Alishan National Forest Recreation Area
TAIWAN’S MAGICAL FOREST One of the Eight Views of Taiwan, the Alishan Mountain Range is a group of peaks in Central Taiwan, famous for its ancient tree groves, inspiring sea
The mountains of Taiwan harbor many secrets: too many waterfalls for one lifetime, dozens of natural hot springs, thousand-year-old tree groves, and the mysterious Wanshan Petroglyphs which are said to be over 1000 years old.
Taiwan’s vast subtropical forests are filled with trees well-regarded for their healing essential oils, and the robustness of their wood. Ancient thousand-year-old trees—mostly Taiwan cypress and Taiwan red cypress—are referred to as “holy trees”. Most of these are now protected from harvesting under Taiwanese law, and many groves of these ancient trees are popular destinations in Taiwan’s Forest Recreation Areas. Taiwan’s oldest tree, a 4600-year-old Taiwan Cypress, is just a 30-minute walk from the Guanwu Forest Recreation Area in the mountains of Hsinchu. Taiwan is also home to many endemic species including the colorful Swinhoe’s pheasant, the cute Siberian weasel, the cunning Yellow-throated marten, and the majestic high-mountain Sambar deer. For bird enthusiasts over 550 species of birds have been observed in Taiwan.
Alishan National Forest Recreation Area
TAIWAN’S MAGICAL FOREST One of the Eight Views of Taiwan, the Alishan Mountain Range is a group of peaks in Central Taiwan, famous for its ancient tree groves, inspiring sea
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