Qingjing, Lushan, Cuifeng, Chunyang — all above 1,000 m on average, with the Dongyanshan farm reaching 1,750. This is the gateway to hot springs, high pasture and Hehuanshan; tea is one of several reasons to be up here.
Itineraries2
Two days at Qingjing and HehuanshanTwo days possibleDay 1: Puli → Qingjing farm, the green meadow and the sheep show → tea gardens and the high views → overnight at Qingjing. Day 2: Hehuanshan main peak or the Shimenshan trail → Wuling pass → tea at the Lushan hot springs → back downWuling is the highest point on any Taiwanese road, 3,275 m. Altitude sickness is real — do not exert yourself once you are up there.
Maple and tea study at DongyanshanDay tripDongyanshan farm → the maple trail → a tea-garden study session → picking, which runs in all four seasons → tasting at altitude1,500–1,750 m. This district makes winter-sprout tea and the Hehuanshan mist tea.
Sights and trails
Qingjing farm
A high pasture at 1,700 m with sheep on the grass. On a clear day the whole Central Range lines up in front of you.
Lushan hot springs
Sodium bicarbonate springs. The area has been damaged by typhoons in the past and access changes — check before you set out.
Things you can do yourself
Picking, in any season
Around the Dongyanshan farm, picking has been made into something you can book in any season. Reserve ahead.
What is on, and when
April–May and October–NovemberSpring and winter crops. High-mountain tea is picked only two or three times a year, and these are the two that matter.
January–FebruarySnow is possible on Hehuanshan. Check road conditions and chain requirements before going up.
Eat, sleep, travel
EatShared-table mountain cooking at Qingjing. Puli, at the foot of the hill, has the rice noodles, the Shaoxing wine and the clay-jar chicken.
SleepQingjing is thick with guesthouses, most of them with a view. Lushan has hot-spring inns. Book ahead at weekends and in blossom season.
TravelNantou Bus runs to Qingjing from Taichung Gancheng or Taichung HSR, about three hours. By car, Freeway 6 to Puli, then Provincial Highway 14A. 14A is winding and often fogged in — keep your speed down.
