5 Unique Things to Do in Taiwan
You might not know this, but Taiwan offers so much more as a travel destination than just night markets, bubble tea, and cutesy cafes. Taiwan is actually full of remarkable surprises, and can offer visitors unforgettable hands-on experiences that go beyond the typical tourist path.
For travellers eager to experience Taiwan in a more authentic way, these following five unique activities are sure to showcase a more adventurous side of Taiwan, with a flair of local charm.
From exploring a whimsical cat village to digging into sand to hunt for clams, it’s time to skip the fancy shops and dive into Taiwan’s natural wonders instead, that will create unique memories as intriguing and unexpected as the island itself.
Taiwan e-gate
Good news! Visiting Taiwan has gotten so much easier, as Singapore passport holders can now use the airport e-gates for faster immigration clearance! Just do a one-time registration in one of the enrollment centres, have your photo taken and fingerprints recorded, and you’ll be able to use the e-gates from then onwards!
Enjoy ‘Beauty Soup’ with the Locals
If there’s one thing you absolutely cannot miss during the winter season in Taiwan, it’s visiting the natural hot springs Taiwan is well known for!
It used to be a common sight to see locals kicking off their shoes, rolling up their pants, and soaking their feet alongside the riverbanks at Wulai or Yangmingshan. Sadly, many of these natural spring formations have been either cordoned off, made illegal, or piped to fancy resorts instead.
Thankfully, one place you can still rub shoulders with the locals and enjoy a warm, healthy soak is in Baolai Public Hot Springs (not free, but cheap). Baolai is Kaohsiung’s famous hot springs town, and this public hot springs bath, also known as “Cheongcho Spring”, is found within the year-round flowering Baolai Flower Park.
With high-quality sodium bicarbonate spring water that is mild, comfortably warm (52°C), odourless, and apparently makes your skin extra silky soft, many people thus call it dipping into the “Beauty Soup”. Locals have also reported the healing waters to have helped with burns, scalds, scars, inflammation, and respiratory issues (via steam inhalation).
If you don’t want a full body soak, you can also opt for the public foot bath, jokingly called “Foot Soup” (ultra literal Chinese-English translation of “足汤”; actually the Japanese term for foot baths).
To add to this unique experience, you can also stay over in the park in a campervan or glamping tent, both with private hot spring tubs. There are also outdoor treetop activities and the longest zipline facility in Southern Taiwan.
Snuggle Up with Kittiesssssssss
If you consider yourself a cat lover then you simply cannot miss this Taiwanese cat purr-adise. Tucked away in the hills of northern Taiwan, lies a former coal mining village of Houtong. Houtong literally means “monkey cave” but it has been taken over by hundreds of cats instead!
More than 200 cats call Houtong home, and they seem to coexist in harmony, with each one claiming a little space as their own territory. Most of the cats live outside, but they are all sterilised and vaccinated, and incredibly well taken care of by the village residents.
From the very moment you get out of the train station, you’ll be greeted by cats, all the way to the village. Most of the felines are friendly, but they have their own personal quirks. Some will be happy with pats; others not, some will pose for pictures; others will run away. The general cat-tiquette here is not to feed them, tease them or disturb them, and just let them approach you if they wish to.
Note, though, that this isn’t some modern swanky cat cafe. Houtong is a simple, three-lane village where real people live, and you’re essentially invading their hometown, so be respectful and courteous.
Of course, such a cat-crazy place is also where you’ll find everything kitty related. We’re talking about music created from cats meowing, cat merch, cat tattoos, cat cafes, cat-shaped pineapple tarts… Don’t leave the Houtong Cat Village without picking up some of the meow-chandise!
Pick Your Own Strawberries
Peak strawberry picking season hits Taiwan between the winter months of December and February, making it a perfect activity for the kids on a year-end family vacation to Taiwan.
Dahu township in Miaoli county is responsible for about 80% of Taiwan’s strawberry yield, earning it the title of “Strawberry Kingdom”.
The Dahu Farmers’ Association in town is the central point for all things strawberries — strawberry wine, ice cream, jam, syrups, vinegar, you name it. The farm plots surrounding the market are usually open to visitors to come and pick your own strawberries. Try to find a farm with less crowds, and go early, and you’ll enjoy a better selection of strawberries to harvest! Cheap and good, and oh so sweet!
This Guide to Taipei shares a top tip on how to choose the best strawberries: Go for the ones that are darker in colour, and remember that bigger doesn’t mean better!
Dig Up Your Own Clams
Li Chuan Aquafarm in Hualien county is renowned for being the only place in the world that breeds golden clams, so if you’re a clam fan, you absolutely must check this place out.
Thanks to its blessed location in a naturally formed open rift valley, surrounded by mountain ranges, the aquafarm enjoys fresh, mountain stream water for its high quality clams that have garnered a remarkable international reputation.
Clams naturally are found underwater, so don’t expect to stay dry during this activity. Wear pants that you can roll up, as you’ll be standing around in a huge shin-deep pool, bent over and running your fingers through the sandy bottom digging for treasured clams! Kids will love the fun of this even if they don’t like eating clams!
When your basket is full (or your back is killing you), you can choose to bring the clams home, or return them to the pool for others to find. You may also choose to pass them along to the on-site restaurant to fry up for lunch!
There are also unique clam products here to discover, such as clam essence, apparently a health food, and clam ice cream!
Hunt for Taiwan Jade
Would you believe that back during World War II, the Japanese mined the mountain area of Hualien extensively for asbestos for its thermal insulation properties, but chucked away all the nephrite they found as they considered it worthless waste rock?
Today, however, we know better and have come to appreciate the beauty of nephrite, more famously known as “Taiwan Jade” or “Fengtian Jade”.
According to geology enthusiast and YouTuber “Taiwan Rock Guy”, you can even go jade hunting yourself in Taiwan — and the best place to look is along the Baibao river in Hualien. (Thankfully the Japanese simply dumped this “trash rock” back into the valley, and now you can find them yourself!)
Hunting jade is easy — simply pick up every piece of rock that looks slightly greenish. Checking which are actually jade is the tougher part. With a flashlight in the evening, shine the light from under the piece of rock. If the light shines through, and you can easily see translucent greenish hues, you’ve probably found yourself a piece of Taiwan Jade.
It’s a fun activity that the kids can get involved in, and you would have discovered an amazing souvenir. The best part is, unlike the risk of buying fake jade (actually glass) from shops, there is simply no way to deny that this is a 100% genuine stone from the mountains of Hualien!
If you want to skip the jade hunt and experience polishing your own jade jewellery instead, check out this DIY Jade Workshop on Klook where you can choose from Taiwan Black Jade to Hualien Rose Stone and make them into a necklace or keychain.
Now that you know that Taiwan as a travel destination is so much more than just eating and shopping, will you be visiting anytime soon? Which one of these unique experiences beckons? Before heading off on your Taiwan trip, don’t forget to book your travel insurance for yourself and your family — and enjoy our special free kids’ travel insurance* promotion!
* Up to four kids can enjoy being insured for free when you buy a family plan, even up to 24 years old! (Terms and conditions apply)
