold and asked me to sleep in the room next to the temple instead of in my tent. Pure luxury, and of course there were two more large packets of instant noodles!

The headwind continued the next day. All the more reason for me to take the train for the last stretch, which I had already cycled in the other direction.

Taking your bike on the train is very easy and inexpensive in Taiwan: I selected a “bike-friendly” train at the ticket machine and was immediately given a bike ticket. In total, I paid only €1.55.

The next day, I watched Yin-Lung weld frames for my bicycle manufacturer, Velotraum. Some were already ready for shipping. However, they are painted in Germany.

Further south

Since I had already travelled up and down the route along the coast, I took the train south to Chiayi.

Near a small cycle path, I found an even smaller temple, actually inside a food processing factory. It was already getting dark, but the owner was still there. He was quite surprised to see me, but immediately invited me in and let me camp in the covered courtyard.

After he left, his wife and daughter arrived later. They brought me hand warmers and some food. Hopefully, I won’t need the hand warmers.

Tea ceremony and megacities

The next morning, I had almost finished packing when Mrs Jiaqing arrived. She filled my bike bags with eggs, kiwis and walnuts. I was able to easily avoid the down vest by showing her my down jacket.

Since I was in no hurry, she prepared a Taiwanese tea ceremony for me. The tea was very delicious.

I couldn’t close the panniers properly anymore. Luckily, it wasn’t raining.

Unfortunately, the brilliant cycle path didn’t go much further. Now the megacities began. Taiwan is about the same size as Baden-Württemberg, but has twice as many inhabitants. Most of them live on the west coast in the megacities.

Around Tainan, I was still able to cycle along the coast to some extent. In Kaohsiung, I was surrounded by mopeds on the four-lane roads. This is Taiwan’s most important port, where all the oil is processed.

One skyscraper more imposing and taller than the next. At the marina, you can see that there are some people here with a lot of money.

The good thing about the many high-rise buildings is that millions of people live in a very small space. I quickly made my way through and found a quiet place to camp behind the Guaping River.

In the mornings, it was mainly the older folks who were up and about before me. When I crawled out of my tent at 5:30 a.m., they were already marching energetically and doing gymnastics. That’s a good example to follow – myself included.

Once I had left the mega-cities behind me, it became really idyllic. There was hardly any traffic, but instead lakes and rivers and beautiful stretches of coastline.

Here I met Chuck, an American touring cyclist. With him, I stayed at a campsite with a wonderful beach for the first time.

The next day, I cycled to the most southern tip of Taiwan in Kenting National Park. It was simply wonderful: the landscape, nature, the sea, everything.

Mountains and wild surf

However, the true beauty of the island was shown on the east coast. Instead of high-rise buildings, high mountains over wild surf here.

The dawn here, as I climbed through a fantastic landscape, was magical. I cycled through villages of indigenous peoples, whose culture is much more present here. Over time and under various occupying powers, they were pushed further and further into the mountains. It was only with democratisation in the 1980s that they received the recognition they deserve.

On the way north along the coast, there were incredible plantations with cinnamon or sugar apples, which, similar to guavas, are packed in bags.

The hostel owner in Taitung convinced me to take the route through the mountains instead of the windy coastal road. Unfortunately, that meant cycling eight kilometres through the city first. It wasn’t very pleasant with all the traffic. I rarely found cycle paths away from the street.

The best part of the day was my sleeping spot and the entertainment at the Taoist temple: karaoke! It was wonderful to watch them and see how much fun and joy they had singing. I was spared – everything was in Chinese 🫣. My campsite was well protected under a roof.

Breakfast, farewell photo and on I go – excited to see what the day will bring.

Heading towards Hualien, further north, the weather visibly turned for the worse and I was getting increasingly tired. I hadn’t had a day off in a long time.

My next place to sleep was a Buddhist temple. This time there was no karaoke, but Black Forest cake and lots more to eat. Thank you very much!

The clouds grew thicker and thicker. Only through a small hole could I see what remained hidden from me. What a pity.

After 18 days without a day off, I decided to stay in Hualien for two nights. Perhaps by then the clouds will have cleared a little and I can finally sleep in.

The earthquake zone

On the way to Hualien, I arrived in the earthquake zone. In April 2024, there was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake here that completely destroyed Taroko National Park. I was advised to take the train for this part of the journey. However, I did not want to. The sky was blue again and I was fully recovered.

My biggest worry was getting in the way of the clean-up efforts. So I set off. I cycled along the supposedly “too dangerous” route that took me over the mountains. It was a fantastic adventure! I simply let the cars and lorries pass and then enjoyed the peace and quiet in the “dangerous” tunnels. The coastline and the view were stunning.

After about 10 kilometres, the largest construction sites and most of the work were behind me. It is remarkable to see the measures being taken to limit a disaster of this magnitude. In addition to numerous measuring stations, workers are attempting to secure the mountains. When I saw the rocks up there, I decided to ride on quickly.

Instead, I concentrated on the beautiful coastline.

Unfortunately, it was very cloudy again the next day, with rain later on.

The good thing was that there was hardly any traffic, as motorists preferred to take the expressway and drive through the tunnels.

Ending up in the rain: North-east coast

The last few days have been wet, cold and windy. The beautiful north-east coast remained largely hidden in fog – “anyone can cycle in good weather,” I thought to myself. The advantage: the cycle paths were wonderfully empty.

Despite the bad weather, Taiwanese hospitality remained the same. When I asked about a campsite at a temple, they offered me a dry room because it was going to start raining. What a luxury!

A Taiwanese man had told me that I could also ask at primary schools if I could camp there. When I saw the sign “Elementary School” on a rainy afternoon, I decided to give it a try. I was immediately invited in and allowed to pitch my tent in the sports hall.

In the evening, there was a ‘pre-Christmas party’ with sparklers (it was the day before Christmas Eve). Although they are not Christians and Christmas is not an official holiday here, they still celebrate a little.

The school has only 10 students and 10 teachers. I was completely astonished, but the headmaster just laughed. The numbers are increasing every year now.

I spent Christmas Eve in a large car park with covered benches. A film crew was still shooting there. It was a special Christmas Eve experience.

The weather remained dreadful, but the coast, from what I saw, was wonderful.

I had had enough and spent the last few days in a small, quiet hostel.

On the last stretch back to Taipei, the sun finally came out again.

A wonderful feeling on the cycle paths around the capital. The end was near: bike in the box, drive to the airport and back to Germany.

Conclusion

The journey around Taiwan was full of contrasts: from bustling cities with millions of inhabitants to quiet mountain landscapes, from stormy headwinds to sunny coastal stretches and, finally, continuous rain, but above all, incredible warmth and helpfulness from the people.

Cycling in Taiwan is absolutely hassle-free. You can camp (almost) anywhere, and you’ll always find something to eat and clean drinking water. And if you do encounter any problems, you’re sure to find someone to help you out. Have fun!

What are your experiences?