拉拉山

Cherry Blossoms at Lala Mountain (拉拉山櫻花)

It goes without saying that “Hanami” (花見), or ‘flower viewing’ is a popular tradition with the people of Taiwan. One of the cultural leftovers from the Japanese Colonial Era, the Taiwanese people’s appreciation for the natural environment is something that is quite inspiring.

These days wherever you go in Taiwan, you’ll be sure to find advertisements notifying locals and tourists alike about all of the various flower festivals that are taking place around the country at any given time. The funny thing is that you’re probably thinking that these festivals would be a major attraction only for senior citizens, but in recent years it has transcended the generation gap you’ll be sure to see people of all ages enjoying the natural beauty that this country has to offer.

If you don’t believe me, I dare you to search #Taiwan on Instagram.

Personally, I was never really all that interested in flowers when I lived in Canada - We really only have two seasons for anything to grow, and it wasn’t likely that I’d be using my precious time during the summer to go check out some flowers.

That being said, Canadians (admittedly) aren’t nearly as skilled when it comes to the cultivation, handling or arrangement of flowers as the people of Taiwan are.

While I’m admitting things, I’ll also admit that since my arrival in Taiwan, I’ve become a bit of a convert - The local flower-viewing tradition is something that has certainly grown on me over the years and I often get mixed in with he masses of people traveling around the country to take part in these festivals.

Even though there are numerous blooming seasons and flower-related festivals that have become quite popular, the unparalleled king of them all, attracts the most attention, and causes the most traffic jams is none other than the Cherry Blossom season in the early months of the New Year. 

If you haven’t already, I recommend checking out my guide to Taiwan’s Cherry Blossoms to learn more about the blossoms, the various species and more importantly where to find them: 

Link: Taiwan Sakura Guide (臺灣櫻花地圖)

This year, I had it all planned out, I would visit a few of the regular spots to check out the Cherry Blossoms, but I wouldn’t be going too out of my way to check them out as I’d be visiting Kyoto to check out the Japanese blossoms in full bloom while also checking out a bunch of Shinto Shrines.

Imagine my excitement.  

Unfortunately a little thing called the Coronavirus started spreading throughout the world like a wildfire becoming a global pandemic and due to a lack of preparation and response, Japan has become one of the hardest hit countries.

So, unfortunately my trip to Kyoto has been put on hold for a little while. 

I’ll probably still end up going sometime this year, if the epidemic cools off, but it looks like I won’t be there in time to enjoy the cherry blossoms. 

In need of a back up plan, I decided to take a day-trip to the mountains on the famed Northern Cross-Country Highway (北部橫貫公路) to check out what has become Taoyuan’s, and one of Taiwan’s most popular destinations for cherry blossom-viewing. 

The thing about cherry blossoms is that you can find trees growing almost everywhere in Taiwan, but if you want to see them growing in large quantities, you’re going to have to make an effort.

This means that popular destinations like Wuling Farm (武陵農場), Alishan (阿里山) and Yangmingshan (陽明山) are always jam-packed when the blossoms are in bloom.

This year, I waited until the blossoms were in full bloom and rented a car to head up to Taoyuan’s beautiful Lala Mountain (拉拉山), home to the famed “Loving Farm” (恩愛農場).

The farm, which is actually a large fruit ranch and a really nice place to rent a cabin for the weekend, has become one of the most popular blossom viewing areas and an Instagram hot-spot in recent years. 

Travelling on a weekday, I figured that I’d be able to easily sneak in to the farm, take some photos and then head over to some of the hiking trails nearby to check out some of the famed ‘divine trees’ (神木).

Unfortunately those plans turned out to be a bit too ambitious as even on a weekday, the cherry blossom-craze was in full effect and there was a two hour wait for cars to get up to the farm. 

It wasn’t a complete loss though, the farm was absolutely beautiful and was home to probably one of the largest concentrations of cherry blossoms that I’ve seen in Taiwan. 

Loving Farm (恩愛農場)

Lala Mountain’s “Loving Farm” is currently high atop the list of places to visit in Taiwan if you’re looking to check out cherry blossoms. Even though you have to make a special effort to get to the farm, it is currently considered to be one of the top ten places to visit by local guides. 

Link: 台灣TOP10賞櫻景點

The reason for this is that while you can easily find the dark-pink Taiwanese Mountain Sakura (山櫻花) growing in parks all over the country, the highly prized light-pink variety of Fuji Cherries (富士櫻) are few and far between, and rarely grow in abundance anywhere like they do at this farm. 

As I mentioned in the Sakura Guide linked above, there are around two dozen species of cherry blossoms in Taiwan, but the ones that are loved the most are those that appear to be the most similar to the ones most commonly found in Japan, such as Yoshino Cherries (吉野櫻).

This doesn’t mean people look down on the more common blossoms, but they can easily enjoy them as they grow throughout the cities and towns of the country.

Links: Sakura At Tian-Yuan Temple (天元宮吉野櫻) | Taiwan Cherry Blossoms (台灣山櫻花)

Still, every year when spring rolls around, thousands of people in Taiwan make the special effort to fly to Japan for the sole purpose of checking out the blossoms. With so many people travelling at this time of the year, getting time off work at this time can understandably be a bit difficult, so for the millions of others in Taiwan, it is the time of the year when they load the family into the car and take off to the mountains. 

Even though Taiwan is home to several species of cherry, most of them tend to be quite different than what you’d typically find in Japan, as they are the result of hybridization. With that in mind, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that even though everyone is travelling to the farm to check out the beautiful “Fuji Cherry” (富士櫻), they’re not actually a cherry that you’ll find in Japan. 

In fact, Taiwan’s “Fuji Cherry” is a hybrid of the Taiwanese Mountain Cherry and the Japanese Yamazakura (山櫻花). I should probably also mention that you can also find a “Fuji Cherry” (Prunus incisa) in Japan, but the tree here in Taiwan is completely different. That being said, this tree is similar to quite a few species in Japan and its light-pink petals look like those of the popular Yoshino Cherry.

The Fuji Cherry however isn’t the only species of cherry blossom that you’ll come across at the Loving Farm - They also feature the dark-pink Taiwanese Mountain Cherry and the light-pink “Thousand-Island Cherry” (千島櫻), a variant of the Takanezakura (高嶺櫻), or the “Japanese Alpine Cherry”, in addition to one of the largest orchards of Peach Blossoms in Taiwan.

On that note, its probably a good time to mention that the ‘farm’ part of the ‘Loving Farm’ refers to one of the largest peach orchards in Taiwan - Taoyuan’s Lala Mountain is famed for its cultivation of peaches and this farm alone is home to almost two-thousand trees. While the annual cherry blossom season takes place between February and March, the farm is also a busy place from March to April when the Peach Blossoms (桃花) start blooming in preparation for the yearly harvest. The blossoms, which are a beautiful pink colour are one of the areas main attractions and the peaches help to drive the local economy.

If you’re in Taiwan and you haven’t had a Lalashan peach, you haven’t even lived.

Situated at an elevation of about 1600 meters above sea, the farm offers beautiful 180 degree views of the Central Mountain Range (中央山脈) and when the weather is good you can see as far as Snow Mountain (雪山) and the Daba Peaks (大霸尖山). 

It goes without saying that the farm is busiest in the early months of the year with the cherry and peach blossoming seasons, but it is a popular place year-round and also offers guests the opportunity to stay for a few nights in the beautiful, newly constructed log cabins at their home stay.

So if you’re visiting from out of town, you may want to just consider staying the night and enjoying a relaxing evening breathing the fresh mountain air.

Link: Staying at Loving Farm (拉拉山。恩愛農場住宿)

Getting There

 

Address: #143 Zhongxin Road, Fuxing District, Taoyuan City (桃園市復興區華陵里上巴陵中心路143號)

How is one to get to Lala Mountain and the Loving Farm? Well, that’s an excellent question. 

If you plan on visiting this farm, you’re going to need your own means of transportation.

So, if you or your friends have access to a car or a scooter, that’s probably your best bet. Its not impossible to get there using public transportation, but there’s no way in hell that I’d ever take a bus up there. I’m not that brave.

The farm is located in Upper Baling (上巴陵) within the Lalashan Forest Recreation Area (拉拉山森林遊樂區). To get there you’ll have to make use of Highway 7 (台7線), otherwise known as the Northern Cross Highway (北橫公路), that takes you from Taoyuan’s Daxi District (大溪區) to Yilan’s Datong Township (大同鄉) on the east coast. Whether your start your trip across the Northern Cross Highway on the Taoyuan side or the Yilan side is completely up to you.

Once you’ve arrived at the entrance to the Lala Mountain Forest Recreation Area, you’ll have to turn off the highway and make your way further up the mountain to the Atayal (泰雅族) village of Upper Baling.

The small mountainous village is a pretty cool place to visit and is a welcome stop after you’ve spent a few hours sitting in the car or on the bus. There is a 7-11 and a couple of local restaurants serving up Atayal cuisine, so if you’ve got some time, I recommend stopping by.

Sunset over the Central Mountain Range

Even though I’m not brave enough to take public transportation to the area, you might be, so here’s where I’ll mention that the public transportation ‘option’ is Bus #5301 that starts at the Zhongli Bus Terminal (中壢客運站).

The bus will take you all the way to Upper Baling (and beyond) but doesn’t come that frequently, so you’ll have to be really careful if you choose this option as you don’t want to get stuck in the mountains at night.

Although I’m sure if you were walking down the highway, someone would pick you up and help you out.

Once you’ve arrived at the Upper Baling stop, all you’ll have to do is walk a couple of kilometres up the mountain to the farm - Its a long walk though, so prepare yourself! 

Link: Zhongli Bus #5301 (中壢客運5301)

If you’re driving, once you arrive at Upper Baling, it’s likely that you’ll notice that they’ll have traffic controls in effect. So you’ll have to get yourself into a queue of cars that are waiting to head up the small road to the Loving Farm.

The thing about the farm is that there is only space for about one hundred cars to park and the road that brings you there is quite narrow, so the traffic controls have been put in place to ensure that tourists can get there safely.

If you are visiting at a time when the farm is busy, you’ll be placed in a queue of cars along Baling Road with only about 20-50 cars permitted to go up the mountain every hour. Once you’re up the mountain, you’ll also have to pay close attention to the announcer in the parking lot who will let everyone know when cars are permitted to head down the mountain, usually intervals of fifty minutes. 

If you find yourself waiting in the queue, just be patient, they are quite efficient at getting people up and down the mountain in a timely and safe manner. Make sure to bring some good music, snacks and drinks for the car though.

Once you’ve arrived at the farm, there will be attendants at the entrance of the parking lot who will let you know where to park and ask for a $100NT admission fee (per person), which is pretty cheap considering the amount of staff they have to employ to make sure traffic is smooth. 

For more information, check the Loving Farm Facebook Page:

Link: Loving Farm (恩愛農場)  

Getting to Lala Mountain isn’t the easiest of tasks - its a long drive up the highway.

The farm also tends to be quite busy, so you’ll have to prepare yourself for a long drive and a possible wait. Once you’ve arrived though, you’ll find that it was all worth it as the farm is absolutely beautiful when the blossoms are in full bloom and you’ll undoubtedly leave with several hundred photos - or several thousand if you’re like me!

Remember, the blossoming period for the blossoms is from late February to mid-March, so if you’re in Taiwan at this time of the year, try your best to make your way to the farm, or any of the popular sakura viewing areas around the country to enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms!


Youling Waterfall (幽靈瀑布之水簾洞)

One of my favourite summer activities in Taiwan is getting myself to some of the various waterfalls and swimming holes around the country for not only some photos but also some much needed exercise and swimming.

The cold mountain spring water in these waterfalls often makes for a perfect place to cool off during Taiwan’s sweltering summer days. Unfortunately not all of them are ideal for swimming and in some cases it takes quite a bit of time to get to them. Visiting a Waterfall however is always a great experience and taking photos of them always makes for a some pretty photography.

Last summer I blogged about quite a few waterfalls but so far this year I’ve been a bit quiet, despite having revisited a few of my favourites on several different occasions more for swimming than actual photography.

When it comes to waterfalls and blogging in Taiwan, I feel like I don’t really have a whole lot to add to the equation (save for my photos) with my blog posts as there already a couple of excellent resources with the Taiwan Waterfalls blog as well as the Follow Xiaofei blog.

Both bloggers do amazing work introducing Taiwan’s natural beauty to both the people of the country as well as foreigners. Their work not only includes blogging and photography but also a lot of logistic information that includes mapping them out and offering practical information freely to the public so that everyone can enjoy them.

Having valuable resources like this reduces the need for myself to go into too much detail when I blog about waterfalls while at the same time providing me with future locations to visit and take photos - As you can tell I’m a big fan of both of these bloggers and if you are unfamiliar with both of them, I recommend checking out both of their websites and spending more time out in nature!

The waterfalls I’m blogging about today are located here in Taoyuan and are two that I have wanted to visit for quite some time but have never found the time. Recently however they have become a bit popular on social media and seeing photos of them so often on Instagram and Facebook sort of forced my hand making me want to visit as soon as I could find the chance.

Part of the reason that held me back from visiting the waterfalls is that they are over a two-hour drive up the Northern Cross-Highway (北橫公路) meaning that a visit will require at least a four hour ride up into the mountains which usually wreaks havoc on your bum - That pain however is often soothed by the absolutely breathtaking beautiful mountain scenery that you get to see on the long winding road.

The two waterfalls are part of the same mountain river stream that flows directly into the larger Dahan River (大漢溪) that supplies fresh water to most of Northern Taiwan. The two waterfalls are of ten referred to in English as “The Water-Curtain Waterfall” (水簾洞) and the “Spirit Waterfall” (幽靈瀑布) but I’ll refer to them as “Shuiliandong Waterfall” and “Youling Waterfall” respectively and will introduce them briefly below:

Youling Waterfall (幽靈瀑布)

Youling Waterfall is the most difficult of the two waterfalls in the group to gain access to - Getting to the waterfall requires a bit of a river trace and I don't actually recommend most people even attempt it unless they are prepared to get wet and do a bit of dangerous tracing and rock climbing.

If you do decide to do the trace up the river you are rewarded with a large and beautiful waterfall in a beautiful gorge. Youling waterfall isn’t really a waterfall where you can do any swimming due to the small and shallow pool of water next to the falls but if you wanted to do some swimming you could easily do it in some of the pools on the way up to the falls.

Taking photos from the bottom of the waterfall can be a bit difficult as the amount of mist created by the falls in the small enclosed gorge creates a bit of difficultly for camera lenses that constantly have to be wiped off which is why whenever you see photos of these falls that there are always water spots all over the lenses. Photographers try their best but sometimes the forces of nature can be a bit difficult to control!

The falls can be viewed either from the bottom or the top, viewing from the bottom takes a bit of hard work but is extremely enjoyable. Viewing from the top is much easier and you are able to do it from the trail that takes you to Shuiliandong - Looking down however might make you feel a bit of vertigo if you try. 

To be truthful, I wasn't really prepared for the river trace to the bottom of this waterfall. I figured it would be easy enough so I just dropped my camera bag and started heading up the river with my camera and tripod in hand. I almost lost my camera because of it when I slipped off of a rock and went barreling into a deep pool of water below me. Luckily my camera was saved thanks to some quick thinking! 

Shuiliandong Waterfall (水簾洞瀑布)

Shuiliandong is probably the most popular of the two waterfalls and is the one that has become popular on social media lately. The “waterfall” isn’t actually a natural waterfall but a man-made structure that allows water to flow down the mountain in a controlled manner that doesn’t destroy the valley below - The water that flows over however is actually quite beautiful and makes for some great photos.

The trail that takes you from the parking lot above to the stream below Shuiliandong is quite easy to follow but if you want to get yourself up next to the falls you'll have to get your feet wet and cross the river and then climb over some rocks. 

There is a small pool in front of the falls that could allow for people to get wet and enjoy some water, but it isn’t a place where you could actually do much swimming.

I’d personally just want to use it to cool off if I was visiting on a hot summer day.

Despite being man-made, Shuiliandong is actually quite beautiful and photogenic. It is easy to understand why the waterfall has become popular on social media lately - The photos turned out to be quite pretty which made the long trip up the mountains worthwhile.

If you find yourself on a trip along the Northern Cross Highway between Taoyuan and Yilan or if you're just up in the area visiting the beautiful Lalashan Mountain Reserve (拉拉山風景特定區) it is quite easy to stop off near the entrance of the park and go check out these waterfalls. They are however quite far up in the mountains and not the most accessible waterfalls to get to, so make sure you plan well in advance if you are taking a trip to see these! 


Map Location

 

Getting to the waterfalls is quite easy - Just follow the Northern Cross Highway until you get to Lalashan. When you are close to the entrance there is a small road that veers off to the right. Follow it until you reach a small indigenous village where you will find signage leading you to the trailhead. For a much more detailed explanation and interactive map click the links below. 

Follow Xiaofei's Blog Post / Map