Because I was travelling from the Kaohsiung (the south) to Taipei City (the north), I wanted to stop somewhere in between to see more of the country. Alishan was highly recommended, so I planned in this detour. I was a bit sceptical before I left, it seemed like quite a hassle to get there. But it ended up being one of my most memorable trips! The views are immaculate, and hiking there is really comfortable!

This YouTube video covers it pretty well!

This blogpost is mostly a photo dump of all the pictures I took while I was there. You can read more about my actual experience in my daily posts (2025-11-23 and 2025-11-24).

About Alisan

The Alishan National Forest Recreation Area is located in the southern part of Taiwan. It is famed for its beautiful nature, serene views and breathtaking sunrise. The whole area is around 415 square kilometers, but the best place, where I visited, only covers 14 square kilometers. The area is well maintained and most walking areas have wooden decks or paved roads. The whole place is also serviced with a bunch of cute trains that run between stations. The rangers made a pretty map to display it all, which is pretty hard to read. When you visit, because you should, I just recommend following the signs and let it all surprise you.

The trains were originally built by the Japanese, during their occupation. They used the area mostly for logging and combat training. When the Japanese left, they left the railway system mostly intact. The Taiwanese renovated the area, and turned it into a nature lovers' hot spot!

Getting there can be quite inconvenient. I took the bus from the Chiayi High Speed Rail station. This takes about 3 hours. The ride was pretty bumpy, and the bus itself was pretty stuffy, with so many people on it, so I just took a nap.

Once you get out of the bus there is a small hub with some hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops. There even is a 7/11! The hub is built around the main train station where you can buy your train ticket for the sunrise train. This is pretty popular, so make sure you book early enough.

Photodump

From here on out, I am just going to dump my favorite photos in chronological order.

Sunrise spam

I took so many pictures of the sunrise! I think I got pretty emotional, and a little bit tipsy.

My review

This detour to Alishan was one of my highlights from the whole trip. The views were breathtaking and getting around was comfortable! Getting there was the hardest part. I would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Taiwan!

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