Alishan holidays

Alishan is famous throughout South East Asia as a spectacular place to watch the sunrise over the celebrated ‘Sea of Clouds’ that rings Yushan (Mt. Jade). The ‘Enchanting Sisters Ponds’ are two small pools, one with a wooden bridge and pavilion, named after two lovelorn aboriginal sisters who drowned themselves there. Other attractions include the ‘Three Generation Trees’, several temples, a cherry garden, deer farm and a small museum.

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Top things to do in Alishan

Dawn ride on the Alishan Forest Railway

Rise very early this morning, at approximately 4:00am, in time to catch the 4:30am departure on the Alishan Forest Railway in time to see the sun rise over the mountains. The narrow-gauge lines of the Alishan Forest Railway were originally constructed by the Japanese colonial government in 1912 to facilitate the logging of Taiwanese red cypress and other woods of Alishan, but are now a popular tourist attraction.

Walking in the Alishan National Scenic Area

The Alishan National Scenic Area has a number of well-signposted walking trails that wind through the forest, passing small temples, pagodas and ponds. Dominating the plant life are giant Taiwanese red cypress trees, some more than 2,000 years old. Logging was once the main industry of the area, but some of the old growth forest remains; today logging has been replaced by tea plantations as the main form of agriculture. During the spring, the Cherry trees that have been planted here blossom and attract many visitors.