9 Days Best of 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, and for an authentic tea experience, join locals over a freshly made brew of the distinctively honey-flavored ‘Pong Fong’ tea, also known as ‘oriental beauty’ tea.

For lunch, you’ll be hosted at the local favorite, Beipu Shitang – also known as Beipu Canteen – where you’ll have the opportunity to savor local specialties. In the afternoon, get hands-on and make your own Lei Cha, a famous Hakka snack.

Depart Beipu for Alishan, visiting Shizhuo on the way. 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. On arrival in Alishan, feel the forest of 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 Sun Moon Lake driving by Yushan National Park. Enjoy the best of local specialties by eating lunch at a local Sun Moon Lake restaurant, then climb aboard a private motorboat for an hour of cruising on the lake itself. Shift gears and get back on the road as you head for the Antique Assam Tea Farm in the region selling many different varieties of Assam tea. Your guide will check you in at the hotel for an evening of relaxation and reflection.

Meals included: Breakfast

*Alishan sunrise view is optional for tour guests.

Start your day with either a morning walk or short scenic bike ride along Sun Moon Lake before leaving late morning for Puli, located about 40 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 760 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 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 can you 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 Central Mountains for a stop at Wuling, some 3,275 meters above sea level. The day’s driving continues along the Central Cross Island Highway to Tianxiang, where your guide will check you in the hotel located in Taroko National Park.

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 on your way from Taroko.

Drive to Yilan with the stops at the 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