Day One Overview: Guests will meet our guide and be picked up in private transportation from Zuoying High Speed Rail Station and driven in comfort to the gates of the famed Laoqijia Paiwan village. From here, the group will begin a unique cultural experience with one of Taiwan’s 16 indigenous tribes.

From Zuoying HSR Station, guests can expect a 1-hour drive to our designated pick up location to meet our village hosts. Last-minute provisions can be purchased at a convenience store along the way. Upon arrival at the meeting location our group will board a separate vehicle and begin a 45-minute drive up a riverbed into the mountains to the village of Tjuvecekadan.

This visit to the Paiwan village of Laoqijia (老七佳石板屋) or Tjuvecekadan, as it is known in the local Paiwan language, is something very few visitors to Taiwan ever get a chance to experience. The group will meet our hosts, local Paiwan villagers, and begin a welcoming ceremony overlooking the village. After this ceremony, guests and our local host will enjoy a community tour of the homes and a local museum with artifacts found in the local area. This will be followed by a lunch prepared by our hosts using local recipes and ingredients.

The rest of the afternoon will consist of a tour of the community by our hosts, translated by our guide, as well as time to socialize and relax before our aboriginal lunch is served by our hosts. After our afternoon activities, the group will depart and head off to our hot spring accommodation located in the town of Mudan.

After check-in, guests can relax in the soothing hot springs or choose to explore the local area (or do both!). Our guide will lead a short walk down to a local restaurant, where guests will have a delicious Taiwanese dinner – family style!

Day One Hiking Notes:
– Day One Total Hiking Distance: 1-2km (Approximately)
– Estimated Time on Trail: 30 minutes
– Trail Conditions: Compact soil, single track trails around the village. No real trails will be hiked this day.

Day One Schedule:
– 08:30 – Depart From Zuoying HSR Station on private transportation
– 10:30 – Arrive at Tjuvecekadan (老七佳石板屋 / Laoqijia) village and begin village tour
– 12:00 – Tribal Style Lunch (included in tour)
– 13:00 – Free time to explore village & DIY activity (e.g. wreath/bracelet-making, etc)
– 14:00 – Depart from Tjuvecekadan (老七佳石板屋 / Laoqijia)
– 15:00 – Board van and depart for hotel
– 16:30 – Arrive at hotel and check-in
– 17:00 – Dinner (included in tour price)
– 20:00 – Bedtime

*Please note: These times are approximate and will depend on a number of factors including traffic, weather, road, and trail conditions and hiking pace.

Meals: Breakfast: No / Lunch: Yes / Dinner: Yes | Accommodation: Hot Spring Hotel in Mudan

Day Two Overview: Start the second day of the trip with a soak in the hot springs and a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. After check-out, guests are driven to the southern trailhead of the famed Alangyi Historic Trail. From here, the group will meet our local indigenous guide, pick up our “Hunter’s Box” lunches and begin a hike along one of the most spectacular trails in all of Taiwan.

Guests will traverse this linear trail from south to north with stunning views of the turquoise waters of the Pacific Ocean almost the entire day.

Guests can hike at their own pace with a private guide, allowing for time to explore secluded beaches and learn about the rich history of a trail that dates back hundreds of years. The day is yours and what a day it will be!

Upon arriving at the northern trailhead in Taitung, you’ll meet your private transportation to get picked up and transferred to your hot spring hotel in Zhiben – about 1 hour away. The rest of the afternoon and evening will consist of exploring the local area on your own, relaxing at the hot springs in the hotel, having a group dinner in the hotel (included in the tour itinerary) and a little more R&R before bed!

Day Two Hiking Notes:
– Day Two Total Hiking Distance: 8km (Approximately)
– Estimated Time on Trail: 4-5 hours
– Trail Conditions: Compact soil, beach (sand/river rocks), some ocean rocks, potential for wading through shallow creeks – depending on water levels. There is very little shade on this trail. Prepare you and your travel party with appropriate sun protection.

Day Two Schedule:
– 09:00 – Depart From Hotel
– 09:30 – Arrive at trailhead of Alangyi Historic Trail. Start hike
– 12:00 – Trail-side lunch (included in tour)
– 13:00 – Continue hiking the 2nd half of the Alangyi Historic Trail
– 14:30 – Board van and depart for hotel
– 15:30 – Arrive at hotel and check-in at Fengliao Hotel (or similar)
– 16:30 – Free time to explore Zhiben, visit hot spring and rest
– 18:30 – Group Dinner (included in tour)

*Please note: These times are approximate and will depend on a number of factors including traffic, weather, road, and trail conditions and hiking pace.

Meals: Breakfast: Yes / Lunch: Yes / Dinner: Yes | Accommodation: Hot Spring Hotel in Zhiben

Day Three Overview: The third day of this trip has you heading further north into the East Rift Valley and Yushan National Park.

Leaving the hot spring valley of Zhiben, travel north through Taitung’s rural landscapes before turning inland toward the foothills of the Central Mountain Range. Before hitting the trail, stop at a local café to grab a tea or coffee and pick up supplies for a picnic lunch.

From the Shanfeng Trailhead, set out on foot along the Walami Trail, following one of the most accessible sections of the historic Batongguan Traversing Trail. Built across the mountains during the Japanese colonial period, this remarkable route once connected Taiwan’s east and west coasts and passed through the traditional territory of the Bunun people.

The trail gradually climbs above the Lakulaku River Valley, winding through lush subtropical forest and crossing suspension bridges along the way. After approximately 4.5 kilometres, arrive at Jiaxin, where a Japanese police station was established in 1920 as part of the colonial administration of the region. Today, stone steps and remnants of the former settlement remain, while the open terrace provides sweeping views across the river valley and surrounding mountains.

Enjoy a relaxed trailside picnic lunch before visiting the nearby remains of a traditional Bunun slate-stone house, offering another window into the much deeper Indigenous history of the Lakulaku River Valley.

Retrace the trail back toward Shanfeng, enjoying a different perspective across the forest and river valley on the roughly 4.5-kilometre return hike. Back at the trailhead, meet your vehicle and continue north through the East Rift Valley to Antong Hot Springs, an area known for its naturally occurring geothermal waters.

Check into your hotel with time to unwind and soak tired legs in the hot springs before coming together for dinner at the hotel and a relaxing end to a rewarding day on Taiwan’s wild east coast.

Day Three Hiking Notes:
– Total Hiking Distance: 9km (return)
– Trail Conditions: Compact soil trail with some man-made structures such as wooden steps and bridges along the Walami Trail.
– Estimated Time on Trail: 4-5 hours

Day Three Schedule:
– 07:00 – Breakfast
– 08:00 – Depart Hotel
– 09:00 – Arrive at cafe / pick up lunch
– 10:30 – Arrive at trailhead
– 12:30 – Trailside lunch
– 15:30 – Arrive at trailhead
– 16:30 – Arrive at Hotel in Antong
– 18:30 – Group Dinner (included)

*Please Note: These times are based purely on walking times, and don’t factor in weather, breaks for rest or snacking, etc.

Meals: Breakfast: Yes / Lunch: Yes / Dinner: Yes | Accommodation: Antong Hot Springs Hotel

Day Four Overview: After breakfast, travel deeper into the mountains along the Southern Cross-Island Highway, stopping along the way to pick up supplies for a picnic lunch. Today’s destination is Lisong Wild Hot Springs (栗松溫泉), a spectacular natural hot spring hidden within a remote gorge in Haiduan Township.

From the trailhead, hike steeply down through the forest to the river below, with the final approach requiring careful scrambling and the use of fixed ropes. At the bottom, the gorge opens to reveal Lisong’s famous mineral-covered rock walls, where geothermal water emerges directly from the mountainside and cascades toward the river.

Spend the late morning and early afternoon in this remote mountain setting — soaking in the natural hot springs, cooling off in the clear river and enjoying a picnic lunch beside the water. Surrounded by towering canyon walls and forest, it’s easy to understand why Lisong is sometimes described as the “Shangri-La of Taiwan.”

In the afternoon, make the challenging climb back to the trailhead before transferring down into the East Rift Valley and onward to Chishang. After checking into the hotel, walk to a private dinner featuring Amis cuisine, prepared with local, Indigenous and seasonal ingredients — a fitting end to a day immersed in the landscapes and cultures of eastern Taiwan.

Day Four Hiking Notes:
– Total Hiking Distance: 2-3km
– Trail Conditions: Compact soil trails, steep scrambling down/up, ropes, roots.
– Estimated Time on Trail: 2 hours at a moderate pace. Around 3 hours at the river.

Day Four Schedule:
– 07:30 – Wake up & Eat Breakfast
– 08:30 – Depart Hotel
– 10:30 – Arrive at trailhead
– 12:30 – Riverside lunch
– 14:00 – Depart Lisong Hot Spring
– 17:00 – Arrive at Hotel
– 18:30 – Group Amis Private Dinner

*Please Note: These times are based purely on walking times, and don’t factor in weather, breaks for rest or snacking, etc.

Meals: Breakfast: Yes / Lunch: Yes / Dinner: Yes | Accommodation: Hotel in Chishang

Day Five Overview: After breakfast and check-out, pick up bicycles and spend the morning exploring Chishang, one of the East Rift Valley’s most celebrated agricultural communities.

Pedal along quiet country lanes and through the expansive rice paddies surrounding Brown Boulevard (伯朗大道), where uninterrupted fields stretch toward the mountains on either side of the valley. Along the way, step off the bikes to discover some of the people and flavours that make Chishang special. Visit a traditional producer making fresh tofu skin (豆皮) using techniques passed down for decades, before stopping in to meet a second-generation local blacksmith and learn about a craft closely connected to the area’s farming heritage.

For lunch, enjoy another Chishang institution: the town’s famous railway bento boxes, built around locally grown Chishang rice and a tradition closely associated with train travel through Taiwan’s East Rift Valley.

After lunch, return the bicycles and transfer back to the hotel to collect your luggage. Continue to Chishang Railway Station and board the train together for the journey north to Taipei, watching the landscapes of Taiwan’s east coast pass by one final time.

Arrive in Taipei, where our journey together comes to an end.

Day Five Cycling Notes:
– Total Cycling Distance: ~20km
– Road Conditions: Mix of quiet farm roads, traffic free roads and dedicated bike paths
– Estimated Time on Bike: ~3 hours at a casual cycling pace.

Day Five Schedule:
– 07:00 – Eat Breakfast
– 08:00 – Check Out of Hotel
– 08:30 – Transfer to Bike Rentals & Bike Fitting
– 09:00 – Guided Cycling Tour of Chishang – Brown Boulevard, Rice Paddies, Tofu Skin Shop & Local Blacksmith
– 12:00 – Lunch at Famous Chishang Bento Restaurant
– 13:00 – Return Bikes
– 13:15 – Transfer to Hotel & Collect Luggage
– 13:45 – Transfer to Chishang Railway Station
– 14:00 – Board Train as a Group to Taipei
– Arrive in Taipei – End of Tour

*Please Note: These times are based purely on walking times, and don’t factor in weather, breaks for rest or snacking, etc.

Meals: Breakfast: Yes / Lunch: Yes / Dinner: No