Alishan National Scenic Area is one of the most famous mountain areas in Taiwan (aka Mount Ali, or Ali Mountain). Formerly a timber harvesting area during the Japanese Era, it still has a working rail system for park visitors to ride around the mountain. The mountain villages, ancient forests, waterfalls, hiking destinations, and tea plantations have made it a popular destination for tourists. It is also a popular destination to see the sunrise over a sea of clouds. Overall, it is one of the most iconic and well-known mountain destinations in Taiwan.
🚂 Planning your trip to Alishan? 🌳
Here are some top travel tips for you:
- Best time to visit: Spring for the cherry blossoms or Summer (May-October)
- One-way train trip: 2.5 hours
- Schedule: 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
- How to get there: Taiwan High Speed Railway
- Best places to stay: Chiayi Crown Hotel or YesHotel
- Book tours and activities in Alishan on Klook and get your Railway tickets with a guide here
- Stay connected with a local SIM
Historical Background:
Alishan is a high mountain area over 2,000 meters above sea level in central Taiwan. The first settlers in the Alishan region were the Tsuo aboriginal tribe. Chinese settlers did not move into the area until the 1900s. After the Japanese took over Taiwan in the late 1800s, they discovered large quantities of cypress trees in the area and sought to harvest them. They built railways in order to transport lumber down the mountains, part of which stands today as the Alishan Forest Railway. By 1970 logging resources had been depleted and the area began to rely on tourism as the major economic driver in the area. High mountain tea and wasabi are also major industries in there. The Alishan highway was completed in 1980, which made the surrounding area more accessible for tourism. In 2001, the Alishan National Scenic Area was officially established.
The railway was damaged in 2009 by typhoon Morakat but was reopened again in 2014, and is currently running as of 2018.
Hours:
Open 24-hours a day all year round (so you can go to see the sunrise at 3 AM).
Alishan Forest Railway Times:
Chiayi to Alishan:
The first train leaves Chiayi at 8:30 AM
The last train leaves Chiayi at 9:00 AM
Trains return to Chiayi at around 3:00 PM – 4PM
A one-way trip takes about two and a half hours.
Zhushan: 30 minutes (sunrise train)
Shenmu: 7 minutes
Zhaoping Line: 6 minutes
You can purchase tours and tickets for the Alishan Railway through Klook here or KKday here.
Price:
Alishan Forest Recreation Area:
300 NT for foreigners, 200 NT for Taiwan nationals. Parking is 100 NT for cars and 20 NT for scooters.
You can book tickets to Alishan Forest Recreation Area for a discount on Klook here.
Online: you can purchase tours and tickets of the Alishan Railway through Klook here or KKday here.
Alishan Forest Railway Prices:
600 NT one way from Chiayi to Alishan.
Zhushan Line: 150 NT per ride
Shenmu Line: 100 NT per ride
Zhaoping Line: 100 NT per ride
You can purchase tours and tickets of the Alishan Railway through Klook here or KKday here.
When to go:
Any season. Spring is special because of Cherry blossoms. Cherry Blossoms can be seen in the park from February to late March. Check our our full guide to Cherry Blossom Season in Taiwan here. In the summer (May-October), rock falls due to heavy rains or Typhoons cause traffic delays. Make sure to check the train is still running before you go in the summer.
How to get there:
By Train: Most passengers board from Chiayi TRA Station or the nearby Beimen TRA Station.
Go to Alishan Station for the Zhushan, Shenmu, and Zhaoping lines.
You can book tickets to travel to Chiayi via inter-city bus on Klook here.
You can book tickets to Chiayi via high-speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here.
Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.
Scooter Rental: Looking for a scooter rental in Chiayi? You can check out Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here.
Car Rental: If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.
Bicycle Rental: Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and search for tours on Klook here.
You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here.
Tours and Activities:
You can purchase tours and tickets for many activities in Chiayi such as glamping, Three Pigs Farm, Janfusun Fancy World, Taiping Suspension Bridge, Chateau de Jourdeness, Kumquat Tourist Factory, Taisugar Siantou Cultural Park, Meteor Garden, Veoveoana Tribe Tour, Danayi Valley, Batongguan Historic Trail, Xianghe Leisure Farm, Foot massage and many others through Klook here or KKday here.
Where to Stay:
We have stayed at and recommend Chiayi Crown Hotel (you can book on Agoda here 喔Booking.com here), Shin Kao Hotel (you can book on Agoda here or Trip.com here), and YesHotel (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here), which are all quality hotels for a reasonable price near Chiayi Station. We also recommend Shianghu Botique Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here), with excellent quality for the money just out of Chiayi City center. Finally, we have stayed at and recommend Fenchihu Street Hotel (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here), which is within walking distance of Fenqihu Old Street, Fenqihu Station, and many amazing hikes in the area.
Find out more about where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality accommodation on the islands.
You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Klook here or KKday here.
Map:
Please see below:
Our Journey:
I have been to Alishan twice; once in 2013 and once in 2016. The first time we went up in a rental car and we encountered thick fog. Our GPS took us up some super narrow and steep one-lane mountain roads there and back, and it was one of the most scary moments of my life. We couldn’t see 10 feet in front of us; our headlights were worthless in the fog. On the way down it was night time and there was lots of traffic coming up the mountain. I was driving and I just couldn’t go on. I took a U-turn and went back to Highway 18 where there was still thick fog but at least there were two lanes so I didn’t have to worry about a head-on collision in low visibility conditions.
The second time we rented a 125cc scooter in front of Chiayi Station for 450 NT and drove up the mountain. The scooter did great. But it was really cold; we did the ride in December.
You can book tickets for a discount on Klook here.
Online: you can purchase tours and tickets of the Alishan Railway through Klook here or KKday here.
A one-way ticket to Shenmu (ancient tree) was 100 NT, which is a little high I think for a 5 minute ride. But beat walking.
“The aged tree roots lying on the ground were the first generation of the 1500-year tree. The roots were withered for about 250 years and sometimes there was a seed dropping on the roots occasionally. By means of absorbing nutrients from the withered tree roots, the seed came into the leaf and grew up as the second generation tree. After passing the period of 300 years, the second-generation tree roots were aged and the stem became hollow. In spite of the disadvantages, the roots still fit alive and grew up as the third-generation tree.”
You can book tickets to Alishan Forest Recreation Area for a discount on Klook here.
You can purchase tours and tickets of the Alishan Railway through Klook here or KKday here.
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Check out our full guide to the Alishan Forest Railway here. You can also check out our full guide to Chiayi here.
For an overview of other places you can visit in Taiwan, you can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here.
