Taiwan Bike Tour

Our eleven-day Taiwan bike tour offers incredibly unique and safe cycling experiences. Take the high-speed train (included in trip fee) from Taipei at the north end of the island to Kaohsiung City on the sound end. Savor long rides along the beautiful Eastern coast. Test your legs on a challenging climb through Taroko Gorge (one of Asia’s most iconic cycling roads). Enjoy days of riding through Taiwan’s sparsely populated south and east, filled with national parks, rice paddies, palm trees, aboriginal villages, colorful temples, and incredibly friendly people.
Along the way, stay in fine hotels and feast on amazing local cuisine. Explore night markets. Soak in natural geothermal hot springs. Visit Taiwan’s famous National Palace Museum with its huge collection of Chinese art. With two local drivers and a Taiwanese guide plus your Bicycle Adventures guide, you are in for a first-class, ultra-supported adventure. We guarantee an unparalleled cultural and culinary experience, with cycling suitable for all levels of riders.
*Note: Interested in a pre-tour option to visit a high-end bicycle factory with the option of ordering a new bike? Call our office, 425-250-5540, for more details.
Itinerary
Day 01
Go for a warm-up ride along the Tamsui River's bike path.
Meals
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Grand Victoria Hotel
Distance
27 miles
Elevation
+1,039 ft / -1,039 ft
Meet us at the airport when your flight arrives this morning. We’ll take you to the fabulous Grand Victoria Hotel to freshen up. After brunch, test out your bike on a morning ride along the lovely Tamsui (meaning “freshwater”) River. One of the few rivers that flows north to south on the island, the river curves past temples, parks and cultural sights to the old town of Tamsui on the Taiwan Straits. This evening, ascend to the top of Taipei 101, one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers. Enjoy a fantastic dinner at Michelin-rated Din Tai Fung, known throughout Asia for serving the world’s best dumplings. Stay tonight and tomorrow night at the Grand Victoria Hotel.
Day 02
Pedal an amazing route through Yangmingshan National Park to the east coast.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Grand Victoria Hotel
Distance
49 miles (or less)
Elevation
+4186 ft / -4207 ft
Today’s bike ride begins from at our hotel’s front door and cruises 50 km through lush foothills, over Yamingshan (Yaming Mountain) and alongside the ocean on the other side. Yamingshan National Park is revered for its cherry blossom trees, hot springs and also for being the island’s tallest dormant volcano. After lunch, pedal another 30 km to finish at Tamsui’s Fisherman’s Wharf. Explore the shops and take time for some people-watching.
80 km isn’t enough for you? Ride another 20 km back to the Grand Victoria – mostly on bike paths. Or hop in the van for a shuttle back to the hotel. Enjoy a traditional, elegantly served Chinese meal at our hotel. You can even wear your hotel-provided slippers to dinner!
Day 03
Jump on the high-speed train from Taipei to Kaohsiung City. Ride to Kenting National Park.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
Lodging
Kenting Chateau Beach Resort
Distance
21-47 miles
Elevation
AM: +743 ft / -709 ft (21mi)
PM option: +2026 ft / -1991 ft (26mi)
Board the high-speed train this morning for a speedy ride to Kaohsiung. Stop to visit a temple or two while bicycling south through Taiwan’s banana belt into Kenting National Park. Kenting is renowned for its glorious beaches, coral cliffs, and tropical climate. After lunch in Kenting, head to the Kenting Chateau Beach Resort, tonight’s lodging. Soak up the views from your gorgeous oceanside room. Or go for an afternoon ride along the island’s southern tip. Tonight: feast on whatever you wish from the local night market in a town that is famous for great seafood.
Day 04
Ride the island's east coast, then inland through rice paddies, past palm trees and into the jungle.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Hoya Hot Springs Resort
Distance
79 miles (or less)
Elevation
+5,155 ft / -4,958 ft (or less)
Today’s ride is hilly, lush and completely memorable. Start off with a cruise along protected bike paths and bike lanes beside the ocean, then head inland through rice fields and past palm trees. Revel in the quiet: you’ll see a few cars once we leave the coastline. After lunch at an oceanside park, pedal onward to visit Duoliang Station, once Taiwan’s most beautiful railway station. The site is now a lovely seaside park with blissful views of mountains, jungle, and seashore. Back on the bike, ride onward to Chihpen, a popular hot spring area where canyon gives way to lush jungle and beautiful banyan forest. After a restful soak, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant serving aboriginal cuisine…and then maybe another soak.
Day 05
Ride the border of the East Rift Valley National Scenic Area from Chiben to Jui-shaing.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Dinner
Lodging
Silence Manor
Distance
68 miles (or less)
Elevation
+3214 ft / -2947 ft (or less)
Cycle through the wondrous Rift Valley today, pausing to take in views of rice paddies and mountain ranges. Discover Taiwan waxes eloquent about the East Rift Valley: “…it stretches from Mugua River in Hualien to the north to Taitung City and covers a total of 138,386 hectares, encompassing mountains, valleys, and hot springs, together with fields of rice, daylilies, pomelos, tea, and sugar apples in rich abundance.” It’s also home to four of Taiwan’s indigenous tribes. Finish today’s ride with a soak in the mineral springs of Jui-shaing.
Day 06
Visit the Cave of the Eight Immortals before riding back to the coast along the foothills.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Hualien Sugar Factory
Distance
75 miles (or less)
Elevation
+5600 ft / -5700 ft (or less)
Start today with a ride to Bashian Cave, the “Cave of the Eight Immortals.” One of Taiwan’s geological wonders, the cave dates to the Stone Age and houses a Buddhist temple carved into the side of a cliff. Explore a bit. Then continue riding up the pristine coast and back into the green rift valley to the Hualien Sugar Factory in Guangfu Township. This honest-to-goodness sugar factory was built during the days of Taiwan’s occupation by Japan. Tonight, sleep in the Japanese-style sugar factory guesthouse. Tonight’s dinner is a guest favorite, a Japanese-influenced meal offered in a quaint, intimate setting.
Day 07
Begin one of the world's most epic rides into the mountains and gorge of Taroko National Park.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Silks Place Taroko
Distance
62 miles (or less)
Elevation
+3600 ft / -2500 ft (or less)
Ride through pineapple fields and to the ocean for a seaside lunch before heading inland – and upland – into Taroko Gorge National Park. The most stunning of Taiwan’s nine National Parks, Taroko is best known for its marble gorge carved by eons of erosion – and the Taiwan KOM Challenge, part of the Taiwan Cycling Festival held each fall. As you climb, massive stone cliffs rise above; the river rages below. Stop here and there to visit the colorful temples and shrines along the way.
Finish at the magnificent Silks Place Taroko. Spend the next two nights here. Perched inside the gorge, this stunning hotel boasts rooftop firepits and pool with hot tubs, fine dining and even a nighttime mountainside light show.
Day 08
Explore Taroko National Park. Or enjoy the luxury of Silks Place Taroko's hotel and spa. Or do both.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Dinner
Lodging
Silks Place Taroko
Cycling in the gorge is just one of today’s options. Or hike, explore or just soak up the scenery. Within strolling distance of the fabulous Silks Place Taroko are pagodas, temples, shrines, tunnels carved through mountains, wooden suspension bridges and amazing views in all directions. Prefer to stay at the hotel and relax? Enjoy the luxurious spa and the hotel’s other amenities – fire pits, ping pong, amazing food and luxury galore. What’s your pleasure?
Day 09
Try for the summit if you like. Afterward, enjoy the long descent to Lishan.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
Lodging
Swallow Castle Resort & Hotel
Distance
50 miles (or less)
Elevation
+6900 ft / -4500 ft (or less)
Choose your option for today’s ride. Try your legs at a 17% grade and one of the most beautiful and challenging uphill climbs in the world. Or take it at your own pace, exploring along the way and taking plenty of enviable photos. After lunch at the Sacred Tree Cafe, swoosh (mostly) downhill to Lishan, a mountain town surrounding by farms, clouds and sheer rustic beauty. This evening, take part in a optional traditional tea ceremony from a very proud tea farmer. Lodge at Swallow Castle Resort & Hotel.
Day 10
Ride through the mountains past tribal villages, tea farms and palm trees en route to the coast.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
Lodging
Kapok Hotel & Resorts
Distance
68 miles (or less)
Elevation
+5058 ft / -11536 ft (or less)
Spend another amazing day bicycling spectacular roads through palm-fringed farming communities. Finish with a 28-mile downhill-then-flat ride into the bustling town of Luodong. Explore the town’s amazing night market, just one block from the Kapok Hotel, where you’ll stay tonight.
Day 11
Back to Taipei, with a few stops along the way - including hot-air lanterns in the old town of Shifen. All meals provided.
Meals
– Breakfast
– Lunch
– Dinner
This last morning, shuttle back to Taipei with some unique stops along the way, including the old town of Shifen for hot-air lanterns. Stroll to visit a couple of the sparkling waterfalls for which this area is famous. Then it’s on to the National Palace Museum with its permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts, one of the largest of its type in the world. Afterward, you’ll have time to pack up your bike (if you brought your own). Enjoy a final celebration dinner before we drop you off at the airport for your late-night flight back home.