Went to Taian (Tenglong) this weekend. The camping area was fully occupied by youngsters from some youth movement (~200 of them). They were having various activities like paintball, sneppling from the bridge, also seen some preparations for karaoke. So we just left our car there and went hiking up to the mountains - there is a road to some big old tree. On this road some 2 kilometers further to the mountains there is nice and small campsite that looks like this :
For 300NT$, you have water in the campsite, shower with hot water some 5 minutes walk down from the campsite (in the owner house, they let you use it). There is a restroom near the tents area (50 meters from there), and another one in the house.
BTW, the road to the old tree ends there, it was damaged by recent Typhoons.
So we went down to Tenglong, took our car and climbed this place.
It was very nice to stay there.
Thatās fantastic Alexa. I heard about that site last time I was at Tenglong but they made it sound like a major trek up there. How long did it take to walk up from tenglong?
You say it is on the road up the old tree, but the way up to the old tree is a path. Did you take a road or a path? If a road, is it the one at the back of the tenglong? You cross a small bridge near the cafe and head up beside the river. Yes? can you please give clear direction. This place looks nice and the hiking club has been interested in going to taian to camp and hike for a while.
At this campsite, was their food? And it looks like people can drive up.
Also, did you get to the old tree? And how was the drive into Taian? I thought the road was washed out?
What did you see in the area?
Mucha Man,
From tenglong it took us about 1.5 hour, but we were going very slow since we did it with our 2.5 year old son.
Actuallly when later we were going there by car, I measered the distace and it was arround 2 kilometers.
We took the road, not the path.
Directions from the tenglong campsite:
There is no small bridge near the cafe anymore, to get to this road you need to go(drive) back to the big river from the tenglong camping parking , turn right before the bridge above the big river and cross the small river there , then there is a road going up to the mountains on the right side of the small river. At some point the road crosses a bridge to the left, and some 100 meters after the bridge turns right, up to the mountain from the small river. At that point there is some path that continues along this small river and a map showing that junction. This place is really close to that house that owns the campsite.
After you pass the house the road climbs up and ends at the campsite after a fish pool.
There was no food at the campsite, other people that were camping there brought their own and cooked it. We did the same.
But you can take food from the tenglong. It is about 10 minutes drive. Although I would not do it in nighttime.
Actually, the peope that were there were very surprised that we also knew about this place, but as I said we found accidentally.
We did not go to the big tree, because those people said that the road is blocked, so we just stayed there for the night and next day went along the big river from the Taian hotsprings parking.
The free hotsprings up the valley were damaged by recent typhoons, so they are not there anymore.
We went more or less till the small waterfall on the right side of the big river (small stream) before a bridge, and tried also to go for the big one in the upper valley, but that path was too hard for family with small child so we gave up at some point and went back.
The road to Taian was OK, although there are couple of places where part of it was washed, but it is passable and there is a lot of repair work going there now.
So from tenglong you can drive there easily with a regular car? I know the road you are referring to but it was in really rough shape (in fact covered in rubble at one point) when I was there is early summer.
The free hot springs were never developed. And no one I know of has been able to find the bigger falls upriver. Not even sure if they still exist.
So the campsite sounds like itās just an open field up in the mountains with a house nearby for showers and toilet. Sounds great. Hopefully there was no ktv.
[quote=āMuzha Manā]So from tenglong you can drive there easily with a regular car? I know the road you are referring to but it was in really rough shape (in fact covered in rubble at one point) when I was there is early summer.
[/quote]
Itās no that easy, but not that complicated. Just donāt go too fast and be careful when another car is coming your way.
I did it with regular car, like couple of other drivers. Although most of the camping population came with 4X4.
And no, there is no KTV. Very quiet place. We also like it like this.
Have anyone ever been tu Li Yu Tan (near Hualien) camping? What can you tell about this place?
OK, what youāve all been waiting for: a camping guide to Taiwan.
I bought the 2005 Taiwan Campsite Handbook yesterday. Lists about a 100 places to camp around the island. Listings are in English and Chinese though the addresses for some only give the village (still there are phone numbers and sometimes websites). Detailled maps are drawn for only some places. However, the booklet includes a large map of Taiwan showing the general location of each campground (items are numbered and colored for easy cross referencing with the book). Small pics of each campsite are included and icons tells you what facilities exist (camping, cabins, showers, playground, electricity, etc).
All in all a very useful guide. Price is NT150. I bought it at the camping store near Guting MRT Station. Take exit 2 and take the first right (a small alley). Turn right again at the end of the alley and walk about 1 minute. The store is on the right.
A few surprises:
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Kenting has about a dozen campsites.
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A little place I know near Fulong has camping (it also has very nice cabins). Location: about 3-km from Fulong along a quiet mountain road.
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Taianās campsites are not listed.
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Xiao Liu Chiuās stunning campsite is not included.
Seems that most all of these campsites are pretty close to Taipei. Anyone know of any nice spots around Taichung? Iād like to go on a decent camping trip, but Iād like to stay within a few hours of here. How far away would that site in Miaoli be from me? Sounded pretty nice.
Contact Joe Sax.
Care to list them?
I want to do a lot of camping in Kenting this year.
I donāt think iād be able to find that book down here in Jiayi.
[quote=āLo Bo Toā][quote=āMuzha Manā]
- Kending has about a dozen campsites.
[/quote]
Care to list them?
I want to do a lot of camping in Kending this year.
I donāt think Iād be able to find that book down here in Jiayi.[/quote]
Well, itās mostly in Chinese but Iāll take of photo of the pages for you and email them to you if you like. You should be able to find the book in Jiayi, though. Arenāt there any mountain equipment shops there?
I canāt vouch for the quality of the sites. Some friends checked out a campsite at Baisha Beach. Itās not that great. Stupid Taiwanese and their concrete fetish. The site is right at the end of the beach however, which is prime. Still, friends said the beach had trash on it. If itās comign from the site it means it will always be there. So, the whole point of camping on the beach is defeated by, yes, the campsite on the beach. 
Are there any good campsites in the Alishan/Yu Shan area?
I camped at Bai Sha Wan (the one close to Kenting) last weekend. It was waaaay to hot to sleep past 7 oāclock.
Does anyone know of a campsite close to the beach somewhere near Kenting that has adequate shade where I could camp?
I think I saw one where they had wooden roofs over the place you were supposed to pitch your tent. If you want a place to swim a bit and also cool, then try the mountains instead.
I really like Kenting though. Iām looking for somewhere with trees. Wooden roofs would do though. Where is that Mr. He?
Also. Where in the mountains has a campsite with swimming near by?
I really like Kending though. Iām looking for somewhere with trees. Wooden roofs would do though. Where is that Mr. He?
Also. Where in the mountains has a campsite with swimming near by?[/quote]
Errm, the place where Maoman and MHB went over CNY.
Also, the mountain place with swiming nearby - there are several, as swimming holes are at each and every mountain stream.
The place we went up with the forumosa camping crew had at least 3 swimming holes.
Until late 2004 they had the mother of all swimming holes right next to the campground, but a typhoon took it.
Is this place a secret?
If so, I am great at keeping secretsā¦ 
I really like Kending though. Iām looking for somewhere with trees. Wooden roofs would do though. Where is that Mr. He?
Also. Where in the mountains has a campsite with swimming near by?[/quote]
The place we stayed over CNY fits the bill nicelyā¦But make sure they arenāt having any sort of group activity first, and the odds are youāll have the place to yourself.
Be warned during CNY it is a zoo.
To get there, go through Kenting, past sail rock and start up the hill toward the lighthouse and the east coast. About 300meters and a few sharp turns, youāll see a turnoff to your right. Take it, and then take the first left (about 150meters). Follow this road until it ends in the campground. If you have a crappy tent, or the weather is inclement, they have awnings you can camp under. But the best spot in the campground is all the way in the back, where there is a nice open section of grass surrounded by trees. They light the place at night, but you can ask them to turn them off, especially if you are the only ones in that section of the campground.
No beach nearby, but you can cut through the undergrowth behind the campground (there is a trail) which puts you out onto the wide grassy area behind the lighthouse, and from there itās about a two minute walk to the sea. There are a couple of pools you can swim in, and if itās calm enough, a good place to snorkel.
This is a view of about a quarter of the grassy areaā¦Itās actually pretty nice.
A few campsites relatively close to Taipei.
Meishu, Maliguan, Xinzhu County
Heilongtan, Taipei County
Hot Spring #1, North Nanao River, Yilan
I am itching for trying out the Heilongtan place with the girls, you and bulaien, how was it.
I must admit, when camping at Nanao, I prefer to camp down at the little beach, the road looks a bit hard to sleep on.