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Autumn Travel: Top Five autumn-leaf viewing spots in Taiwan

Leaf viewing is one of the easiest ways to experience natural beauty.

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Autumn Travel: Top Five autumn-leaf viewing spots in Taiwan

(Taiwan News photo)

Leaf viewing is one of the easiest ways to experience natural beauty. While Taiwan only has two obvious seasonal changes, autumn is generally considered the best time to visit the island.

While autumn’s weather tends to be warm and dry, the viewing of maple leaves has gradually become a popular activity for autumn travel in Taiwan.

Travel site XinMedia.com rounded up the top five places to see fall foliage in Taiwan, where you can easily enjoy a walk in the autumn tint and viewing the vivid fall color of the maple trees.

Xizhi Beaconsfield Hall

Xizhi Beaconsfield Hall in New Taipei is one of the most popular spots for leaf peeping in the greater Taipei area.

Founded in 1901, the hundred-year-old relic dates back to the Qing Dynasty, and was built for the worship of Sakyamuni Buddha, Confucius, and Lu Dongbin.

However, worshipping the deities in the temple isn’t the only thing to do when you visit the place. Beaconsfield Hall is surrounded by over a thousand maple trees, making it one of the most specatular places in Taiwan for autumn leaf viewing.

The double arch bridge leading up to the temple is the best spot to take great photos.

Autumn Travel: Top Five autumn-leaf viewing spots in Taiwan

Lala Mountain Nature Reserve

Lala Mountain, or Daguan Mountain in Taoyuan also has its share of beauty when it comes to autumn views.

Daguan means beautiful in the language of Atayal clan, the third-largest aboriginal tribe in Taiwan, which refers to the abundant trees in the forests, including green Chinese maples, red maples, beech trees, and so forth.

Especially in the Daguan Forest Farm, where you can see an abundance of maple trees, allows you to enjoy the best fall colors when green leaves turn red and then yellow before falling off.

Autumn Travel: Top Five autumn-leaf viewing spots in Taiwan

Shihmen Reservoir

Shihmen Reservoir is another good place in Taoyuan to watch the maple leaves. Visitors come to this place for a taste of fresh fish and often find themselves awed by the beautiful maple trees.

Another perk of this place is that it is conveniently located. Within easy driving distance of Taipei, visitors can get here without hustle and enjoy the view of maple trees covered with a mass of red and golden-colored leaves.

Autumn colors in the Shihmen Reservoir area can usually be enjoyed over a couple of weeks to a month starting from December.

Autumn Travel: Top Five autumn-leaf viewing spots in Taiwan

Siouluan Village

Hsinchu County’s Siouluan Village boasts a mysterious spot where leaf peepers in Taiwan believe has the most beautiful colors in the fall.

Due to its high altitude, the place offers you a chance to see the red foliage through the mountain mist, which adds a sense of mystery to the poetic view.

The higher the altitude, the redder the maple leaves. Visitors can easily apply for a wilderness permit for day hikes in order to enjoy a better view.

Autumn Travel: Top Five autumn-leaf viewing spots in Taiwan

Manapan Mountain Trail

Manapan Mountain in Miaoli is known for its abundance of maple trees. Just like Daguan, the word manapan has its origins in the Atayal language, meaning magnificent.

It is located at Miaoli’s Dahu Township, a place filled with the history of aboriginal resistance to Japanese colonization and holds a great deal of natural beauty.

From the end of November until mid-December are the best times for visiting. But if you missed the fall foliage, don’t worry, you can still come to Manapan in mid-January for the beautiful view of flowering plum trees.

Autumn Travel: Top Five autumn-leaf viewing spots in Taiwan