Hi i’m thinking of cycling solo from Hualien to Kenting during late december. As i’ll be doing the ride alone, i’m worried about safety (i’m a small sized female) as well as if there will be accommodation or help around if my bike breaks down midway. also, are there many wild dogs along the way? (dont want to run into a gang of wild dogs alone)
i planned around 50+km per day to cater for the steep inclines esp on highway 30 and shoka. I also realise that it’s difficult to find accomodation in Dawu and Xuhai area. Does anyone have any recommendations?
here is the draft plan, do comment if it’s feasible?
Thank you!
Day 1: Hualien to Guangfu (50km), Highway 9, road 193
Day 2: Guangfu to Yuli (42km), road 193
Day 3: Yuli to Sanxiantai (41km), Highway 30 followed by Highway 11
Day 4: Sanxiantai to Taitung (52km), Highway 11
Day 5: Rest in Taitung
Day 6: Green Island
Day 7: Train from Taitung to Dawu, cycle from Dawu to Xuhai (43km), Highway 9, Road 199, Road 199 jia
Day 8: Xuhai to Jialeshui (34km), road 26, road 200, jiupeng road, shuizhu road, nan ren road, cha shan road
Day 9: Jialeshui to Kenting (21km), road 26
Don’t know where you’re from but Taiwan will be way safer than any Western country (saying that form a male perspective, but my female friends seemed to have fared better here than in their own country).
For accommodation, have a look at booking.com, a couple of times I found myself stranded in the middle of the night and that website always saved the day.
No worries either regarding help, Taiwanese people are usually very eager to help, and if the person you’re talking to doesn’t speak English they’ll know somebody who knows somebody who can. If it’s in the middle of nowhere don’t hesitate to wave at a passing car, no doubt people will stop and see what’s the matter.
Also, haven’t heard of dog gangs attacking people, I wouldn’t worry about that.
I have no experience about the road you’re planning to take, but it’ll really depend on your physical ability, so you’re on your own figuring out if it’s manageable.
I’ve driven these roads many times seeing quite a few cycling including single riders. Seems like a beautiful route and very low traffic except for the climb on 9 from sea level to 199 where big trucks frequent. Might want to time that section avoiding weekend and rush hours.
Not many stores or shops for food or water even in a car after this 7-ELEVEN 安朔門市
966, Taitung County, Daren Township, 森永村森永216號 https://goo.gl/maps/emKhjRZpsXs
Sometimes might not even see a car for 5 or 10 minutes. But people in that area or transiting friendly and nice and helpful and easy to talk to.
They are some steep climbs and decent.
Dogs, hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Highway 11 is extremely beautiful so if you’re not in a hurry and want to enjoy the trip, don’t push it.
Glad to hear that there aren’t that many wild dogs. I’ve read blogs about wild dogs at the shouka incline and I doubt I’ll succeed in outriding them on an incline and with panniers.
For hualien to taitung, I chose road 193 in the east rift valley instead of the more popular highway 9 and 11 because I wanted to avoid the tunnels. Riding through long dark tunnels alone doesn’t seem like a good idea. However because there is lesser traffic on road 193, I’m just worried if it’s possible to find people around for help. Not too worried about communications as I can speak a little mandarin / Chinese.
For dawu to xuhai on highway 9 and road199, I’ve heard that there aren’t any shops or 7-11 for that long stretch. Going to set off at 7am that day and hope that I can reach xuhai before dark.
These tunnels between Hualien and Taidong are pretty well lit and fairly roomy…not super long just FYI. Your route using 193, crossing over on 30, and finishing on 11 into Taidong is a good choice. There is a tunnel on 30 at the top, but if you are heading east I seem to recall it’s downhill in that direction. The views coming out of that tunnel and down to 11 can be spectacular. You can also cross over on 23 to similar effect but I’ve never ridden it…heard good things though.
There is currently a lot of construction on 9 between Taidong and Dawu, good call to avoid it. And the climb to Xuhai for me seems dangerous if there’s traffic and there usually is. There are narrow spots with trucks and tourist buses. If you ride it, try to plan for a very early morning start, but best to bypass it if you can imo.
Leave early. You won’t have issues with heat in December and the road doesn’t get crowded, but it’s a good way to have the road all to yourself. Having plenty of time to look for accommodation late afternoon or mid day gives you the flexibility of finding somewhere to stay.
Buy an easy card (at any convenience store). You add value to it and an be used at any chain convenience store. It sure as hell beats having loose change all the time.
You can also check this thread for any other info:
There aren’t any on 9, but 9 is pretty terrible IMO until you get to Guangfu and there’s lots of construction at the moment on that stretch. There are a couple tunnels on 11 just before that ridge towards the north end.
There’s that small climb towards the beginning, they are kind of the lead up to it. You can see them on Google maps. You probably don’t remember because they really aren’t any bother. Well designed.
Summer Point is a surfer spot that serves an awesome western breakfast and has other items for lunch like burgers. I prefer their #2 location as it’s co-located with the kitchen and just in a better area closer to the beach. Hotel de Plus is a bit hipster, but I find the folks working there to be charming. They serve more of a Taiwanese breakfast but offer other western dishes for lunch/dinner. They have really good beer and wine.
Yeah, that looks even worse than it actually is. Also the traffic is much lighter on 11. Now I’m thinking she should start on 11 and cross over to 193/9 via 23 or 30.
From Summer Point 2 absolutely. You can see the surf and surfers from the rooms. From 1, probably but it might be 20-30 minutes walking…it’s on 26 and just doesn’t have the same feel as 2. Summer Point also does surf lessons.
Hotel de Plus is further down on 26 and you need a bike or scooter realistically to get to the surfing area. It is directly across the road from the ocean, though its rocky and not a sand beach.
Thanks for all the advice and tips! was surprised to see so many replies (
@squall1 i was really looking forward to seeing the views on road 26 after xuhai, heard that the sea views are breathtaking, will reconsider taking into account the big trucks and traffic though.
@tango42 ah good to know that the tunnels are doable after all. i think i’ll stick to 193 for the first part of the journey though. Even though the padi fields may be boring after while, i think it’s good to be near farms and people just in case.
Summer Point sounds great, thanks for the recommendation!
Sorry two more questions, if in the event that i decide not to go by xuhai (and to go to kenting via road199, hengchun and road26 instead), is it possible to ride to the jiupeng desert as a day trip from kenting? or are there any notably scenic areas near kenting instead?
i’ll probably be getting the bike from giant in hualien. i understand that giant has the programme where the bikes can be returned around the country. Do you know if the kenting and kaoshiung branches still exist and if it’s possible to return the bike there?
I mean the climb on 9 leading up to the 199 should be avoided if possible. Basically, I would bypass 9 from Taidong to 199. Sorry if I misunderstood or wasn’t clear. 26 is good and you should absolutely ride it.
I haven’t been to the Kenting Giant in some time. It was housed in a resort hotel, but now not sure.
Here’s a link… I can’t find the listing for the actual shop though. I bet someone there speaks English…I would call and ask if the Giant shop is still there. Reviews say maybe not.
Yoho Bike Hotel
No. 27-8, Wanli Road, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County, 946
08 886 9999
I second that. The 26 on the cape peninsula was part of IM Taiwan in 2015 and the road surface was great, the scenery and seaviews were wonderful too. See pic below.
As for the climb on 9 up to the 199. I loved it.
My lowest, ie. climbing gear is 34x34 and even with some weight on the bike it was no big deal, just a grind, that’s all, but then you have good stories to tell, right?
