Hi,
Does anyone have the latest on Wulai? I’m very new to Taiwan and am thinking about making it my first travel loation out of Hsinchu.
Lonely Planet mentions taking a bus down the street from the southern most MRT station; is that still legit?
What about places to stay near hot springs? Bars/nightlife?
For the daytime we’re particularly interested in river tracing/swimming.
We’d be going next weekend…
Thanks,
KP
Yeah, take bus from Xindian MRT, on the main road. There are heaps of hot spring hotels. In Taiwan the hot springs come to you and not vice versa. Although Wulai also has the poor mans hot springs if you don’t mind sitting with the locals. Nightlife? Not in Wulai. Although you can generally find some indigenous types to booze with if you fancy it. River tracing you want to head to Jiajiuliao…epic river tracing. hikingtaiwan.blogspot.com/2009/0 … place.html. Note its a few clicks before Wulai proper so if on the bus tell the driver you want to go there.
Mucha Man should be along shortly with further info.
WuLai is a good place to go with your S.O. … lots of very nice hot springs (private room is about $800-1200) out in the middle of nowhere. Yes, you just get off at XinDian MRT and there’s a bus stop, but it’s not very well marked. A taxi is $500 flat-rate, which is pretty good value for a half-hour trip.
Visit the Wulai Atayal Museum.
Also, try some exotic Aboriginal food at Taiya Popo. If you’ve got the guts for it, try the damamyan (fermented pork). They also serve fried bees.
On the street, you can try sausage made with maqaw, an Aboriginal spice.
If you catch the bus at Xindian there will be a very long queue and you’ll need to wait quite a while if you want a seat. You can of course take the very first bus that comes but you’ll have to stand. You can get on the same bus much earlier at Gongguan on Roosevelt road (there is a bus lane up the middle) if you want a seat.
I appreciate the fine help! I think the taxi ride sounds worth it.
Kenneth
And if you are coming from Hsinchu, forget the MRT altogether and guarantee your seat on the bus by getting off at Taipei Main Station, exit at M8 and take the bus at Qingdao Rd.
Thanks. We’ll do that!
I went to Wulai yesterday from Bitan (Xindian MRT): what once was Bus 1601 is now Bus 849, what once was NT$40 between Bitan and Wulai is now only NT$15. (Though if coming from the Taipei Railway Station, I believe it’s 3 sections, making it NT$45).
Taxi is a flat NT$600 to Wulai (which is considerably more than the meter would be), though when there are long lines at Xindian, some drivers will approach the people in the queue and are willing to make deals such as NT$400 for 4 passengers (NT$100 each).
Thanks much!
[quote=“southpawgtr”]Thanks much![/quote]Color me confused…You want to travel from Hsinchu, where you have some of the best river trekking/waterfalls/hot springs in the entire country and then go to Wulai?
Somebody please steer the boy straight…
[quote=“MJB”]Color me confused…You want to travel from Hsinchu, where you have some of the best river trekking/waterfalls/hot springs in the entire country and then go to Wulai?
Somebody please steer the boy straight…[/quote]
Yeah, but in those places in Hsinchu you’re simply NOT going to find coachloads of mainland Chinese tourists, hordes and hordes of bored mouthbreathers and tiny plates of river shrimp at NT$100 a time. 
Yeah, but, you have to know somebody who knows where to find the good spots!
Yeah, but, you have to know somebody who knows where to find the good spots![/quote]
And the bloody Beipu cold springs are closed for renovation. Wankers chose the summer to renovate in, even though no one uses them in winter on account of they’re, um, cold(ish).
Strange I went to Wulai a couple of weeks ago (early Saturday afternoon) and my experience was completely different.
took to the MRT to Xindian. exited the MRT and hopped on the first half empty bus. Wulai was packed with tourists but we walked up to the waterfall and there weren’t that many people. Then we walked up to Neidong and there were relatively few people until the two big waterfalls. But I wouldn’t describe them as obnoxious.
Can anyone give specific directions on how to get to Jia Jiu Liao stream? Thanks.
That’s very easy. From Xindian, just follow highway 9 and then highway 9 Jia (甲) to Wulai. Before reaching Wulai, after km marker 11.5, you come to a little village with a bus stop, Chenggong (成功) (bus no. 849 from Xindian MRT Station). There, take the small road to the right downhill and you will come to a large red bridge across Jia Jiu Liao Stream. If you go on a weekend, just follow the river BBQ grounds (which I personally can’t stand). I avoid that place during the summer. In autumn walking the trail there, without the crowds, is really nice.
^^^^^^^^^^ I guess I should be more specific. Will this take me to the river tracing area?
Well, the river is the river tracing area, right? From the big red bridge just follow further up the road until you come to another bridge, there is a trail starting on the left side before the bridge, which follows the river. Depending on where you want to start tracing the river, just look for a path down to the river from that trail.