{"id":9239,"date":"2023-04-13T10:31:12","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T10:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tla24.thecreativeclinic.website\/?p=9239"},"modified":"2024-05-14T22:57:13","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T21:57:13","slug":"best-places-to-visit-on-a-taiwan-geography-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/the-learning-adventure.10web.cloud\/en-us\/blog\/trip-planning\/best-places-to-visit-on-a-taiwan-geography-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Places to Visit on a Taiwan Geography Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span>Physical geography can often be one of the most exciting subjects to plan a school trip around. It provides students (and teachers!) with an opportunity to visit some incredible locations \u2013 mountains, lakes, coasts. However, there are seldom few places where you can get up-close-and-personal with a variety of these real-life examples in one tour.<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Enter Taiwan. <\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A week in Taiwan sees students visit the sea, a dormant volcano, and spectacular lake. They see cliff formations, mountains, thermal falls, and paddy fields. In one tour, you\u2019ve got the chance to explore a huge variety of natural landscapes, geological formations, and unique regions.\u00a0We\u2019ve pulled a selection below of the best places to visit on a Taiwan geography trip. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>Yangmingshan National Park<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Taiwan\u2019s position on the Pacific Ring of Fire (though without the levels of activity experienced by Japan and the Philippines) means that the country is predisposed to some amazing geological formations. One of the best places to see this is in the Yangmingshan National Park<\/strong>, close to Taipei City. One of nine national parks in Taiwan, it\u2019s home to some spectacular sights \u2013 none more exciting than the dormant Mount Qixing. At over 1,100m tall, it\u2019s Taiwan\u2019s tallest dormant volcano! A trip to this area reveals fascinating sulfur deposits and fumaroles, as well as the chance to explore the effect of tectonic and volcanic activity on the natural landscape. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located on the east side of Qixing are the <\/span>Lengshuikeng Hot Springs. Formed by a historic lava flow down the mountain that formed a barrier lake, this drained to leave the marshy lake that\u2019s there today, filled with precipitated sulfur. It\u2019s known locally as the \u2018Milk Lake\u2019 thanks to its cloudy colour, and while it\u2019s classified as a hot spring, it\u2019s colder than many at 40C. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Yangmingshan is holds many more beautiful features. While you\u2019re visiting the area, you\u2019ll seei beautiful waterfalls, lakes, rivers, and mountains. It\u2019s also home to over 100 species of birds, and a visit at the right time of year sees a cherry blossom display to rival Japan\u2019s sakura season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>Beitou Thermal Valley<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

For somewhere a touch hotter than Lengshuikeng, head to the Beitou Thermal Valley.<\/strong> Situated in the foothills of Yangmingshan, Beitou provides a unique geographical experience. The thermal valley is the source of the creek running through the hot spring park. The water is high in radium, and can reach up to 90C \u2013 at one point, locals were allowed to boil eggs in it! The heat of the water has earned Beitou the nickname \u2018Hell Valley\u2019 – but don\u2019t be put off! The area is an remnant of a volcanic crater, making for a fascinating geography field trip. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also an incredibly educational visit, as while you\u2019re there you can visit the Beitou Hot Springs Museum. Located in a former historic bathhouse, the museum opened in 1998 and documents the heritage of the region and the science behind the valley, and preserves features of the original bathhouses in exhibitions.\u00a0All of this means that a visit to Beitou is a must on any Taiwan geography trip.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>Taroko Gorge<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Taroko National Park<\/strong> was established in 1986 by the Taiwanese Government, in an attempt to preserve the natural beauty of Taiwan. Covering over 92,000 hectares of the country, it\u2019s home to some of the most dramatic landscapes you can find \u2013 and none are more dramatic than the Taroko Gorge, from which the park takes its name. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Formed by both geological movements and erosion thanks to the Liwu River at its base, Taroko Gorge is an astonishing natural sight. Formed of marble \u2013 a resilient stone, yet still worn away by the river over millions of years \u2013 the steep cliffsides are topped with abundant plants and lush jungles. Hiking along one of the many trails reveals some spectacular panoramas down the gorge valley. In short, it\u2019s a perfect place to get a glimpse of geology in action. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you\u2019re in Taroko, be sure to visit the Qingshui Cliffs. Designated one of the eight wonders of Taiwan, they provides the most amazing view over the Pacific Ocean you can see in the entire Park – and is said to be the only place you can see three distinct colours in the water. The tallest peak here, Qingshui, rises a whopping 2,400m above sea level!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>Alishan National Forest Recreation Area<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Located in Chiayi, the Alishan Forest Area<\/strong> is a stunning 1,400 hectare region of lush vegetation. Once a hugely influential logging region, the natural beauty of Alishan meant that tourism gradually became its primary economy. It\u2019s now one of the most popular places to visit, whether coming from abroad or from within Taiwan. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area is known to be fairly damp \u2013 they get 209 days of rainfall a year, contributing to the amazing flora \u2013 but it\u2019s also the reason the area is so renowned. The climate means that budding ecologists can see plant life from a variety of climactic regions, from tropical bamboo to temperate high-mountain tea plants. It\u2019s also home to the \u2018sea of clouds\u2019, where you can head upwards to look down upon, quite literally, a sea of clouds!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the area once had an abundance of cypress trees, today there are fewer than 50 that stand at over a millenia old. These can be seen on the Giant Tree Trail, which leads to the famous Xianglin Giant Tree. At over 45 metres high, it\u2019s believed to date back 2,300 years! You can also visit the Sacred Tree, which now lays on its side \u2013 it once stood at 52 metres, and was said to be 3,000 years old.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>Sun Moon Lake<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Possibly one of the most famous destinations in Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake<\/strong> is a stunning alpine lake in Nantou County. Deriving its name from its shape \u2013 the small Lalu Island in the centre \u2018divides\u2019 the lake into the shape of a sun and a crescent moon \u2013 it\u2019s a stunning cultural region. Surrounded by misty mountains and forests, it\u2019s no wonder that the lake has been designated a \u2018Beautiful Scenic Attraction\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No Taiwan geography trip is complete without a visit to Sun Moon Lake. While it\u2019s home to some amazing outdoor activities \u2013 like a cycle around the spectacular Xiangshan Bikeway or a hike up the Hanbi Trail, it\u2019s also a unique place for its human geographies. While visiting Sun Moon, you can learn more about the unique history of the Thao and Bunun Indigenous tribes, and their relationships with the natural landscape. It\u2019s also an area known for its black tea production, so a visit to learn more about this part of Taiwanese industry is a must. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the best views, be sure to take to the water. Sun Moon Lake is renowned for remaining placid year-round, so whether you visit in winter or summer, rain or shine, you\u2019ll be able to head out onto the calm surface for some truly magnificent panoramas. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Find out more about our Taiwan geography trip here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This post is courtesy of:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Physical geography can often be one of the most exciting subjects to plan a school trip around. It provides students (and teachers!) with an opportunity to visit some incredible locations \u2013 mountains, lakes, coasts. However, there are seldom few places where you can get up-close-and-personal with a variety of these real-life examples in one tour. […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":13130,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,184],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trip-planning","category-taiwan"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-learning-adventure.10web.cloud\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-learning-adventure.10web.cloud\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-learning-adventure.10web.cloud\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-learning-adventure.10web.cloud\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-learning-adventure.10web.cloud\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/the-learning-adventure.10web.cloud\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-learning-adventure.10web.cloud\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-learning-adventure.10web.cloud\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-learning-adventure.10web.cloud\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-learning-adventure.10web.cloud\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}