Taiwan Birding, Culture and Wildlife
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Hello Everyone,
The 2019 November Taiwan tour is filling up,
there are only 2 more spots left
. Check out the info below and contact me if you have more questions. Included with your tour is the "Field Guide to the Birds of Taiwan" and many other special gifts.
Taiwan is a small island located 110 miles off the coast of southeastern China. Although Taiwan maintains its own independent government, it is officially: The Republic of China. Taiwan is about 1.5 times larger than the state of New Hampshire with a population of 23.6 million people. Taipei is the capital city and is located in the northern part of the country where about one third of population resides. Artifacts dating back 30,000 years have been found on the island and the Taiwanese Aboriginals have lived in Taiwan for 6,000 years. Over the past centuries, there have been many occupying forces; the Dutch, Spanish and Japanese, with China having the most control and influence. Today 85% of the population identifies as Han Chinese. Most Taiwanese are either Buddhist or Taoist and freedom of religion is in the constitution.
Through all the years of changes, the one thing that has not changed is the Taiwanese people's love of nature. Taiwan has 10 national parks covering a total of 1.9 million acres and every county has local forest preserves and parks.
Taiwan is dominated by forested mountains and has 18
National Forest Recreation Areas
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The island is criss-crossed with a network of well maintained hiking trails. Taiwan has 65 different fire-fly species, which are a beloved insects and protected in the country. Taiwan is home to abundant bio-diversity. Over 650 different bird species, 61 mammal species (including the endemic Formosan White-throated black bear), 92 reptile species, 30 amphibian species, 400 butterflies species and over 4,000 vascular plant species.
Taiwan is a very modern and developed country with all the conveniences and luxuries anyone could need. About 10 million foreign tourists visit Taiwan every year and the country has the best hotels and restaurants for a great travel experience. It is a free, democratic and progressive society. You can visit Taiwan without having to get a visa in advance and much of the country is bi-lingual with English as the second language. Taiwan has a fantastic infrastructure including a wonderful rail system with bullet trains traveling 200 mph. We will take the train several times on the Taiwan tour and it is a very nice and relaxing experience to travel on the trains.
According to the U.S. Department of State, v
iolent crime against foreigners is unusual, and overall violent crime rates in Taiwan are among the lowest in the world.
Taiwan has modern medical facilities, with state-of-the-art equipment available at many hospitals and clinics. For many of the other countries we travel to, these things are not always the case and so there are no excuses not to go to Taiwan!
You can find the itinerary with more details here:
Taiwan Tour
You can find a map of the travel route here:
Taiwan Map
You can find the list of birds that we have seen on this tour here:
Taiwan Trip List
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National Bird: Taiwan Blue Magpie
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Red-and-White Giant Flying Squirrels
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The Taipei 101 building currently is the 4th tallest building in the world and from 2004 - 2010 it was the tallest in the world. The shape represents bamboo with eight segments each having eight floors for good luck and prosperity. Close to the Taipei 101 is a large mountain park where we can view the endemic Blue Magpie, Grey Treepie, Crested Goshawk and many other birds and local squirrels.
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Taipei has beautiful city parks, forest parks and botanical gardens that are home to many bird species, including endemics. The are small mountains surrounding the city with great hiking trails.
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Don't forget your tripod...
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The tropic on Capricorn crosses the southern part of Taiwan, just south of Yushan Mountain. Taiwan has a marine tropical climate and tall mountains that occasionally get snow.
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Yushan (Jade) Mountain is the highest peak at 12,966 ft and makes Taiwan the 4th tallest island in the world. Taiwan has 200 peaks over 9,500 feet.
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Photo of a tea farm in Nantou County. Taiwan produces 20% of the world's Oolong Tea. There will opportunities to learn about teas, enjoy a tea tasting and purchase tea.
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We travel in a very comfortable mini-coach. Breakfast is buffet style with western food options. Lunch is picnic style and either eaten on the bus or at a small cafe. Dinner is always at a nice restaurant served Taiwanese family style and with both traditional local food or western food options.
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Travel Dates & Information
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- Travel Dates: November 1 – 10, every year, dates don't change. Taroko Gorge 4-day extension from November 10 - 13th
- Group Size: 10 travelers plus guides, spaces left 2019 = 2
- Trip Length: 10 days
- Rates per person = $3,650, Taroko Gorge add-on = $970 (based on double occupancy)
- Rates include: Domestic transfers and transportation, lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, group tours, entrance fees and Allianz travel medical insurance.
- Not included: International airfare, customs & immigration fees and visas, alcohol, travel cancellation insurance.
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Taiwan has
27 endemic bird species, with over 650 bird species in total.
Pictured are the Taiwan Barbet and the Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler.
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The Sky Bridge at Guoxing
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Endemic Collared Bush Robin
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Taroko Gorge Marble Canyon
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Easy Hiking for Birds and Wildlife
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Amazing paths and vistas at Taroko
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Visiting the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park with the 2018 tour group
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Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park is a great birding area and cultural site.
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Visiting the Taroko Gorge 2018
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2018 tour stop at Hualien
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Southwestern Taiwan is full of wetlands, marshes and slat flats for excellent birding. The Black-faced Spoonbill Reserve has over 200 species of resident and migratory birds listed.
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Time to Sign- up for the Taiwan Tour
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Video: Taiwan Blue Magpies bathing at Huisun Forest
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Always Olympic National Park Fun
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Backpacking
Backpacking season starts early in Olympic National Park. There will be snow at higher elevations through early summer, but at sea-level the temperatures stay moderate and starting in March there are many great locations available for over-night trips. Check our website for a list of camping locations for any season.
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Nature Tours
Winter and spring are the best time of year for birding on the Olympic Peninsula with over 300 different species of birds identified on the peninsula and over 500 in Washington state.
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Hiking
Olympic National Park has over 600 miles of maintained trails and nearly 70 miles of stunning Pacific Coastline. Choose your hike and habitat; rainforest, mountains or coastal routes.
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Fly-Fishing
Whether you enjoy an afternoon of fishing along the river, a day on Lake Crescent or including fly-fishing with your over-night backpacking trip to an alpine lake, we will have a tour for you. Check our website for more info.
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Check our new website for dates, details and pricing
Call us at 970-556-6103
email: KaiyoteTours@gmail.com
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International Travel Tours
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We are expanding our tours in Asia, Africa and Europe
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New Tours for 2019, 2020 and 2021
- Uganda: Birds, African wildlife and a chance to see the Mountain Gorillas and chimpanzees.
- Sarawak and Northern Borneo: Birding and wildlife viewing, including orangutans
- Sri Lanka: The best and most relaxing bird tour you will ever experience
- Nepal: Birding the fantastic Himalayas and a great cultural experience
- Mongolia: Birding the high steppes and staying in traditional "Gers" for lodging
- Korea: Winter birding to view cranes and migrants
- India: Birding for vegetarians, great culture and great food
- Cambodia: Birding and cultural tour
Our favorite places and tours that will continue to be on the schedule
- Iceland: Great tours in May, the best New Year's Eve trip ever, and a special winter tour
- Sweden: Christmas tour, Southwest Sweden and the Åland Islands for mid-summers'
- Nicaragua: Our all time favorite place for birding and traveling anytime of year
- Taiwan: A very special place for birding and one of our favorites
- Colombia: Birding the Andes and having a lot of fun
- Argentina: Birds and butterflies, more than you can count
In the United States
- Santa Fe Birding and Opera Festival
- Chicago Lyric Opera and urban birding
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Your Traveling Guides
Kaiyote & Ed
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Photo: Here we are in Olympic National park having a fun hike. We look forward to meeting and showing you all the great birds and wildlife and adventures that can be found around the world, the United States and in Washington state. Call us anytime! See you soon!
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