the taiwan lake
Located in west central Taiwan and about 750 meters height with respect to sea level, the Sun Moon Lakeis he largest lake of the island.
Located a few kilometers from the city of taichung Y changhuathe Lake , attracts daily thousands of tourists who come to witness its beauty and the mysticism of its surroundings and from an area classified as National Scenic Area.
Your look more round at the north end contrasts with its shape of semicircle in the south, which suggested the comparison of the lake with the sun and moona name he eventually adopted.
One of the icons sustainable tourism of Taiwan, we can tour the entire perimeter and surroundings of Sun Moon Lake, due to the many kilometers of bike path that surround it.
This form of tourism has managed to attract a different traveler, in which the cyclists take center stage and cram the urban centers of the lake, preparing to make a route, in this fantastic lake that is among our favorites in a Taiwan route.
The Sun Moon Lake is a beautiful place, but perhaps we would not highlight it for it, since we have seen more impressive lakes, but it does charge a featured role for hosting in its surroundings a group of unmissable temples and shrines.
With an area of almost 8 kilometers the size of the lake is considerable and to tour it or move around the different towns, we can take one of the boats that flow through its waters.
But if the sun and moon lake is popular for something, it is because it is home to one of the aboriginal tribes that still remain in Taiwan, the Thao.
East ethnic group is he smaller of Taiwan and have been located in this area for at least more than a century leaving a strong mark of his culture and traditions.
In addition to the Thao the lake has a good number of points of interest.
what to see
- Ci In Pagoda
- Wenwu Temple
- Syuentzang temple
- Shuangwang Temple
- Lalu Island
Among others
The most popular area to stay is found in shueieshe where in addition to hotels and hostels we find restaurants banks and a good number of places where rent motorcycle or bikes.
The many chinese tourists monopolize most of the places in the lake , so book in advance It’s not a bad idea.
Place idyllic in summerthe Sun Moon Lake, is surrounded , by many walking trails ideal for walking and discovering a area rich in vegetation.
How to move
The most common and recommended way is to do it in bike.
The entire contour of the lake has bike lane to be able to traverse it in a way healthy and ecological.
It should be noted that there pretty tough sections and with slopes pronounced, especially to reach some temples such as the Ci In Pagoda.
In motorcycle , you go through everything perfectly in a comfortable and fast way. We will be able to reach all the points of interest of the lake and some of the surroundings such as the town of hehehefamous for its train narrow way built during the Japanese period.
For drive motorcycle in Taiwan it is necessary to have the international driving license.
In this area, they didn’t ask us, but in other parts of the country they did, so it’s recommended to take it in order to avoid problems
To tour the inside the lake we must do it in boat. There are several companies that offer different tours to enjoy the waters of Sun Moon Lake and see the lalu island.
There is a service ferry that takes us from one end of the island to the other, for very cheap prices, acting as public transport.
To be able to see Sun Moon Lake in a different way, we can choose to get on the Cableway.
How to get
To get to Sun Moon Lake, we must make a a bit complex path
There are no direct trains to Sun Moon Lake, so we’ll have to take one to taichung and there take a bus to the town of Puli where we will catch another until the Sun Moon Lake
if we go in Bus since Taipei , it will take a few 3 hours to Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area.
The bus will drop us off at Puli and there we will take another bus that will leave us in the tourist information office of the lake, in the main town Shuieshe.