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cherry blossoms in FACV at night.

almost closed, no one get into my sight.

reflection of cherry blossoms on pool

Cherry Blossom Festival is held every February in FACV (Formosa Aboriginal Cultural Village), and the opening hour expands to 8pm. Lighting different colors on trees at night makes it even more beautiful than day time. Less crowed and more freedom to enjoy the harmonious atmosphere.

Cherry Blossom Festival of FACV

900 meters above sea level

cherry blossoms in FACV

Cherry blossoms attract hundreds of thousands tourists come to Formosa Cultural Aboriginal Village in Nantou County from February to March. Walking through pink flowers tunnel, thousands of cherry blossoms trees, it makes tourists relax and joyful. No matter what kind of camera you bring to here, any picture taking with cherry blossoms as background is splendid.

boat tour

ropeway

Boat tours are a delightful and quickest way to move from places to places through Sun Moon Lake. Visitors can get on and off freely at 3 piers, Shueishe Wharf (水社碼頭), Itashao Wharf (伊達邵碼頭), and Xuanguang Wharf (玄光碼頭). Boats leave every 10 minutes from 9am to 6pm. One way ticket is NTD100 and whole trip ticket is NTD300. Tickets can be bought at wharfs or in your hotel.
There is a small island, Lalu Island (拉魯島), in the middle of the lake. Thao people, one of Taiwanese aborigines, used to live on the island and their ancestor's soul rest here according to their tale. Due to the 921 earthquake and the dam built, the island got smaller.

Sun Moon Lake Ropeway connects Sun Moon Lake and Formosa Aboriginal Cultural Village (九族文化村). It gives visitors a bird’s-eye perspective of the area’s lovely scenery. The return ticket is NTD300, and may be free for visitors of village.

trail around Sun Moon Lake before sunset

Shueiuatou hiking trail after sunrise

Sunrise is the most amazing and peaceful scenery I've seen in Sun Moon Lake. At dawn, the surface of the lake is covered by a thin veil of mist. Hazy blue hour makes here mysterious. Water is calm and quiet. Breeze is smooth and chill. Clouds move and change slowly. The scenery is like a moving Chinese painting. As sunrise over mountains, the obscuring mist lifts slowly to reveal the lake's true countenance, with its surface reflecting images of mountains and trees as chirping insects and singing birds lend their voices to the enchanted scene. No other tourist gets into this painting. My friend and I are the only...

Sunrise & Sunset Time:
Click and fine Nantou

Little Cilai trail

path along bamboo grove leading to Cilai

accessibility of cell phone

Little Cilai trail (小奇萊步道) entrance is in front of Ski Villa (滑雪山莊). A 1.3 kilometers trail is about 3-hour return hike. Through Taiwan White Fir forest and Arrow Bamboo grove, coming into sight is multi-layer mountains, like rise and fall waves of ocean. Standing on the highest point, 3,150 meters, looking back and one can see Hehuanshan. In good weather condition, Yushan (玉山), the highest mountain in Taiwan, is able to be seen.
Better to hike before noon since getting foggy easily in the afternoon. No special equipment is essential for adult. But it is recommended to take a trekking pole and wear hiking boots for elders.
No need to worry while getting lose or in any trouble. Along the trail, stones with sign "points of cell phone accessibility" are the points available to access cellular network. However, experience and equipment are required if going further after Little Cilai trail.


Weather:
Click and find Hehuan Mountain

Trail Condition:
Taroko National Park Official Website 

star trails at Shimenshan

stars shining in the sky at Shimenshan

star trails + moon + thunder

Shimenshan (石門山) is not just a great place to enjoy the sunrise in Hehuanshan, but also a perfect place to see hundreds of stars shining in the night sky. Due to less traffic, truck drivers prefer to work at midnight. One can see trucks with colorful LED lights passing one by one. Capturing with a DSLR on a tripod, star trails and light trails may be your best memory of Hehuanshan.

iPhone App:
Star Walk enables you to point your iPhone at the sky and see what stars, constellations, and satellites you are looking at in real-time.

Moonrise & Moonset:
Click, set the date and knowing moonrise and moonset can help you to take clearer night sky photos.

Wuling (武嶺) is the highest point, 3,275 meters, on the island of Taiwan accessible by public roads. Due to the saddle between Hehuanshan Main Peak and Hehuanshan East Peak, deep valleys, high cliffs, and rocky peaks are entirely within one's sight.

Weather:
Click and find Hehuan Mountain

Hehuanshan

miscanthus + sunrise

snow covered Hehuanshan

Hehuanshan (合歡山) is a 3,416 meters high mountain in Central Taiwan. The peak lies on the boundaries of Nantou and Hualien counties and is within the Taroko Gorge National Park. Summer is delightfully cool, and highly scenic as different alpine flowers bloom from May to September. Autumn and spring are wonderful time for hiking. In Autumn, there is a higher possibility to witness "sea of clouds". With certain weather condition in winter, snow covers the landscape and definitely here is full of tourists.

Weather:
Click and find Hehuan Mountain

Sleeping:
Song Syue Lodge (松雪樓), Ski Villa (滑雪山莊)
These two are the only accommodations on Hehuanshan. Ski Villa is cheaper (NTD1000) and more like a 5~7 beds mixed dorm. Song Syue Lodge is a hotel with food service, and provide double bed private room (NTD2440~3700) and family room (NTD4250~5900). Booking advance is required.

Eating:
Mt. Hehuan Service Station (合歡山管理站), Song Syue Lodge
Our advice, better prepare food at 7-11 near Cingjing Farm.

herds of sheep

Green Green Grasslands in summer

Green Green Grasslands in winter

Cingjing Farm (清境農場) is above 1,750 meters sea level in Nantou County. The herds of sheep are grazing on the grassy hill. The sheep are friendly and tourists love to feed them. There is the sheep shearing show, with sheep shearers all the way from New Zeland hairdressing these furry farm animals for audience’s enjoyment.

Green Green Grassland Open Hour:
08:00~17:00

Sheep Shearing Show:
09:30 & 14:30 on weekends and national holidays

Weather:
Click and find Nantou Area

Sleeping:
Hotels and B&B Information
There are more than a hundred hotels and B&B around Cingjing Farm. Sadly, the website is able to provide the most popular ones and only in Chinese description. You can check the photos first and pick some, and feel free to ask us. We help you to find your ideal accommodation in Cingjing.

Eating:
It is not a problem to satisfy your hunger. Starbucks, 7-11, restaurants, and food stalls are all within walkable distance from Cingjing Farm.

Official Website:
http://www.cingjing.gov.tw/en/about/index.php