Lushan Hot Springs 廬山溫泉, Discover Taiwan’s Post-Apocalyptic Wonderland

Historical Background:

Lushan Hot Spring, originally called Fuji Hot Spring, is located in Ren’ai Township, Nantou County, and was once home to the Seediq Mahebo community. It became well known during the Japanese era, when it was developed and named after a nearby mountain resembling Mount Fuji, and it was ranked among central Taiwan’s “three great hot springs.” After WWII, local elites continued their development, but natural disasters in recent decades have dramatically reshaped the area’s fate. In 2008, Typhoon Sinlaku caused severe destruction to hotels in the area, and by 2011, geological surveys warned of landslide risks, prompting the government to relocate residents and businesses. In 2012, the county officially abolished the Lushan Hot Spring zone, beginning large-scale demolition and relocation projects. Efforts shifted to developing a new hot spring area at Fuxing Farm to resettle remaining businesses, while the original Lushan Hot Spring gradually disappeared from maps. However, even after relocation plans, the area remained vulnerable; in August 2023, heavy rains from Typhoon Khanun caused landslides, ground collapse, and hotel damage, cutting off transportation and highlighting the region’s continuing instability.

Price:

Free, but technically unsafe to visit

Hours:

24/7

Cherry Blossom Season:

Cherry Blossoms can be seen in Nantou from February to late March. Check out our full guide to Cherry Blossom Season in Taiwan here. 

How to get to Lushan:

As always, we recommend renting a scooter as the best way to see Taiwan. However, you can also a great deal of Miaoli by taking the train to Taichung and then switching to an inter-city bus, or local bus. Getting around in a car is also a convenient option, as there is plenty of parking pretty much everywhere in this less crowded county. 
Scooter: Lushan is about a 2-hour scooter ride from Nantou City or Taichung. Looking for scooter rental in Nantou? Search Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
Car: Lushan is about a three-hour drive from Taipei. Most of the hotels that are still running will provide parking. If you don’t feel safe, you can park off the side of the main road and walk down. If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. 
By Bus: Currently you can take the 6917A or 6268 busses that depart from Nantou. The bus ride takes about 2.5 hours. You can book tickets to travel to Nantou via inter-city bus on Klook here. 
By Train: You can book tickets to Taichung via high speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here, or book tickets via the normal train (TRA)  on Klook here, then switch to a bus to Nantou. 
Bicycle Rental: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan’s landscapes if you have the time and energy. 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: 

​There are many tours and activities available in Nantou such as river Tracing, paragliding, Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area 杉林溪, Cona’s Chocolate Castle, Shuiyuan Suspension Bridge, JOJOZOO Park, and Aowanda Forest Recreation Area.
You can find more tours of Nantou on Klook here or KKday here. 

Where to Stay:

We have stayed at and recommend Jenq Yang Hotspring Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Trip.com here, or Klook here), a hot spring hotel near the mystical Lushan hot spring, which is actually still in operation at the time of writing this blog.
Looking for a hotel? Find out 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.

Map:

Drone Footage

Check out our drone footage of the area below, taken in 2023. Since then, more damage has occurred.

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Or you can check out our 360-degree panoramas below:

The above panorama is of Lushan Hot Spring. I understand that the hot spring is mostly covered in rubble now.

Here is a view of Lushan in 2023. Think of it as a time capsule to the past. Many of these hotels have been destroyed or will be destroyed soon by Mother Nature or otherwise.

Our Journey:

I have been to Lushan Hot Springs once. I stayed the night at Jenq Yang Hotspring Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Trip.com here, or Klook here), which I recommend, a hot spring hotel near the mystical Lushan hot spring, which is actually still in operation at the time of writing this blog.
We went to Nantou originally to visit Qingjing Farm, but the hostel we stayed at was horrible (foul odor, noises, high humidity, etc.) so I told that hostel in Qingjing (which I don’t recommend) that we needed to head back to Taipei early for work and they gave me my money back for the second night thanks to Agoda‘s great customer service.
We looked around for a cheap hotel near Qingjing Farm. This fit the bill, and it also offered free breakfast and free access to a hot spring spa.

I was very shocked at how apocalyptic the town of Lushan is. I was not expecting this when I booked the hotel. I only learned about the history of this place after I booked the hotel. Needless to say, for safety concerns, my wife has forbidden us from going back again.

View over the Wushe Reservoir on the way down from Chingjing Farm. It was dry.

Yunlong Bridge 雲龍橋

Along the way, we stopped and gandered at Yunlong Bridge, which is an old suspension bridge built in the Japanese era, likely to help control the aboriginal population further in the mountains.

You can see the old tunnel that the suspension bridge used to connect to.

And here is a better view of the new Lushan Bridge, which was built in 1985.

Xilong Bridge Remembrance
Because of Lushan Hot Spring, a bridge was built here to connect the mountain road. During its construction, many laborers lost their lives. The bridge was completed, but within a few years, the original bridge was washed away by floods, leaving behind only its foundations. Later, the bridge was rebuilt using reinforced concrete.
On the upstream side, there is a suspension bridge. Many young men from the Lushan Indigenous community carried stones on their backs, climbed cliffs, and risked their lives in dangerous conditions to build it. Whenever local residents and tourists pass through here, they should remember those who sacrificed for the bridge and cherish the efforts and struggles of the ancestors who built this place.
The bridge was initially called Xilong Bridge, and in 1985, it was reconstructed and officially renamed Lushan Bridge.

Construction History
In 1971, the Taiwan Provincial Government commissioned the Central Engineering Office to build a reinforced concrete bridge across the Zhuoshui River.
Construction began in 1973, and the project was completed in 1976.
In 1980, Typhoon Yiling struck, and the bridge collapsed after being battered by floodwaters.
A temporary steel bridge was erected in 1982 to restore traffic, but it was washed away again in 1983.
In 1985, a new permanent bridge was completed, and the bridge deck was raised to prevent flooding.
From 1992 to 1999, several reinforcement and protection works were carried out.
In 2004, after Typhoon Mindulle, another reconstruction was planned.
The current bridge is the result of repeated rebuilding and improvements over time.

Erected by: Nantou County Government, Ren’ai Township Office, 2013

Image of an aborigine chief, probably.

SUKU Tribe Settlement (斯庫社)
The Suku tribal settlement consisted of several smaller villages, including Bquwan, Sipo, Suku, and Kriror. It was located near the Wuqu River Valley, in terrain favorable for building villages. Suku was closely connected with the Mahebo and Bwaurang tribes.
After the Wushe Incident, the Japanese built the Suku Iron Bridge here. When anti-Japanese resistance fighters retreated to Mahebo and Truwan to resist Japanese military advances, the bridge became a key defensive position. The resistance burned and destroyed the Suku Iron Bridge to block the Japanese army’s progress.

Historical Background
The Suku settlement was one of the six major tribal groups involved in the Wushe Incident. In 1929, the settlement had 55 households with a population of 231 people. After the incident, only 7 households with 25 people remained, showing the heavy toll. Survivors were forcibly relocated by the Japanese to lowland river terraces. Indigenous culture fell into decline, and many traditional sites were abandoned.
In 1985, Nantou County completed the “Dragon Phoenix Bridge,” spanning the Wuqu River. Since then, the bridge and the surrounding valley have become famous scenic spots in Ren’ai Township. Today, visitors can still see remains of the settlement, including terraces and stone walls, that testify to the Suku people’s past presence here.

View of the Wuqu River.

View looking up at Chingjing Farm and Sky Bridge.

View of the English Manor/Castle at Chingjing Farm and other hotels above.

Another view from Lushan Bridge.

First look at Lushan: what appear to be former shops are all shuttered. One parking lot seemed like it would fall off the mountain at any moment.

The hotel told us to park near the riverbed by the Lushan Suspension Bridge.

Jenq Yang Hotspring Hotel 正揚溫泉渡假飯店

Jenq Yang Hot Spring Hotel is a blatantly illegal hot spring hotel that is actually pretty good if you are not afriad of getting hit by a landslide.

There is a fish foot spa here too.

You can also buy swimming gear here if you forgot yours at home.

View of the fish spa and hot spring pools.

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The hot spring has working massage jets.

There are other pools of varying temperatures here.

Lushan Suspension Bridge 廬山吊橋

This is Lushan Old Street in Ren’ai Township of Nantou, the centerpiece being Lushan Suspension Bridge, which was built in 1930 during the Japanese Era. The area was originally named Fuji Hot Springs by the Japanese, but was later changed to Lushan by Chiang Kai-shek after the mountainous region in China.

Aerial view above Lushan Suspension Bridge. After Typhoon Sinlaku swept two hotels off their foundations in 1998, it was found that a landslide would soon bury this hot spring town. More than half of the hotels here sit empty, and the rest are run illegally.

View from on top of the bridge.

View looking south.

View looking north. Now this area is covered in rubble, and almost all the hotels are closed.

All the hotels you see here have either been washed away or closed.

Another abandoned hotel near the bridge.

Steps up to the other side of Lushan.

Map of Lushan.

The bridge also lights up at night.

Another view of the rainbow lights.

One last view.

Lushan Old Street 廬山老街

Mochi for sale.

View looking back at the bridge.

There were still a lot of restaurants when I visited here in 2023.

There were also a few more hotels in operation here.

Seafood restaurant.

The area’s only convenience store.

Another hotel and shops.

A few more shops here.

Wang Chi, the tallest building in Lushan.

View coming back over the bridge.

More restaurants on the old street, and lots of tourists.

Another view of the seafood restaurant.

Lushan Old Street is so interesting and awesome. Because it has officially been evacuated per an impending landslide, most hotels built before 2008 have been abandoned, and all businesses left are run illegally. It’s post-apocalyptic. Visit at your own risk.

Abandoned hotel being used as a parking garage.

We had hot pot for dinner here, and it was pretty good.

Tea store.

Alcohol store.

Dried mushrooms for sale.

Fried chicken for sale.

Another view of the end of the street.

There is also a police station here.

It seems like the station was still manned in 2023.

The road here keeps going.

I think all those buildings in the background got washed away in a flood in 2025.

Aerial view of Lushan, Nantou, where most of the hot spring hotels are abandoned, and the remaining ones are run illegally. Typhoons Sinlaku and Marokot and an impending landslide have turned this once vibrant hot spring town into a post-apocalyptic ruin.

View looking at hotels on the north side of town, most if not all are abandoned.

Some people still live in the houses here. The visitor’s center on the right has been abandoned.

I’m pretty sure the buildings here on the lower banks have all been washed out and/or buried in rubble as of 2025.

A hotel that has gone out of business.

Diverging roads.

An old amphitheater now guarded by a stray dog.

The old Lushan Visitor’s Center, which is now in disrepair.

View of the outside of the visitor’s center.

View inside the visitor’s center.

Old hot spring waterworks that are in disrepair in front of some houses, which are still inhabited.

Abandoned hotel used as a parking lot.

Front door of the former Lushan Mountain Resort.

Aboriginal stone statue.

The stone that says Lushan Hot Spring, I think it may date back to the Japanese times.

Lots of seating in front of another resort that seemed to be in business when I visited.

Lushan Garden, which had a few guests when I visited.

Egg steaming area.

Ren’ai Township Agricultural Office, which was one of the few government buildings still open.

Steps up to an abandoned hotel.

There might be more abandoned hotels in this town than people.

Lushan Wild Hot Springs 廬山野外溫泉

Map of Lushan from near the hot spring trail entrance.

Keep walking and you will get to the head spring of the hot springs, which includes Karaoke, egg steaming, and baked chicke, tea, and other food.

Rock that says head spring of Lushan Hot Spring.

Another sign reminds us that food is ahead.

A fridge along the trail.

Coffee shop shack.

Landslide along the trail that has been cleared up.

View of the head springs and shacks next to it.

Wooden bridge to the shacks.

Looking back downriver.

View upriver.

When I visited, they were in business!

I think the fee was 100 NT to soak in their raggedy springs here. I did not take that offer.

Another view of the shack.

An old man soaks in the makeshift hot springs here.

View of the wild hot springs.

Aerial view of the source of the hot spring in Lushan, Nantou. This spring was once considered the best in Taiwan. The only way to get there is by river, tracing up from the main town or paying to take a soak in a rusty shack here.
You can see two dudes soaking in the wild hot springs for free on the riverbed here.

Walking back to the hotel.

The hotel actually connects with another abandoned hotel here.

View of Lushan on a clear day. This road is now filled in with debris from the river.

The other end of the road ends here.

On the left above is another hot spring house that got buried in rubble. Underneath was supposed to be a parking lot. This structure was wiped off the face of the earth by 2025.

They were trying to dig up the rubble here, but Mother Nature is too strong. This place would be covered with about 10 meters of rubble by 2025.

Mhebu Ancient Battle Ground 馬赫坡古戰場

Just up the hill on the other side of the river above Lushan is the Mheby Ancient Battle Ground.
The Mahebo settlement (in Seediq, Mahebo, also called Mhebu) was one of the traditional villages of the Tgdaya group of the Seediq people, located in today’s Lushan Hot Spring area of Ren’ai Township, Nantou County. It was once led by Rudo Luhe and his son Mona Rudao, and was among the six villages involved in the Wushe Incident against Japanese rule. After the uprising, most of its people were killed in battle here at the Mhebu Ancient Battle Ground, while survivors were relocated to what is now the Qīngliú community. As a result, the Mahebo settlement disappeared. The Japanese later redeveloped the site into a hot spring area, and after World War II it became known as Lushan Hot Spring under the Republic of China.
The original village name Mhebu derived from Mhebuy, though its exact origin has been forgotten by younger generations. Many Seediq place names, such as villages, rivers, and valleys, still have unclear linguistic roots.
Traditionally, Mahebo was famous for its abundant hot spring water, making it a popular site for bathing. According to Seediq elders, the village lay between two streams—Pukashan Creek and Mahebo Creek—where hot spring water constantly bubbled out. Each morning and evening, steam would rise and cover the area in mist until sunlight burned it away. When the vapor rose and cooled in the upper air, it would fall as drizzle. Because of this phenomenon, villagers described Mahebo as a “leaking water” place, where light rain fell regularly at dawn and dusk.

The old battleground where most of the Mhebu Aboriginal people were killed by the Japanese was roughly this cabbage field.

Another view of the ancient battlefield.

There is also a traditional Seedik house here you can check out.

There is also a campground here, and we saw quite a few campers. The road up was quite narrow, and many times we had to back up, or other cars had to back up for us up and down the mountain. The road is only wide enough for one car, and there are a few potholes along the way.

Another view of abandoned shops as we left Lushan.

View of some campgrounds and Aboriginal settlements a bit further down the river.

Despite being a condemned and mostly abandoned ghost town, Lushan is still on the Taiwan version of Monopoly Deal, which was last printed in 2009 right after Typhoon Morakot, showing what a popular tourist destination it once was.

Current Status

You can compare and contrast how Lushan looked from 2010 (left) and 2025 (right) by toggling the comparison image above. Notice that many structures have been washed away, and the riverbed is filled up with rocks and landfall debris.

A few months after we left in 2023, Lushan flooded again pretty badly because of Typhoon Khanun.

Recent image from July 2025， after more flooding, landslides, and destruction.

Until two years ago, there were still 10 hotels operating in the Lushan Hot Spring area, but now only three continue to run secretly, such as Jenq Yang Hotspring Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Trip.com here, or Klook here), that we stayed at which is actually still in operation at the time of writing this blog. These hotels are still listed on online booking platforms, and one larger hotel frequently updates its promotions to attract guests. In response, the Nantou County Government stated that it has been issuing fines every year for two years, and it recently also penalized a hotel that was actively advertising through Facebook.

Check out our full guide to Nantou County here.
Check out our guide to Taiwan here.