Two thousand to 2,600 m — **the highest tea district in Taiwan**. It is a long drive, but the same road gives you peaches, apples, the Xueshan trailhead and the country’s protected salmon. Give it two days at least.
Itineraries2
Two days at Lishan and FushoushanTwo days possibleDay 1: from Yilan or Taichung → the Lishan Guest House → Fushoushan farm, its tea gardens and apple orchards → Tianchi → overnight on the farm. Day 2: sunrise above the cloud → the Songlu pavilion → fruit picking → the Lishan produce market → back downThe Fushou Changchun tea is from here, also called the President’s tea. Wuling Xuefeng comes from the Wuling farm side.
Wuling farm and the Qijiawan streamTwo days possibleWuling farm → the Qijiawan stream and its landlocked salmon → the Taoshan waterfall trail → tea gardens and orchards → overnight → towards the Xueshan trailhead the next dayThe Formosan landlocked salmon is an ice-age relict found in this stream and nowhere else on earth. You cannot enter the water in the reserve.
Sights and trails
Sunrise above the cloud at Fushoushan
Tianchi and Yuanyang lake are the spots. It is cold before dawn — bring a jacket in any season.
Fruit through the year
Peaches June to August, honey apples and pears September to November. High altitude and a wide day-night swing — the same condition that makes the tea also makes the fruit.
What is on, and when
May–June and October–NovemberLishan spring and winter tea. It is too high here for more than two pickings a year — one reason Lishan tea costs what it does.
February–MarchCherry blossom at Wuling. Vehicle access is controlled and must be applied for in advance — you cannot simply drive in.
Eat, sleep, travel
EatThe farm restaurants and the shared tables in Lishan town. Buy the fruit straight from the orchards.
SleepBoth farms have their own accommodation, and Lishan has a guest house and homestays. In season you must book a long way ahead — nothing is available on the day.
TravelFrom Taichung take Provincial Highway 8, the Central Cross-Island; from Yilan take 7A, the Northern Cross-Island. Either is around four hours. Buses exist but barely. This is one of the longest mountain drives in Taiwan — check live road and closure information, and do not push on after dark.
