I recommend staying in a homestay provided by Fenchihu Catholic Church. One of the priests is Polish and the stay is highly recommended between Polish community in Taiwan.

Address:

Fenchihu Catholic Church 奮起湖楊生活動中心

26 Chung-he Village Chuchi Hsiang, 嘉義縣604竹崎鄉中和村奮起湖26號

Chiayi County

Taiwan 604 R.0.C

Tel∕05-2561134　Fax∕05-2562271

Website

Other hotels in Alishan:

Alishan Gou Hotel

Alishan House

Shermuh House (神木賓館)

Fencihu Hotel (奮起湖大飯店)

Weather in Alishan Area

Transport to Alishan:

By train

Take the famous Alishan Forest Railway narrow-gauge train from Chiayi station (the old one, not the new HSR station at Taibao). In December 2008, portions of the track were closed for construction. A one-way costs NTD$400 (about US$14) and takes around 3.5 hours. The train passes through the scenic village of Fencihu (奮起湖) halfway up and the village of Ruili (瑞里) is also accessible (several km away) from Jiaoliping (交力坪) station.

As of 2008, the train departs from Chiayi station every day at 9 AM and 1 PM, returning from Alishan at 1:18 PM and 1:45 PM (yes, only half an hour apart). The railway will happily sell standing room tickets and during peak periods like summer and the cherry blossom season trains can get very crowded, so book ahead by calling operator Hungtu Alishan at (05)225-1978, preferably in Chinese, and show up at least 30 min before departure to collect your tickets. In Chiayi station, note that the Alishan ticket counter is on the outside of the building, separate from the ordinary TRA counters.

By bus

Very comfortable buses from Chiayi to Alishan leave roughly hourly, take just over two hours and cost half-price at NT$200. However, the route isn't quite as scenic, with more tea plantations and small villages than cliffs and mountains. Buses stop at Ruili on the way. Note: The last bus to Alishan from Chaiyi is at 2pm. After that the only way to get to Alishan is by taxi which will cost $1600NT.

Fees/Permits

Entry to Alishan costs NT$150 per person if arriving on public transport, NT$200 if arriving by car, charged on arrival.

Get around

By train

The Alishan Forest Railway has three very popular spur lines.

• Sacred Tree Line, from Alishan to Shermuh (神木). This is actually just an hourly extra service running along the final stretch of the main line.

• Jhushan Line (祝山線), from Alishan to Jhushan (祝山). Has a daily departure very early in the morning (the exact time varies by season) so you can catch the sunrise over Jade Mountain (玉山).

• Mianyuei Line (眠月線), from Alishan to The Stone Monkey (石猴). Temporarily closed due to earthquake damage.

On foot

Trails around Alishan are ridiculously well signposted: every intersection of two paths not only has signs in Chinese and English, but a map pinpointing your exact location and all possible routes. You can also pick up an English map from the tourist office. All the main routes are very well maintained, with stairs for steeper sections, guard rails, etc.

A newly opened trail, about 4 hours one way, connects Fengcihu and Ruili through a scenic bamboo forest.

Places to see.

Sights around Alishan are signposted in Chinese, English and Japanese, and as you walk around the trails you'll find that nearly every tree of size, age or unusual shape has been dubbed with a fanciful moniker like "Elephant Trunk" or "Three Generation Tree".

• Jhushan (祝山), (train from Alishan station). The top attraction in Alishan, everybody crowds aboard the predawn trains for the half-hour trip to this peak on the east side of Alishan, where you can see the sun rise over Yushan. There's a viewing platform right next to the station, but it's worth it to hike an extra 15-20 minutes past the helicopter pad to the very top, where the crowds are a little thinner. As the sun is already up behind the mountain, the sky is already quite light by the time you get to the top, and the sun is very bright indeed when it comes up -- hawkers sell disposable $10 eclipse-style filtered glasses, but it's better to not stare at all. On the way back, skip the train and walk back instead, it's a pleasant 3-4 km downhill hike.

• Giant Trees Trail, (near Shermuh station). There are in fact two of these, both near Shermuh station, and they can be walked in a pleasant half-hour loop. True to the name, the cypresses here are giant indeed, and many have been growing for well over a millennium. The small Cihyun Temple, originally built by the Japanese, and the Tree Spirit Pagoda are along the way. The trail is particularly spooky when the mist rolls in.

• Shoujhen Temple (受鎮宮). The largest temple in Alishan and definitely worth a visit. The exterior and first floor are imposing enough, but don't miss a visit to the second floor, featuring an incredibly ornate golden altar and a surreal room with 10,000 miniature Buddhas, all lit up with a single LED.

• Two Sisters Pond (姊妹潭). Two scenic little ponds in the forest. The Elder Sister Pond, the larger of the two, has a much-photographed octagonal little pavilion in the middle. The (demanding) trail to Tashan starts from here.

Alishan is famous for High Mountain Oolong (高山烏龍) tea and you'll see plenty of plantations on the way up. There are a number of tea shops in the main village that will serve up a pot the traditional way for $200 or so.

Map of Alishan Area:

Photos: