Wondering if it’s is good to do the whole perimeter of Taiwan during two weeks which include CNY. I know there’s a massive influx back home, but I’m unsure of the hotel prices and the traffic patterns.
I think @mathpro did a tour last year during the CNY holiday. Maybe he can chime in. His account was posted here: Taiwan round island cycling (11D)
Hotel situation on the west coast would be an epic nightmare, somehow mathpro found a place AND was cheap. Based on stories I’ve heard from colleagues, I would still plan ahead and see if you can book in advance. If you have friends, stay with them.
As for the east coast, some of the small bnb’s might be closed during the holiday, it doesn’t hurt to plan a route and see where you might end up and check if bnb’s will be open in that town. Most of the time, you don’t need to make reservations for bnb’s on the east coast. I would say CNY holiday is a special case.
Traffic should be ok, as long as you stay out of roads that take cars on and off the highway.
My suggestion would be, if you have no obligations during the first few days of CNY, go on day 3. Most people will travel on day 2 to avoid the day 1 crowd. This is my observation through friends. I’ve never made the trip south since my entire family is in Taipei.
hmmmm… sounds like it might be difficult but possible with some advanced planning. though camping is an option i suppose.
For camping, if it’s at the side of the road or in a park, you might get trouble from the police, however, you can play the foreigner card if that happens.
As for the legit camp sites, like on the east coast, those will most likely be booked since…not everyone celebrates CNY by being with family. Some people go on vacation!
The weather isn’t all that great during CNY. At least up in Taipei where it’ll probably be cold and wet.