Hi, as from next week 8 March 2021 I plan on cycling from Taipei the east coast of Taiwan to Kenting then coming up a bit on East to Dawu then getting train back to Taipei .
Possibly start from Bali on road 61 if I can use that way.
Though I would prefer to use cycle routes but also be close to the coast?
Helpful advice wanted please.
Weather still too bad for this, at least up North. Wait another few weeks and it will be much nicer
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Maybe a typo in there?
You’re going to start in Bali and ride the 61, but swing across Taipei and ride along the east coast, pass Dawu with a destination of Kenting, but then head back towards Dawu and ride back on the east coast to Taipei? However, the title of your thread is ride along the west coast.
I assume you mean, you want to start in Bali, ride along the west coast highway down to Kenting, loop over to Taidong, then take a train back to Taipei from Da Wu?
In terms of routes, you can check the government info on cycling routes from this PDF
My suggestion, if you have a train included in this itinerary, is take a train down to Kaohsiung, ride down to Kenting from Kaohsiung, then ride the entire east coast back to Taipei.
I did my round the island in December 2019 and I did the west coast in two days to get it over with, as there’s really nothing to see there. The highlight of any cycling journey in Taiwan, is the east coast!
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Correct Typo oops, thanks for advice, small problem with East coast girlfriend wants us to do East Coast in hire car or train.
I’ve visited Hualian, Su’ao and Kenting a few times using train but never seen the West coast.
By your advice could be boring? If so I’ll train it to Kaohsiung Cycle Kenting and stay a few days.
Many thanks for link.
If you have some sight seeing or destinations along the way, like if you are going to take your sweet time and turn into every city along the way, I wouldn’t say it’s boring. However, if your goal is to just cycle the west coast, there’s really not much out there except farmland and factories.
Cycling around Kenting is a real treat! Have fun with that!
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I think your advice is worth taking, Kenting is beautiful, discussing with my friend most likely train to Tainan as she knows someone there I can meet.
Cycle to Kaohsiung then Kenting to finish in Da’Wu.
Also taking first advice and keep a weather watch for best time to set of.
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If you are staying in Kaohsiung, you can consider riding through Pingtung and then down to Kenting. Now, this is the longer route, but since the 17 runs straight through the city, there’s a lot of stopping and going and it’s just…traffic.
If you cross over to Pingtung, you can take some country-esque roads back to the west coast.
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Most of the West coast is a boring industrial shithole. Just the same terrible roads, traffic, crap food options, crap minsuku. Perhaps more enjoyable riding mostly down the 3 which is a bit inland, but that’s a lot more hilly. But it has better views and accommodation than the coast.
I second the advice above: train to Kaohsiung (or even Tainan), then ride to Kenting, then around the tip, then up to Hualien and back on the tain to Taipei. And whatever you do, do NOT ride the Suao tunnels!
and get your girlfriend to follow you in a hire car, and carry all your spare clothes and extrawater bottles!
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I hear things have greatly improved since the opening of the Suhua Bypass, where most motorists take nowadays. According to people in my cycling group, the old highway has become a paradise for cyclists with a lot less vehicles and stunning views that are best enjoyed on two wheels.
I hear that too, but without a certain level of fitness and knowledge of the road conditions, I would still stay away from it.
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Can’t be said enough. Even if I have no clue what the fuck minsuku might be.
Echo the others here, if you are going to ride a coast then ride the East coast from KenTing to Hualian, it’s fantastic.
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B&B
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Yes, that whole section of coast is absolutely fantastic. stunning high cliff lookouts, twisting roads spiralling up and down narrow headlands and so on… But I found the tunnels themselves to be scary as hell on a bicycle (twice): dark, narrow, wet, muddy, dripping from the ceiling, deep water-filled potholes, massive trucks that did not even know you were there, and seemingly kilometers long. Bicycles were never prohibited, as far as I know, and I must admit my memories of them date back to 2006 and 2008, or something like that.
they were bad enough in a car! glad to hear it has improved somewhat.
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Seems Hualien is best option and I like the idea of crossing over to Pingtung.
Be short stay Hualien as possibly going back there soon after.
Thanks all I shall work on a plan.
Nothing and I do mean absolutely nothing, compares to the Taroko Gorge.
I would cut your stay or plans in Kenting short a day just so you can do the southern peninsula and Taroko Gorge. Those are definitely my personal favorites.
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Even if you just do the first 20 km and then head back after Tianxiang. While it’s still a gorge and before it gets steep… also, you would avoid much of the truly shitty road surface higher up.
Ditto^. If you’re already in/near Hualien you should absolutely visit Taroko Gorge. Even if it’s just a few hours biking into the park 15-20km and then back out. It’s close enough to Hualien and it’s absolutely worth the detour, it’s one of the most surreal places I’ve biked in Taiwan
Don’t mean to rain on everyone’s parade, but if the days leading up to your ride had been raining in the gorge, don’t go into it. Cyclists have been killed by falling rocks that were loosen by continued rain.
I have visited the Gorge 2 times before getting to by bus, I guess doing by bike will be more fun before I return again a week later.
No rush to go so checking long weather forecast before I do, I could do without rain down south after all we’ve had in Taipei.