So far, almost all tourism--related businesses, such as transportation companies, hotels, recreational areas and scenic parks are already prepared to accommodate the influx of visitors.

Whether taking public transportation or driving a car or motorcycle, visitors will have to overcome the traffic issue before reaching their destination as traffic jams during this period of the year are inevitable.

Also, travelers must be sure to reconfirm their hotel rooms. Most major hotels are already fully booked. An alternative is to try and find a home stay near your desired destination.

Here are some recommended scenic areas around the island to go.

Taichung Area

■ Houfong Bicycle Path is the shortest of Taichung County's bike-only tourist trails. Just 4.5 kilometers long, it doesn't take more than an hour and a half to cycle from one end to another and back again. If you have time on your hands, you can still go further afield, up into the hills behind the small town of Houli (one of the largest production centers for saxophones in the world!), or along the nearby Dongfong Bicycle Path.

■ The Fongjia Night Market, in Taichung City's famous commercial business districts, offers delicious local snack foods, such as rice noodle soup with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, dried tiger lilies, dried shrimp, oysters and shredded pork. Night markets in Taiwan are great places to shop for bargains and feel the pulse of Taiwan's after-hours life. The markets are a bustle of noise and energy, with friendly restaurant owners calling out their menus, stall holders calling out their wares, and crowds of curious onlookers, shoppers and diners mingling together in the night air.

Nantou Area

■ Taiwan has no shortage of unusual attractions for those willing to search them out, and the Xian Feng Ling Sun Moon Cave, cut into the face of a hillside in the southwest corner of Nantou County in central Taiwan, certainly fits into this category. The 52m-long cave was carved into a small rock face on the side of Mt. Wandou, high above the tiny hamlet of Taziwan, by a retired local over a period of ten years between 1969 and 1979.

■ Set like a jewel among the green hills and mountains of central Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake is glorious. On a sunny day the lake surface dances and sparkles in the light, and when the mist rolls in from the surrounding peaks, the area's dazzling beauty melts away into something more alluringly mysterious.Changhua Area

■ Big Buddha Parkland is located in the Bagua Mountain National Scenic Area (www.chcg.gov.tw/), close to downtown Changhua. The black-bodied Sakya Big Buddha statue is the city's special landmark and spiritual representation. From Bagua Mountain go through the Big Buddha archway, and walk along until the end -- there Big Buddha sits straight and tall in the open area. Bagua Mountain's Big Buddha was built in 1961, the entire body a ferroconcrete carved sculpture. It was the largest Buddha in Asia in its early years.

■ Taiwan Folk Village (http://www.t503.com.tw/do_02.htm) is an open air museum offering a collection of traditional buildings spanning 300 years of Taiwan history. At the museum, visitors can experience traditional crafts, such as incense, paper, rice wine, soy sauce and quilt-making.

■ Lugang Folk Arts Museum (www.taiwanese-secrets.com/lugang.html) houses a fascinating collection of Ming and Ching dynasty artifacts: vintage photos, lacquerware, porcelain, stone carvings, embroidery, musical instruments, and other items. The building is an amazing blend of Asian and Western architecture.

Chiayi Area

■ It takes over three hours for the Alishan train to push its five carriages up the mountain, but the journey itself is part of the fun. As the train ascends its winding path that hugs the mountainside, the typical broadleaf trees give way to conifers. What is even more interesting are the so-called "thousand-year-old trees" that appear every so often on the train ride up.

■ The Jiayou Bicycle Trail is a worthy addition to Taiwan's fast-growing network of bike paths and tourist cycling routes. Just three-and-a-half kilometers long, it links Shuishang Township with Shihsian Road in the southeastern corner of Chiayi City.

Yunlin Area

■ Established in August 1986, Janfusun Fancyworld (http://www.janfusun.com.tw/) is a leading amusement park business in Taiwan. It not only has the most modern rides and high-tech theaters, Janfusun Fancyworld is surrounded by beautiful natural scenery while offering cultural activities, as well as shopping -- something for every family member.

■ Coffee cultivation in Taiwan began in the 10th year of Emperor Guangxu, in the Qing Dynasty (1884). During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese planted 75 hectares of coffee trees on the Hebaoshan Commercial Farm in Gukeng Township, Yunlin. Thereafter, Hebaoshan was known by the name "Kafeishan" (or Coffee Mountain), a moniker that remains to this day.

■ Wonder how many gods there are in Taiwan? The Taiwan Temple Art Museum (http://tour.yunlin.gov.tw/) can help you figure it out. Affiliated with the Yuanlin Cultural Center, the museum includes a main hall (temple hall), and two side halls with a puppet show museum and deity statue museum. The exhibits in the temple hall cover correlations between temples and Taiwan development, temple fairs, paintings, methods of flag embroidery, among others.

■ The Shautien Temple in Peikang, built in 1694, is more than 290 years old. It used to be called Tienfe Temple, or Tienho Temple. In order to commemorate the Matsu Temple (Shautien Building) in Meichou, China, it was thus re-named Shautien Temple. Because of its wide-spread reputation, Shautien Temple has become the leading temple for more than 300 Taiwan temples worshipping the Goddess Matsu.