Statue of Nine Frogs 九蛙疊像

Background:

Sun Moon Lake (aka Zintun in the local Thao language) is the largest natural lake in Taiwan and home of the aboriginal Thao tribe. According to legend, a white deer led the tribe to the lake and is now trapped in a marble stone on Lalu Island, which is sacred ground to them.
The name “Sun Moon Lake” comes from the different colors of the water in the lake, some of it being murky and on other parts of the lake, clear. Another account says that the name comes from parts of the lake being round like the sun, and other parts of the lake being curved like the moon.
The first hydroelectric plant was built on the lake in 1919 by the Japanese, and it was later taken over by the ROC government. The hydroelectric power is part of a system of hydropower plants running from Wushe to Sun Moon Lake down to Shuili Township and includes at least 8 plants.
Sun Moon Lake Scenic area was created in 2000. The lake attracts visitors from around the world year-round for its beauty and surrounding sights and is also known for the annual Sun Moon Lake Swimming Carnival which thousands of people attend each year.

The “Nine Frog Stack” sculpture was designed by an engineering consulting company commissioned by the Nantou County Scenic Area Administration and created by artist Shen Zheng-ying (沈政瑩). Standing seven meters tall and made of bronze, it was originally placed beside a trail to promote the rich frog ecology of the local “Shuiwatou” area. The name “Shuiwatou” (“Water Frog Head”) comes from the many frog species that live there. The 500-meter-long trail is humid, supporting lush ferns, butterflies, and water birds, making it a hotspot of biodiversity. After the establishment of the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration in 2000, management of the sculpture was transferred to it. To highlight the changing water levels caused by pumped-storage hydroelectric generation, the Nine Frog Stack was relocated into the lake. Visitors can now observe how the number of visible frogs varies with the water level—usually only two are seen, but during droughts when the water recedes completely, all nine frogs appear. This rare sight attracts large crowds, making it one of Sun Moon Lake’s most famous landmarks.

Price:

Scenic Area Entrance: Free
Parking: Around 100 NT per day for cars
Ferry Ride (starting at Shuitou Pier): 300 NT per person. You can book tickets for a discount on Klook here.
Paddle Boat Ride: 300 NT per person
Gondola Ride (Ropeway): 500 NT per person
Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village: 980 NT per person. You can book tickets for a discount on Klook here.

Hours:

Scenic Area: 24/7
Parking: 24/7
Boat Ride: roughly 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM every day
Gondola Ride: 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM every day
Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village: 9:30 AM- 5 PM every day

Tours:

There are many tours and activities available at Sun Moon Lake such as SUP / standup Paddleboarding, Electric Boating, Canoeing, and Paddle Boarding, Water bike experience, Ebike Rental, and Kayaking
You can find more tours of Nantou on Klook here or KKday here.

Cherry Blossom Season:

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

Firefly Season

Firefly season at Sun Moon Lake is from May to June. Check out our firefly season guide here.

Where to Stay:

We have stayed at and recommend Kirin Villa (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here), a mountain resort in Puli near Sun Moon Lake.
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 selection of accommodation on the islands.

How to get there:

Bus: There are buses (Ubus/Kbus/etc) that leave all day from Taichung Station. You can book tickets to travel to Nantou via inter-city bus on Klook here.
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.
By Car/Scooter: Take National Highway 6 from Taichung up to Puli, and then follow the signs on Highway 21 down to Sun Moon Lake. You can also take a car/scooter up Highway 21 from Shuili Township further south. 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. 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.
Boat: You can circle the lake via three spots: Shuise Pier, Xuanguang Pier, and Ita Thao Pier.
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.

Map:

Check out our map of the area above.

Drone Footage:

Play

You can also check out our 360-degree panorama of the area above.

Our Journey:

I have been to the statue of nine frogs twice. Both times, we rode bicycles from Ita Thao Wharf. There is no way to drive there; the frogs are off a footpath in the river. You can either walk from the main road or ride a bike.
Overall, the experience has always been a good one. The scenery on the way to the nine frogs is also amazing. I highly recommend visiting.

View from Ita Thao Wharf, where we started.

SUP Paddleboarding Experience

Recently, there have been quite a few new SUP and paddleboard rentals available at Ita Thao Wharf. You can book a SUP paddleboarding experience for a discount on Klook here.

Another view of the paddleboarders and boaters.

Lakeside Bike Path from Ita Thao Wharf to the Nine Frogs

Near the wharf are several bicycle rental places you can check out. Now there is a relatively flat bike path that connects Ita Thao Wharf with the nine frogs statue. Much of the path also goes over the water, providing a beautiful view of the lake.

Lots of other people were out on their bikes that day.

New, beautiful rain cover along the bike path.

There is also a campground here that you can stay at.

The views along the trail are incredible.

Sun Moon Lake Ropeway

From here, you can also take the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway to Formosa Aboriginal Cultural Village or just see great views of Sun Moon Lake. You can book tickets to the ropeway on Klook here.
You can check out our full guide to the ropeway here.

Another SUP rental location.

SUPers along the lakeside.

After the ropeway/gondola, the trail then goes into the forest, and there are some ups and downs along the way.

Parts of the trail also go off land and into the water.

First view of the nine frog stack.

As I said, there are some ups and downs along the trail, and you can’t ride the whole thing in high gear.

Another view of the trail that goes through the woods here.

Beautiful view over the lake.

This turn here is the most picturesque along the whole bike route. You get to see a large area of beautiful blue-green water.

Back into the forest.

You will notice there are quite a few floating houses on the lake. These are fishing houses. There are similar houses on the Wushe Reservior.

More beautiful views.

View of sunset over the lake.

View looking back along the same stretch or path.

Another view of the fishing houses.

Sunset over fishing houses.

A View of Sun Moon Lake
Sun Moon Lake lies in a basin surrounded by mountains, and since headward stream erosion occurred rather late here the basin accumulated water to form Taiwan’s largest natural lake. Today, it is also one of the island’s most famous scenic spots. From this point, you can see the connected ranges of mountains that ring the lake, the main peaks being the south peak of Great Jiji Mountain, Great Jiji Mountain, Chepinglun Mountain, and Maolan Mountain.
In the near distance you can see shoals built up by years of sedimentation and the spreading aquatic grasses that provide a foraging environment for water fowl. On the opposite shore you can see the Church of Christ, Plum Lotus Garden, the Shuishe settlement, and Zhaowu Wharf, all major tourist spots. In addition, the floating fields and “four-hand” nets on the lake are fishing tools that were invented by early inhabitants, giving an intimation of the wisdom of those old-timers.

The last turn before we made it to the nine frogs.

Statue of Nine Frogs

Finally, we made it to the statue of nine frogs before the sun set.

Clear view of the nine frogs.

Here, there is a seating area where everyone can enjoy views of the frogs.

Closeup on the frogs.

Frogs behind the sunset.

Medium shot.

From a slightly different angle.

Wide view of the sunset frogs.

Aerial view of the frog viewing platform.

Top-down view. You can see that people have dug the mud up around the frogs in order to see all nine of them.

View of the frogs from the middle of the lake.

We saw four frogs when we visited. How many frogs will you see?

Check out our full guide to Sun Moon Lake here.

Check out our full guide to Nantou County here.

Check out our guide to Taiwan here.