Southern Tea Region
Kaohsiung’s tea is scattered: Liugui and Namasia up in the hills, Meinong down on the plain, with Motianling, Taoyuan and Maolin each off on their own. What sets this district apart is **the wild tea of Liugui** — not a variety anyone introduced, but trees that were on those mountains before we were. A day can take in the plain at Meinong and the hills at Liugui.
Itineraries1
- Plain to hills: Meinong and Liugui in a dayDay tripMeinong Lake for the pheasant-tailed jacanas → Yongquan Tea, a green-conservation garden → a Hakka lunch in Meinong or mountain food in Liugui → the Wild Tea Story House at Xinfa, Liugui: a guided walk, wild tea to taste, and rolling your own leaf or making tea bags → wax apples on the way outIt fits in a day, but you need a car between the two — no public transport joins them. Book the guided session at the Story House in advance.
Sights and trails
Devoted to Taiwan’s native wild tea, which is the one thing here worth the drive. A tea master walks you through it; you can taste, and you can work the leaf yourself. Liugui tea is made from exactly this tree, and the largest planting of wild Taiwanese tea anywhere is on Nanfeng and Minghai mountains nearby.
A lake on the Meinong plain where pheasant-tailed jacanas nest. Early morning and late afternoon give the best light, and the best chance of seeing them.
A Meinong garden with the green conservation label. That label is not about organic certification; it is about whether wildlife can still live on the land.
A garden and teahouse in Liugui where you can sit down and drink. Ask before you go — a teahouse in the hills is not open every day.
A Taivoan ceremonial house beside the Qingfeng temple. The kaixiang rite falls on the fifteenth of the ninth lunar month, and visitors may attend. It is a living ceremony, not an exhibit: watch quietly, and ask before you photograph anything.
The Taiheotang pharmacy is one of the old buildings on the main street, worth a look as you pass. The orchards nearby sell whatever is in season; wax apples are what the area is known for.
Things you can do yourself
What the Story House offers: a guided walk, a tasting, and either rolling leaf or making up tea bags. Book ahead. Wild tea does not taste like a cultivated plant — it is worth putting the two side by side once.