Sun Moon Lake is a beautiful scenic area in Taiwan and a popular tourist destination that is best enjoyed via a ferry boat ride. By taking the ferry to the three main piers around the lake, you can enjoy Taiwanese street food, gift shops, temples, a gondola, an Aborigine theme park, and more. Here is our guide to taking a ferry boat ride around Sun Moon Lake.
🛥️ Planning your trip to Sun Moon Lake? ⛰️
Here are some top travel tips for you:
- Best time to visit: Winter or Autumn when it is less rainy
- How to get there: Taiwan Railway and Inter-City Bus
- Best place to stay: Kirin Villa or Jenq Yang Hotspring Hotel
- Book Ferry Boat Tickets for a discount on Klook
- Stay connected with a local SIM
- Rent a car to explore distant sights
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 in 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.
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
Ferry Ride (starting at Shuitou Pier): 9 AM to 5 PM. Ferries leave roughly every 30 minutes.
Paddle 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 a map of sites we will cover in the blog above. The piers where you can take ferries are marked in blue. The rest of the sites are green.
Our Journey:
I have visited Sun Moon Lake many times, and the best way to see the lake is by boat. However, most boat tours begin at Shuitou Wharf, then go to Xuanguang Wharf, and then Ita Thao Wharf, and then back to Shuitou Wharf. Those three wharfs or piers are marked on the map above.
There are many places that sell ferry tickets on the side of the road or near the pier. Many hostels also sell the tickets.
You can also find tickets for a discount on Klook here, or tickets that include bicycle rental here.
You can also buy a Sun Moon Lake combo ticket on Klook here.
Shuishe Pier 水社碼頭:
You can see Ferries leave roughly from 9 AM to 5 PM and come about every 30 minutes. After 5:30, you might not be able to get back to Shuitou Pier.
Note that you can also take a bicycle on the ferry boat for a fee of about 100 NT.
Stop 1: Xuanguang Wharf 炫光碼頭
Our first stop was Xuanguang Wharf. From here, you can see the most expensive hotels on the other side of the lake. Our boat driver said one night there were about 10,000 NT.
However, you can take a hike or take a bus up to Xuanguang Temple or Ci En Pagoda.
Ci En Pagoda 慈恩塔
Cien Pagoda is an iconic landmark at Sun Moon Lake that provides amazing views of the surrounding area. The pagoda is just a short hike from the main road. It is a must-see destination for anyone who is coming to Sun Moon Lake. Check out our full guide to Ci En Pagoda here.
Lalu Island 拉魯島
Master Xuan Zang Memorial Hall 玄奘大師紀念館
Master Xuanzang was a Buddhist Monk during the Tang Dynasty who visited India to learn more about Buddhism. His journey was later novelized as Journey to the West.
Stop 2: Ita Thao Wharf 伊達邵碼頭
Check out our full blog on Ita Thao Wharf here.
Ita Thao Pier is usually busy with people who come on Ferry rides from hotels across the lake.
Recently, SUP paddle boards, kayaks, and paddle boats have also been added.
Another view of the water sports pier.
You can buy tickets here or for a discount on Klook.
More Paddle Boaters.
They have also recently built a beautiful bike path that leads from here to the Statue of Nine Frogs.
Ita Thao Old Street 伊達邵老街
Nine Frogs Stone 九蛙疊像
From Ita Thao, you can also walk or cycle to the Stack of 9 Frogs, which gives visitors an indication of the current water level at Sun Moon Lake. There were three frogs above the water when we visited. Check out our full blog on this spot here.
Sun Moon Lake Ropeway/Gondola Ride 日月潭纜車
View from on top of the ropeway.
Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village九族文化村
Sorry for the blurry photos. You’ll just have to go there yourself to enjoy it!
You can book tickets for a discount on Klook here.
Other Places to Visit Around Sun Moon Lake:
Wenwu Temple 文武廟
Wenwu temples are Chinese temples that combine deities from literature and war.
This temple has halls dedicated to the God of War, the Warrior God, the God of Literature, and Confucius.
The original temple was built in 1938, as a consolidation of two temples that were flooded after a dam was built on the lake. It was rebuilt and expanded again in 1969 as a tourist destination.
Check out our full blog on Wenwu Temple here.
Sun Moon Lake Xiangshan Visitor Center 日月潭向山行政暨遊客中心
After you get back to Shuishe Pier, you can drive or bike over to Sun Moon Lake’s Xiangshan Visitor Center, which is a beautiful piece of architecture, with great views of Sun Moon Lake. With curves and pools inspired by the lake itself, it is a combination of nature and engineering. Lately, it has become a popular tourist destination for Instagrammers. Check out our full blog on this place here.
Shuishe Dam 水社壩
Places and things we missed:
- Youth Activity Center 青年活動中心
- Maolanshan Tea Farm 貓囒山茶業改良場
- Maolanshan Trail 貓囒山步道
- Neihushan Trail 內湖山步道
- Standup Paddleboarding
- Electric Boat, Canoe, and Paddle Board
- Water bike experience
- Ebike Rental
- Kayaking
You can find more tours of Nantou on Klook here or KKday here.
And a ton of other places, including temples, trails, farms, restaurants, etc. You’ll have to go exploring and find them yourself!
Check out our full guide to Nantou here.
You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here.
