Tour de Taiwan: From Yilan to Sun Moon Lake

Organized by IN MOTION ASIA (www.inmotionasia.com) and sponsored by CLSA Taiwan, the Tour de Taiwan involved nine participants from all over the world looking to discover the “real Taiwan” and raised more the US$20,000 for charity.

We had been nervously looking at the 93km mountainous stage three with a certain amount of trepidation since the itinerary was issued some six weeks prior to the tour.

Our route showed us traveling from an altitude of 278m on the Cilan Plains to a maximum altitude of 3,275m at Hehuanshan, and then down to around 1,150m at Lushan Hot Spring — a cumulative ascent of 3,670m and a descent of 3,031m!

This was a very daunting prospect on paper let alone in reality. What we were about to discover however, was one of the most spectacular rides in the world and jaw-dropping scenery at every corner that left us grinning from ear-to-ear for weeks.

In order to conquer the Yilan to Lushan (廬山) stage in one day, we drove from our wonderful hotel overlooking the Cilan river plains and up route 7 to our high-altitude starting point above the Nanshan (南山) plateau at some 1950m.

The lush, fertile area is a major supplier of cabbage and other vegetables and provides spectacular views of Taiwan’s rugged mountainous interior, as well as a fascinating insight into the local aboriginal culture.

Route 7 is a branch of the Central Cross Island Highway and one of only three roads that cross Taiwan due to its ruggedness. The original Central Cross Island Highway was closed indefinitely after a magnitude-6.9 earthquake, the worst earthquake in a century, struck the center of Taiwan in 1999.

The Central Cross Island Highway provides some of the most breathtaking high-alpine scenery in the world as it winds through the clouds with rocky mountains and sheer drop-offs at every bend.

We headed higher and further south until we reached the delightful high-altitude town of Lishan (梨山) where we stopped for lunch and a rest. Perched on the southeastern fringe of Shei-Pa National Park, the Lishan area is famous for its fruit, which is grown at altitude and renowned for its freshness.

Picturesque apple and pear orchids, tea plantations and sweeping views of the massive Shiueshan Mountain Range provided an alluring environment, along with great views of the crystal clear Deji Reservoir which was visible from our rest stop deep in the gorge below.

From Lishan, we continued onto Dayueling (大禹嶺) where we once again jumped in our support vehicle and drove the remaining steep section up to Wuling, the highest road in Northeast Asia — a spectacular, winding road that took us through the clouds to a dizzying height of 3,275m and snow-covered peaks.

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