Sun Moon Lake in Yuchih – Taiwan

The rural town of Yuchih provides for an idyllic holiday, especially ideal for couples as this is where you will find the romantic Sun Moon Lake.

Sun Moon Lake in Yuchih – Taiwan is a tourist hotspot in the country that takes on the shape of a sun on the east and the moon on the west, thus its name.

Location

Sun Moon Lake in Yuchih – Taiwan is located in Nantou County, in Central Taiwan.

Getting There

There are two points of access recommended to reach Sun Moon Lake in Yuchih – Taiwan: Taichung or Taipei.

From these two cities in the country, you can take a direct bus to get to the lake area. If you will be coming from Taichung, buses that run to Puli are more frequent than those that go directly to the lake area.

This being said, your other option is to take a bus to Puli from which you take another bus to reach the lake. From Puli to Sun Moon Lake, the ride is only about thirty minutes long.

What to See and Do

When visiting the Sun Moon Lake in Yuchih – Taiwan, you can simply take a stroll down the lakeside for magnificent views of the lake and the mountains surrounding it.

For the adventurous type however, there are various trails that you can take which are all around the areas surrounding the lake. There are fourteen trails in all that you can choose from.

Some of these trails include: Mount Maolan Hiking Trail, Mount Houjiian, Cinglong Mountain, Hanbi Hiking Trail, Shueishe Lakeside Trail and Moon Lake.

Most of the trails are worth about thirty minutes up to two hours of trekking and can be as short as one hundred and fifty meters or as long as ten kilometers.

If hiking is not what you had in mind, you can always bike around the lake as there are also bike trails that you can find here.

Finally, you can take a boat tour or rent a boat and row down the lake yourself.

Other attractions around the lake include Wenwu Temple which is the largest temple within the northern side of the lake, the Ita Thao Village where you can watch traditional cultural performances, and the Ci-en Pagoda which is a 46-meter high pagoda constructed by Chiang Kai-shek in honor of his mother.

Brief History

Sun Moon Lake in Yuchih – Taiwan is the largest lake of the island. It has crystal-clear emerald waters from where you can see the magnificent reflections of the mountains that provide the backdrop for the lake.

The lake is 748 meters above sea level and is approximately 27 meters in depth; with a surface area of about 7.93 square kilometers.

While the lake in itself is already a popular tourist destination, with its numerous hiking trails that provide you with a good view of the lake as well as the lush vegetation that surrounds it; the lake was made even more popular because of the annual Swimming Carnival of Sun Moon Lake.

The Swimming Carnival sees thousands of participants each year and each one swims across the lake, about 3.3 kilometers long.

Cost

Bus tickets for Sun Moon Lake in Yuchih – Taiwan cost about NT$ 200 for single ride and NT$ 350 for a two-way ticket.

Boat tours are around NT$ 300 for each person while boat rentals are around NT$ 200 for one hour. You may need to make a security deposit of NT$ 200 as well.

Other Information

Sun Moon Lake in Yuchih – Taiwan is especially popular during the weekends so don’t be surprised if you suddenly find hotel rates jacked-up during these days.