11 Days Ultimate Taiwan Tea Tour

Arrive at Taipei Taoyuan airport where you’ll be greeted by your local guide. Escorted by your driver, you’ll be transported directly to your hotel, on the way taking the opportunity to learn a little about this vibrant city. After check in, you’re free to rest, relax, or explore the local surrounds. Be sure to check with your guide for insider local dining options.

Meals included: Nil

Joined by your guide after breakfast, commence your Taipei city tour by passing the Presidential Square, visiting Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, and watching the solemn and impressive Changing Ceremonies of the Honor Guard at the National Revolutionary Martyrs’ Shrine, which is dedicated to Chinese soldiers who died at the hands of war. Replicating the architecture of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing’s Forbidden City, the names of over 390,000 war dead are noted here. From here, move on to the National Palace Museum to discover a remarkable collection of artefacts, treasures, and antiquities that transport you through Chinese history.

Enjoy lunch at the celebrated Din Tai Fung. There are almost too many Taiwanese dishes to count, but the one you simply can’t go past is Xiao Long Bao. Yes, they taste as good as they look, so be prepared to eat at least a handful of these delicious stuffed steamed buns (or dumplings) loaded with different fillings.

Spend the afternoon enthralled by the bird’s-eye panoramic view of Taipei city and well beyond by taking the lift 89 storeys to enjoy the Taipei 101 Observatory, then channel your inner Zen with a tea tasting at the elegant historic Wistaria Tea House, a historical teahouse in the Daan District of Taipei. With a delightful Japanese art deco architectural design, circa 1920 to 1930, the teahouse is a favorite among locals and visitors alike. Tea and tea ware can be purchased, however the delicate, peaceful ambience here warrants a visit for the window in time it provides.

For a total change of pace, visit the Ningxia Night Market on route back to your hotel and enjoy a sample of tasty street food and snacks for dinner.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your tour guide may adjust your itinerary due to the closure of the National Palace Museum each Monday.

After breakfast, head for Beipu, a rural town in Hsinchu County with many claims to fame. Apart from the architecture reflected in the traditional houses and streets, Beipu is renowned for its history and tea. Wander Beipu’s historical streets with its many tea shops. For an authentic tea experience join locals over a freshly made brew of the distinctive honey-flavored ‘Pong Fong’ tea, also known as ‘oriental beauty’ tea. Alternatively, get hands-on and make your own Lei Cha, a famous Hakka snack.

Drive to Puli, located about 90 minutes away by car. After a delicious lunch at the locally much-loved Yazhuo Hakka Restaurant, with its authentic Hakka cuisine, drive through the mountains to Wujie Indigenous Village, affectionately referred to as ‘home of the clouds’ or the ‘Shangri-La of Taiwan’. Located 720 meters above sea level, Wujie offers much in the way of idyllic natural beauty and fascinating indigenous culture, with fine examples of nature’s best and man-made history evident in and around the village. Under the care and hospitality of your local guide, enjoy a short offroad 4WD adventure to Zhuoshui River where the famous Fish Head Rock can be seen. Wade in the water for a view that’s poetically described as ‘a thread of sky’; which is in fact, the thin line of the sky that is visible as the gorge appears to almost close overhead. You will be driven to a local Wujie Village homestay to overnight and sample local indigenous food specialties.

Meals included: Breakfast

Rise early for a scenic drive to a tea farm located at the mountain’s peak. Here you can not only appreciate the challenges facing tea growers, but also savor the sunrise view, which appears magically amidst a sea of clouds (weather permitting). After breakfast, the adventure continues with a hike that follows the river to Momonar Waterfalls along the Wujie Dam and old trails used by villagers and Japanese settlers. Return to the homestay for a traditional lunch of local indigenous dishes before driving to Sun Moon Lake. Climb aboard a private motorboat for an hour of cruising on the lake itself. Shift gears and rejoin the road and head for the Antique Assam Tea Farm, a plantation that has metamorphosed through the shape-shifting changes in the Taiwan tea industry to become a living legacy to Taiwan’s rich tea culture. A ‘tea oasis’ in Taiwan, not least because of its idyllic presentation, you will find a remarkable collection of Assam teas ready to add to your tea collection. Your guide will check you in at the hotel for an evening of relaxation and reflection.

Meals included: Breakfast

Morning lovers can take advantage of a final opportunity for a leisurely walk or short scenic bike ride along Sun Moon Lake before breakfast and departing to Alishan. On route, you’ll make a brief detour via Yushan National Park, stopping at Tataka Visitor Center located 2,610 meters above sea level – the perfect spot for enjoying the fresh alpine air and walking trails on offer here.

Sample local cuisine at an Alishan restaurant by making selections with the help of your guide before checking in to your Alishan accommodation for the evening. After check in, it’s time to get close to nature with a forest walk. Feel the ancient cypresses rise up around you in a green ‘cloak’ on the guided walking tour that showcases highlights like Sisters’ Pond and Plum Garden. Reflect on Alishan’s natural beauty as you relax for the evening at your hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Rise early for what is arguably Taiwan’s best view*, visible only by taking the old Alishan train to Chushan (and if weather permits). Return to the hotel for breakfast, then check out and depart for Shizhuo. A tea producing area with plantations at a heavenly level of 1,300 meters above the sea, Shizhuo is famous for its Oolong tea. Grace the doorway of any local tea shop here for a taste of Alishan High Mountain Oolong tea, coveted by tea connoisseurs worldwide.

Drive on from here to Kaohsiung, the second largest city and the largest port in Taiwan. Get amongst it when you take a ferry to Chi-Jin Peninsula to view Kaohsiung’s city from a different perspective. On arrival there, make the most of a guided walking tour of Chi-Jin seafood street. Enthusiasts wanting to experience more of Chi-Jin can jump onboard a rickshaw for a totally different tour of the area.

Head back to Kaohsiung to visit Renai River, also referred to by locals as Love River, then head on to the Pier-2 Art Center. Savor a dinner of local specialties, then visit the Liuhe Night Market or Kaohsiung Metro’s Formosa Boulevard Station (or both). When you see the design and glasswork at the station, you’ll understand why it is ranked as one of the most beautiful in the world. Your guide will ensure you are safely checked in to your hotel in Kaohsiung where you can finally relax and rest for the next day’s adventure.

Meals included: Breakfast

*Alishan sunrise view is optional for tour guests.

In the morning, a two-hour drive will take you to Kenting where you’ll explore Kenting National Park, visiting notable highlights such as Maopitou (Cat Nose Tip), Sail Rock, Oluanpi Light House, and Longpan Park. The morning of exploration will be followed by lunch before returning to the road for the drive to Pingtung. Here you’ll have the opportunity to taste Gang-kow Tea, which in Chinese is also known as Harbour Tea. Depart Pingtung for the two hour drive to Chihpen (Taitung). On arrival, check in at your hotel and enjoy a restorative natural hot spring bath.

Meals included: Breakfast

Farewell Taitung and enjoy driving along the east coast for a full view of the coastal scenery on the way, stopping to admire Xiaoyeliu with its unique sandstone rock formations, the Amis Folk Center where indigenous culture is preserved, and Sanxiantai, a stunning nature preserve that is perhaps best known for the arched footbridge that spans the water between the main island and a tiny island offshore.

Before finishing the day’s travel in Hualien, make a stop at the Wuhe Tourist Tea Plantation in the town of Ruisui, located in East Rift Valley in Eastern Taiwan. Originally used by the Japanese to grow coffee, in 1973, it was decided that tea would be cultivated there because of the ideal growing conditions. Look out over the vast expanse of plantations where up to 40 families work to generate income and wonder about the secret methods for tea production maintained by the plantation owners.

Your guide will assist with check in and provide tips on the best local restaurants for dinner.

Meals included: Breakfast

Prepare yourself for a full day of exploring after breakfast when you drive to Taroko Gorge for a tour that showcases the very best of the Taroko National Park. Delight in scenic spots along the way Taroko Gorge Gateway, Shakadang Trails, Eternal Spring Shrine, Swallow Grotto, Tunnel of Nine Turns, and more. With the help of your guide, enjoy a typical indigenous-flavored lunch at the renowned Dageeli Indigenous House.

Rejoin the Suhua Highway making stops at scenic Qingshui Cliff and Fenniaolin Fishing Port, both perfect spots to capture beautiful travel memories that showcase the very best of Taiwan’s ocean and mountain landscapes. Arrive in Suao to explore the fishing port and its bustling traditional seafood market.

Finish the day’s adventure with dinner at the Golden Gate Restaurant, considered by locals as the home of the authentic traditional Yilan food. Enrich your cultural insights further with a visit to the Luodong Night Market, a favored food destination with locals, before checking in to your hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

After the breakfast, drive to Dongshan where you’ll visit the Xing-Yuan Tea Farm. Meet the plantation’s owner who will guide you around the farm and share his professional knowledge and experience of tea growing and production. Finish the visit with a unique tea making experience and tasting.

This tea odyssey continues with a drive to Pinglin, a ‘tea town’ populated with many tea plantations that together create a picturesque landscape easily admired from the car. Learn more about the tea culture, tea varieties, and why tea culture is so ubiquitous in Pinglin when you visit the Pinglin Tea Museum. Believed to be one of the world’s largest museums dedicated solely to showcasing the history, production, and marketing of tea, the delightful recreation of scenes that show how tea was and still is produced will give you the sense you’ve stepped back in time. Choose from the tea selection available at the many tea shops in Pinglin, with help from your guide if needed. In the late afternoon, jump back in the car for the 40 minute drive to Taipei.

Meals included: Breakfast

Today you will be met by your guide and transferred to Taoyuan International Airport for your departure flight, concluding your tour of Taiwan.

Meals included: Breakfast