Taiwan Nature, Culture, Beauty |
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Greetings!
In a couple of weeks I will be heading to Panama to visit the Gamboa and Darien areas. If you have not been to Panama yet, it is an amazing place to visit. Thick with birds and wildlife, Panama also has the Panama Canal, which is an impressive work of engineering and a long history as well.
In mid April, I will be traveling to Taiwan and it is getting close to the deadline to sign up if you are interested in joining the trip. Here is more info about Taiwan:
Time to Travel to Taiwan: No visa required, officially bi-lingual with English as the second language, and non-stop flights from many cities in the United States.
Taiwan is a very special place and is one our favorite places! If you are a birder, in Taiwan you will find over 30 endemic species, with over 650 species in total. If you are a nature lover, besides the beautiful birds, you will find wonderful forests, canyons, mountains, stunning coastlines, lots of butterflies, fantastic local people, many interesting mammals and great food! If you are a hiker, you will find great trails through the forests, mountains and river canyons.
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 and has a population of nearly 24 million people. Taipei is the capital city and is located in the northern part of the country and 9.3 million people live in the Taipei–Keelung–Taoyuan metropolitan area. 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.
Taiwan is a mountainous country with over 268 peaks above 9,800 feet across the subtropical zone. Yushan (Jade Mountain, Mount Yu) is 12,966 feet, 3,952m. Taiwan’s culture is a blend of indigenous, Chinese and Japanese influences that travelers can actually experience through tasting the island’s creative culinary scene. Taiwan is also an advocate for human rights and is the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Enjoy a vacation in this scenic paradise. Don’t miss out on this colorful and vibrant travel destination!
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. The island is criss-crossed with a network of well-maintained hiking trails. Taiwan has 65 different fire-fly species, which are a beloved insect and protected in the country. Taiwan is home to abundant biodiversity. Over 650 different bird species, 61 mammal species (including the endemic Formosan White-throated black bear), 92 reptile species, 30 amphibian species, 400 butterfly 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 185 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, violent 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 11th 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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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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Taiwan Travel Dates & Information 2023 |
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Travel Dates: April 9 – 18, 2023. Taroko Gorge extension April 19 - 22nd
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Group Size: 10 travelers plus guides
- Trip Length: 10 days, plus 4 days at Taroko optional
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Rates per person = $4,150, Taroko Gorge add-on = $1070 (based on double occupancy) and $1,670 for 10-day single supplement and $540 single supplement for Taroko.
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Rates include: Domestic transfers and transportation, lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, group tours, entrance fees and Allianz basic travel medical insurance.
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Not included: International airfare, customs & immigration fees and visas, alcohol, travel cancellation insurance.
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Adventure level: Easy, please check "Welcome" page for definition
Special offer: Included with your trip (one per room) is a copy of the field guide “Birds of Taiwan”, by Wild Bird Society of Taipei. You will receive this when you reserve your trip so you will have time to study the beautiful birds of Taiwan
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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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Birding the northeast coast |
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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 in 2018
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Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park is a great birding area and cultural site. |
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Staying at the Grand Hotel 2019 |
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Taipei Botanical Gardens 2019 |
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Kaiyote receiving an award at the Taiwan Bird-a-thon 2016, representing "Team America". Although we didn't win, we were the first American's to compete in the competition. |
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Private Birding tour October 2019 |
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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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Travel Schedule 2023
- Panama Darien (12 days) Jan 26 – Feb 6, $5,150
- Panama Darien (10 days) March 22 – 31, $4,850
- Taiwan (10 days) April 9 – 18, $4,150
- Taiwan Taroko (4 days) April 19 - 22, $1,050
- Olympic National Park Backpacking: June
- Great Sand Dunes National Park Tours and Backpacking: July
- Mongolia (10 days) August 2 – 11, $5,250
- Santa Fe (7 days) Aug 20 – 26, $4,150
- Rocky Mountain NP Backpacking and Tours: Aug/Sept
- Panama Gamboa (8 days) Oct 28 – Nov 4, $3,450
- Taiwan (10 days) Nov 12 – 21, $4,150
- Taiwan Taroko (4 days) Nov 22 - 25, $1,050
- S.E. Asia (15 days) Nov 28 – Dec 12, $5,350
- Stockholm (8 days) Dec 20 – 27, $3,650
- Iceland Reykjavik (7 days) Dec 30 – Jan 5, $3,750
Travel Schedule 2024
- Panama Gamboa (8 days), Jan 12 - 19, $3,450
- Panama Darien (12 days) Jan 20 – 31, $5,150
- Colombia Amazon (9 days) Feb 3 – 11, $4,150
- Colombia Andes (16 days) Feb 12 – 27, $5,350
- Colombia Bogota (9 days) Feb 28 – March 7, $4,150
- Peru (17) March 15 - 31, $5,850
- Taiwan (10 days) March 14 – 23, $4,150
- Taiwan Taroko (4 days) March 24 - 27, $1,050
- Korea (10 days) March 29 – April 8, $4,750
- Argentina (10 days) April 5 – 14, $4,650
- Japan (10 days) April 10 – 19 $6,150
- Iceland Vestmann (12 days) May 10 - 20, $5,350
- Iceland Northeast (11 days) May 21 - 31, $5,350
- Iceland Westfjords (11 days) June 1 - 11, $5,350
- Santa Fe (7 - 8 days) mid August, $4,150
- Panama Gamboa (8 days) Oct 28 – Nov 5, $3,450
- Taiwan (10 days) Nov 12 – 21, $4,150
- Taiwan Taroko (4 days) Nov 22 - 25, $1,050
- Sweden Kiruna (8 days) Dec 10 – 17, $3,850+
- Stockholm (8 days) Dec 20 – 27, $3,650
- Estonia (8 days) Dec 30 – Jan 6, $3,65
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