Ali Mountain (Alishan)

Why Ali Mountain (Alishan) is special ?

Alishan, or Ali Mountain is the centerpiece of the Alishan National Scenic Area. The area is massive and offers much more than a single hike up to the mountain's peak. Located in the northeast part of the Jiayi County in Taiwan Province, Ali Mountain is in fact the general name of the eighteen hills including Zhu Hill and Tower Hill. Its highest peak is Tower Hill with the height of 2,663 meters (about 8,736 feet). Ali Mountain is world famous for its 'five rare sites' including the Sunrise, the Ali Mountain Forest Railway, the famous Alishan Sacred Tree, the Grand Sea of Clouds, and the Flamboyant Cherry Blossom. It is said that one who has not been there will never know its wonderful beauty.

Source: http://www.travelchinaguide.com/

What to explore at Ali Mountain (Alishan)?

Alishan's park is a relatively family-friendly tourist attraction for nature-lovers and tea enthusiasts. The Ali shan area also offers sublime hiking and mountain climbing. The mountain area holds a fantastic reputation in the minds of the Taiwanese, famous for such pleasant things as idyllic sunrises, high-quality tea, spring cherry blossoms, hiking trails, and much, much more.

Like most places in Taiwan, Alishan has its primary claim to fame - the sunrise. If you ask any local what the most important thing to do at Alishan is, they will almost all mention heading to one of the high peaks in the scenic area to catch the sun peeking up from underneath the "sea of clouds". The sea of clouds and the cherry blossom should not be overlooked. If you want to avoid sunstroke, the comfortable climate in midsummer on Ali Mountain will be a good choice.

Source: http://www.taiwanese-secrets.com/

How to get to Ali Mountain (Alishan)?

Travel from Taipei to Alishan

This is the most reliable way to get to Alishan as the Alishan Forest Train is very often out of order.

Step 1: First, travel from Taipei to Chiayi by High Speed Rail (HSR); 1.5 hour; NT$860 or by normal train (TRA); around NT$500; 3.5 hours.

Step 2: If you take the HSR, you'll need to get to the Chiayi TRA Station, which is located in downtown Chiayi. You can either take a taxi or a shuttle bus. The shuttle bus is easy to locate as there are English signs in the station.

Step 3: From the Chiayi Bus Station (next to the train station), you can take a bus (NT$220; 2.5 hours) all the way to Alishan.

Source: http://www.taiwanese-secrets.com/