One-Day Trip to the East Coast
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The East Coast is vast and all the attractions near the ocean are unforgettable! If you are coming to the East Coast for the first time, where should you start? For the best recommendations for one-day trip, look no further!
The itinerary starts in downtown Hualien City and Taitung City. If you have enough time, you can make this a two-day trip.
The itinerary mainly consists of attractions along the coastline, but you can also plan stops on mountainside to enrich your trip.
The recommended theme tours are shown at the end of this page. The East Coast is truly a place of endless fun!
Starting from the Hualien City
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Baqi Gazebo
31.5KM on Provincial Highway 11, Jiqi Village, Fengbin Township, Hualien County
The Baqi Gazebo is the most beautiful “turning point” on the long Provincial Highway 11. The observatory is equipped with parking spaces and bathrooms, while vendors sell cold and hot beverages, light meals, braised dishes and coffee. Stretch yourself expansively on the rustic wooden chairs facing the Pacific Ocean and rest a while before setting out again!
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Dashibishan Trail
No.49, Gui’an, Fengbin Township, Hualien County. The entry is diagonally across the street.
You must be full of energy at this point of your journey! Let’s hike up the mountain and explore the beautiful scenery! Climb the stairs past the shady trees and the ocean view is just ahead! Overlook the Jiqi Beach and villages from above and rest in the pavilion, which presents the East Coast to you from a different perspective.
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Qinbuzhizi Sky Trail
41KM on Provincial Highway 11, Fengbin Township, Hualien County, outside the Xinfeng Tunnel.
Price of tickets can be discounted for purchases within the park.
In the old days without convenient transportation, the locals had to travel to and from places on foot. The Qinbuzhizi Sky Trail is one of the cliffs they went through. Now with enhanced safety facilities, visitors can experience the dangerous journey of the past and overlook the beauties of the ocean.
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Xinshe Terrace Paddies
Xinshe Tribe, Fengbin Township, Hualien County. Near the 43.5-km point on Provincial Highway 11.
The Xinshe terraced paddies have become a popular tourist attraction with its never-ending terraced paddies and cute and unique installation artworks! It attracts a large number of tourists every year when the rice is bearing ears. Please watch your step when taking photos. Respect the local farmers, do not enter the fields, and bring your trash home with you!
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Shimen Sea Cave
60KM on Provincial Highway 11, Fengbin Township, Hualien County
Hollywood is also enthralled by the beauty of the East Coast! The sea cave in Shimen Banshaojiao Recreation Area was the set for a movie. Its Heart Cave, Mochi Cave, and other unique features as well as the thrilling splashes from the sea will blow your mind away. Please note the state of the sea. Should the wind and wave be too strong, it is strongly advised that you refrain from getting too close.
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Shiti Fishing Harbor
64KM on Provincial Highway 11, Fengbin Township, Hualien County
Meals are available.
For your lunch, don’t miss the fresh seafood from the East Coast! Not far from the Shitiping Scenic Area is the Shiti Fishing Harbor where you can find popular restaurants and menuless seafood restaurants; this is also the starting point for whale watching in Hua-tung. The best season of whale watching is from April to October. Why not take a trip here during the season?
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Shitiping
65-km point on Provincial Highway 11, Fengbin Township, Hualien County
Tickets required.
Shitiping is a rocky coast landscape created by the power of wind and sea. The unique scenery is a must-see for a lot of people! The coastline is rich in coral reefs and tropical fishes, making Shitiping the perfect place for observing intertidal zone, diving or rock fishing. This is also the perfect spot to see the sunrise. The morning sun reflected on the sea is a sight to remember!
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Tropic of Cancer
70.5KM on Provincial Highway 11, Fengbin Township, Hualien County
The Tropic of Cancer is 23.5o north of the Equator, which marks the boundary between the tropical zone and the temperate zone and influences the growth seasons of crops in Taiwan. At noon of the summer solstice, the sunlight would enter the gap of the Tropic of Cancer Marker. That is the time you can stand beside the Marker and experience the phenomenon of standing in the sun without casting a shadow!
Starting from downtown Taitung City
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Xiaoyeliou
No.500, Sec. 1, Songjiang Rd., Taitung City, Taitung County.
Xiaoyeliou is the southernmost attraction of the East Coast, which is thus named because its rock formations and geographical features are similar to those in Yehliu of Beiguan. The scenic area is equipped with a visitor center, vendors, camping ground and seashore trails. Apart from admiring a wide varieties of strange rock formations, looking out to the sea and listening to the waves, on a clear day you will be able to see Green Island, or camp in a tent and experience falling asleep to the sound of the waves.
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Jialulan
Near the 157 km of Provincial Highway 11, Taitung City, Taitung County
A vast lawn, pavilions, informative stations and a look out, Jialulan not only provides the best resting point, the scenery of the coastline and unique installation art pieces make it a popular spot for taking photographs. At night, Jialulan is the perfect spot for stargazing as it is free of light pollution; accompanied by the sound of the waves, it is the most romantic night ever!
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Fushan Fish Recovery Area
No.20, Shanyuan, Beinan Township, Taitung County
Since the establishment of Fushan Fish Recovery Area, its rich natural ecology has attracted a large number of visitors, and it has also enhanced the relationship between the communities, nature and local history, working together to conserve the ocean resources. Today, the populations of the sea creatures (e.g. fish, shrimps and shellfish) have steadily increased, and the locals became tour guides and scuba divers to help visitors understand ocean ecology. Various beach cleaning and educational activities are also held to allow participants to experience nature and culture simultaneously.
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Water Running Upward
148KM on Provincial Highway 11, Donghe Township, Taitung County
An irrigation ditch not far from Dulan is defying gravity as the water travels upwards? Actually the reason behind it is that the irrigation ditch is somewhat parallel to the road going downhill, the slope is larger than the ground people are standing on, thus creating an illusion that the water is flowing upwards, it is an amazing geographical spectacle.
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Dulan Sugar Factory
No.61, Dulan Village, Donghe Township, Taitung County
Meals are available.
The Dulan Sugar Factory was once the economic lifeline of the Dulan region. As the sugar industrial waned, its production stopped in 1991. After being vacant for many years, a number of artists moved in to create their art pieces and the factory was transformed into the “Dulan Sugar Factory Culture Park,” which has significantly enhanced local cultural soft power! There are many diners at downtown Dulan, where you can rest and have your meal.
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Torik Beach
Intersection of Provincial Highway 11 and Duli Road, Chenggong Township, Taitung County
Torik (Duli) Beach is next to the East Coast National Scenic Area Administration Office and has always been a popular spot among surfers. Even if you don’t surf, you have to visit the Sky Mirror! For an hour before and after the lowest tide, the shoal of the Beach is like a mirror reflecting the sky, allowing visitors to take the most memorable photographs.
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Sanxiantai
No.74, Jihui Rd., Chenggong Township, Taitung County
Tickets required.
Sanxiantai (Terrace of the three Immortals) consists of an offshore island and coral reefs. In the early days this is where the Amis people kept their goats, thus the Sanxiantai is also named Pisiran. Legend has it that three Immortals, Lu Dongbin, Li Tieguai and He Xiangu, once visited here, thus the name. Crossing the bridge and visiting the island, you won’t be able to stop taking photographs of numerous sea-eroded spectacles such as sea grooves, potholes, sea stacks and sea notches. It is one of the must-see attractions of the East Coast!
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Pisirian
Baihoulian Community, Taitung City, Taitung County
Pisirian is a small seashore tribe of the Sanxian Community by the sea. The tribe is packed by artworks of famous illustrator Jimmy Liao and goats made of driftwood. The music from the world-famous PawPaw drum band fills the tribe with innocent joy.
