Top recommended Taitung must-eat

Besides the view, a small, steep, and very winding road leads uphill to an aboriginal village and a few cafés and small eateries. You can also visit Duoliang on this half-day tour from Taitung. After passing all the hot spring hotels, the road terminates at Zhiben National Forest Recreation Area (知本國家森林遊樂區), which features several walking trails through dense forest. Several ferries per day depart for Green Island from Fugang Harbor just north of Taitung City. You can pre-order your scooter here for pick-up when you arrive. Continuing north from Jialulan, Fushan Fishing Harbor (富山漁港) is another slice of coast with lots of rocky pools to explore.
SourceGreen Island is a divers’ paradise, only an hour away from the shore by ferry. This small volcanic island has a lot to offer and features stunning coral 伴手禮 台東 reefs – perfect for snorkeling or to go diving. There are a lot of superb landscapes and scenery to see as well as good trekking and diving opportunities.

Jia  Lu Lan is a nice scenic spot facing the sea with a couple of sculptures and artworks. Travel tip– Before any international trip, make sure toget travel  insuranceand checkvisa requirements. Following Highway 9 south along the coast from Taitung City, there’s an insanely long stretch of sand at Taimali (太麻里).
From there, the islet Warship Rock (軍艦岩, Do Jyaawod) is directly off the coast. It was named so because American pilots bombed it during WWII, thinking it was a Japanese ship. What you are most likely to end up doing on Orchid Island is riding a scooter around the island to check out the numerous sights along the coast. We actually did a full circuit of the island on each of the two days we were there. Lanyu Guesthouse was right on the edge of Yeyin, which is a traditional and very quiet village that has the largest collection of traditional underground houses on Orchid Island.
Also, you can visit Changchun Shrine, Tunnel of Nine Turns, the river terrace recreational area, and Qingshui Cliff. Among many counties and cities in Taiwan, Taitung is the base of multi-ethnic groups including Amis, Puyuma, Lukai and Bunun. Many aboriginal cultural museums and prehistoric relic exhibition halls are the biggest highlights of Taitung. In addition to the profound cultural and historical features, the natural scenery here will make people who visit for the first time love this county. In Taitung, you can see the magnificent sun rising from and falling into the Pacific Ocean.

Also check out the Taiwan Blueprint (台東藍晒圖) artwork across Bo’ai Road from the Railway Park. Note that the Railway Village is quite a ways from the Taitung Train Station, so it’s best to get there by taxi or scooter, or on the Taiwan Tourism shuttle. If you need to spend the night in Taitung city, I recommend K2 Hostel (see on Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) or Hotel Cham Cham Taitung Caesar Park (see on Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) by Taitung Train Station. If you want to drive from Hualien to Taitung, I recommend renting a car here. Public transportation is limited, which means you’ll almost certainly need to rent a motorbike. This can be difficult as a foreigner, as Taiwan has strict rules about renting scooters and officially you need a Taiwanese license.
We were more impressed by Rover Café (蘭嶼旅人) between Yuren and Hongtou Villages on the coastal side of the road and overlooking expansive Badai Beach. The beanbag chairs and hammocks are as close as you’ll get to a Southeast Asian vibe on Orchid Island. The menu features yummy fruit smoothies, a range of cocktails, and a handful of Western/Asian dishes. One street off the main road in Yuren, you can also find Epicurean Pub (無餓不坐風味餐坊). Richard describes it as the only Western-style pub on Orchid Island, but we found it to be neither Western nor a pub.

So unfortunately you won’t find any of the Paiwan’s traditional slate houses here . That said, Nantian still remains a thriving center of traditional Paiwan culture, with the added appeal of boasting spectacular coastal scenery. South Link actually refers to the seaside-hugging train line that runs down  from Taitung City, reaching as far as Dawu before it cuts inland and west. The ride in and of itself is worth the trip, traversing steep cliffs and offering near constant views of the vast Pacific Ocean. South Link strings together a handful of picturesque Paiwan indigenous villages, all of which are worth an afternoon of your time.
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This rocky, tree-lined canyon has a river at the bottom, while its forests shelter different species of animals. The place is also famous for its marbles while its picturesque scenery makes it an excellent hiking site. Should you want to explore its attractions you can check out Shakadang Trail, Yanzikou Trail, and Lushui Trail.
We also noticed a distinct lack of young Tao adults on the island. There were few teens to be seen hanging out or ripping around on scooters like you see in most aboriginal communities in Taiwan. The most common places we saw locals were farming the fields and drinking or chatting in groups on the elevated platforms found around the island, usually beside homes or facing the sea.

In the map below you can find all the Taitung highlights included in this post, as well as the recommended places to stay. Be aware of this, but don’t let it dissuade you from pursuing urban discovery in eastern Taiwan. As you scour the web for places of interest inTaitung, you’ll notice that many are in Taitung County, rather than in the city center. Robert hopes you will fall as deeply (and quickly!) in love with Taiwan as he has.
If you want to try the aboriginal cuisine head for Mi Ba Nai in Taitung city or Luolei restaurant which also offers traditional music performances. Cheng Ping Hot Spring Inn (see on Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is my recommended choice here. Hotel Royal Chihpen (see on Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) offers a more luxurious experience. Fishermen return to the habor every day to auction their catches, especially swordfish (旗魚), right on the dock from around 1 or 2 p.m.
Here are the attractions you will pass in order after driving north from Taitung city. Still, if you prefer to go against the crowd, Guanshan has hundreds of bikes parked in lots and waiting to be hired. Here’s an article I wrote about Guanshan for Taiwan Tourism’s Travel in Taiwan magazine. In Yanping township north of Taitung city, near Luye, the Bunun Leisure Farm (布農部落休閒農場) is a leisure farm run by members of the Bunun aboriginal tribe.