Taiwan’s east tailspin with its lovely mountain ranges is known to be increasingly of a driving destination, but if you’re willing to slow lanugo a little to explore this increasingly rural countryside region, you’ll find that slantingly some gorgeous mountain scenery, Hualien has some lovely small towns worth checking out. I visited 3 small towns in Hualien by train on my own: Guangfu, Ruisui and Yuli, and compiled this highlight post of things to do in Hualien’s East Rift Valley.
Most people only think of Taroko Gorge when they think of Hualien, and while it is an wondrous sight, Hualien unquestionably has many other little spots that are worth checking out as well. If you are looking to escape the tourist crowds, these small towns in the East Rift Valley offer a quieter volitional without the congestion and some insight into local Taiwanese culture.
I’ve spent a lot of time in recent years exploring Taiwan as it is one of my favourite countries, but realised that the last time I visited Hualien was unquestionably way, way when in 2007 as a young fresh grad traipsing virtually the country with my friends. This trip to Hualien 15 years later was a long time coming!
This vendible is sponsored by Income Insurance. I’m working with Income Insurance to uncover subconscious gems on my travels in 2023! Stay tuned for increasingly blogs on tomfool places that I’ve visited virtually the world and unchangingly make sure you’re covered by Income’s Travel Insurance to travel with confidence. Enjoy x2 increasingly COVID-19 coverage for overseas transport and walk-up expenses^ with Income’s Travel Insurance!
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Where is Taiwan’s East Rift Valley located?
Taiwan has no lack of trappy mountains, and one of its jewels is in Hualien known as the East Rift Valley or Huadong Valley 花東縱谷. This stretch of valley is bracketed by the Central Mountain Range and the Coastal Mountain Range between Hualien and Taitung withal Taiwan’s East Tailspin which is how it got its name – Hua for Hualien, Dong for Taitung.
This valley is home to lots of Taiwan’s threshing and the farms and villages that have sprung up virtually it. Many underivative tribes moreover settled in the valley so you’ll see signs of that in the names of places, supplies and culture in the area. And of undertow you’ll have trappy mountain views just well-nigh anywhere you turn.
If you’re interested in Hualien’s coastal attractions instead, trammels out some of the sights you can see in Fengbin on a day trip with the Hualien East Tailspin Shuttle Bus.
How to get virtually the East Rift Valley
By driving
The main road that cuts through Hualien’s East Rift Valley is Highway 9 which is where most of these towns are located. Most visitors in the Hualien zone self-drive or have a car wattle to explore as the sights are quite spread out. Since I was on my own and not driving, I would squint for a bicycle/scooter rental near the train station as I exited and then explore the town zone from there.
If you want to see increasingly of Hualien’s Coast, Highway 11 runs parallel to this road on the other side of the Coastal Mountain Range. I’ll talk well-nigh Hualien’s coastal sights in flipside post coming soon. There are some small roads that cut wideness the Coastal Mountain Range and connect the two highways, but often it’s easier to spend your day doing either the Valley route or the Coastal route and not navigate between them.
By train
The East Rift Valley is served by TRA trains. If you’re coming from Taipei, the Puyuma Express Train from Taipei to Hualien City takes well-nigh 2 hours. The slower TRA trains take anywhere from 3-4 hours as they make increasingly stops withal the way.
You can buy train tickets directly at the station counter or make reservations online. I suggest making reservations online if you’re looking to travel on weekends/peak periods as the Puyuma Express trains can sell out during those times – you can still get on the train but you’ll be stuck standing all the way or seat hopping if you don’t have a reserved seat.
If you’re just hopping between towns, I find it easier to just turn up at the station and buy a ticket at the counter quickly and easily. You can pay with mazuma or credit card.
Whether you plan to momentum or take the train, I unchangingly recommend ownership travel insurance surpassing you go as a safeguard versus unexpected events like travel delays and injuries caused by accidents. You can trammels out Income’s Travel Insurance plans to learn more.
Guangfu 光復
Guangfu was once full of sugarcane plantations and a part-way for sugar production when in the day.
From Hualien Station to Guangfu Station by train:
- Puyuma Express: 30-40 mins
- Local Trains: 40 -60 mins
Hualien Tourism Sugar Factory 花蓮觀光糖廠
Since sugar was the main industry in Guangfu, one of the main attractions today is the Hualien Tourism Sugar Factory, moreover known as the Guangfu Sugar Factory. Officially set up when in 1913, they produced sugar through the Japanese colonial times and World War II up until the early 2000s when the factory was closed. It has since been restored into a tourist witchery by the Taisugar visitor 台糖.
The factory occupies quite a large recipe but the main worriedness is centred virtually this swimming which is surrounded by shops selling supplies and souvenirs, including one of the star products of the area: ice cream! This ice surf shop has over 20 variegated flavours available.
A warning if you plan to sit lanugo in this zone and eat: there are xiaoheiwen in this particular zone – that’s Taiwan’s version of the sandfly which will leave you itching for days – so I suggest tent up if you’re expressly sensitive like I am!
There is a velocipede rental shop on site as well if you want to explore the zone which is what I did. The supplies options moreover make this a pretty popular stopover for cyclists who are passing through the zone and need a break. I rented a velocipede and spent a morning exploring some of the nearby sights which I’ll talk increasingly well-nigh below.
Another thing you can do at the Guangfu Tourism Sugar Factory is stay overnight in the Japanese style wooden houses that litter the compound. Originally built to house higher ranking executives who worked at the factory during the Japanese colonial era, these houses have since been converted into guesthouses.
Along with the quaint wooden architecture, features like the cypress wood floors, tatami mat rooms and plane the Japanese-style stone baths have been kept slantingly modern features like air-conditioning, streamlined toilet bowls and netted screens on the windows to alimony bugs out.
Staying in one of these houses is quite fun but they are meant for 2 or increasingly people – I visited on a media trip and they prescribed us each a lodge and it felt far too big for just 1 person to sleep in, but the family lodge would be platonic for a small group/family.
Guests at the Hualien Sugar Factory Hotel moreover get vouchers for many of the activities on site like riding the traditional train (closed on the day I was there), bicycle rental and ice cream.
Hualien Tourism Sugar Factory 花蓮觀光糖廠
[Location on Google Maps] The recipe is a 10min walk or a 2-3 min momentum south of Guangfu Train Station.
See website for more and you can typesetting Hualien Tourism Sugar Factory Hotel walk-up online [affiliate link]. Prices start from virtually 2,700 NTD/night (~S$120) for a double room. I was hosted here by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau as part of a media trip in Feb 2023.
Alternative hotels in Guangfu to consider:
- Maple Feeling Vacation Farm [affiliate link] – the location is a little bit remoter from the town but the rooms squint really big
- Kamiyamato B&B [affiliate link] – is an affordable option a little nearer to the town centre
Matai’an Wetlands 馬太鞍溼地生態園區
Did you know that Matai’an is unquestionably one of the old names for the Guangfu area? It comes from the Ami word ‘Vataan’ or pigeon pea 樹豆 – the Amis are the underivative tribe who undeniability this zone home.
The Matai’an Wetlands lie on the west side of the Guangfu River and is a lovely place to enjoy nature and do a little birdwatching. This zone is particularly popular in summer from virtually May to August when its ponds are covered in visculent water lilies and lotuses. Obviously I was there in February so I didn’t see any of that, but it was very untried and peaceful and there are nice little roads and boardwalks which are perfect for a stroll or cycle.
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I was there at a weird timing, but if you go virtually lunch time, one thing you should try in this zone is traditional Ami cuisine. They are known for their unique stone hot pot 石頭火鍋 – trammels out Yoti Life for some pix of supplies that includes grilled fish, wild boar meat and the local veggies.
Some restaurants in the zone you can trammels out include Cifadahan Traditional Amis Restaurant 紅瓦屋老地方文化美食餐廳 or Shin Liu Farm 欣綠農園 which are all within the Matai’an Wetlands area.
Matai’an Wetlands 馬太鞍溼地生態園區
[Location on Google Maps] The recipe is well-nigh a 5 minutes momentum or a 10 minute bicycle ride southwest of Guangfu Train Station.
Danongdafu Forest Park 大農大富平地森林園區
From Guangfu Sugar Factory, flipside place I cycled to explore was the Danongdafu Forest Park. Forest parks substantially are secondary forests – the original forest was cleared out considering of industrialisation, but these new forests were cultivated later on as a untried lung for the area. This zone used to be sugarcane plantations that belonged to Taisugar Corp, and is named for the 2 farms: Danong 大農 and Dafu 大富.
Danongdafu is 1 of the 3 major forest parks in Taiwan (the other two are in Pingtung and Chiayi and is pretty big – 1250 hectares which is well-nigh 48x the size of Da’an Forest Park in Taipei! There are lots of cycling trails leading to and inside the forest park – I moreover encountered people walking withal the trails.
February as you can see at the tail end of winter is lovely weather for outdoor worriedness and cycling, but inevitably a bit dreary considering of perpetual rain and overcast skies. In spring and summer, this zone is super colourful with visculent flowers and March and April is firefly season too. Autumn is flipside popular time to come with fall colours, though I think the yellowish boughs of winter are pretty tomfool as well.
There are some sculptures in parts of the park, but unfortunately I got rained out so I didn’t spend as much time here as I would have liked. I definitely need to come when when the flowers are in viridity to see their ‘flower sea’! There is moreover a viewing tower which I missed as well.
I cycled to Danongdafu Forest Park from the Hualien Tourism Sugar Factory. It’s a nice cycling trail passing through lots of countryside and paddy fields. Just alimony an eye out for the cycling trail signs!
Danongdafu Forest Park 大農大富平地森林園區
[Location on Google Maps] The recipe is well-nigh a 10 minutes momentum or a 25 minute bicycle ride south of Guangfu Train Station.
What I missed
Fuyuan National Forest Recreation Zone 富源國家森林遊樂區 – it’s a 15 minute momentum by car from Guangfu Train Station but scrutinizingly an hour on bicycle (You could take the train to Fuyuan Station which is nearer). This national park has a lovely suspension underpass and is moreover famous for butterflies in spring and summer (March to August)
Ruisui 瑞穗
Ruisui is most famous as the only carbonate water hot springs in Taiwan. The water here is moreover rich in iron which gives the water its yellowish tinge and is supposed to have beautifying and healing properties.
From Hualien Station to Guangfu Station by train:
- Puyuma Express: 30-40 mins
- Local Trains: 40 -60 mins
I first visited Ruisui as a clueless 20-something year old just pursuit my friend virtually on the itinerary that she planned. That particular trip was made up pretty much on the fly – we found a guesthouse near the train station when we arrived and the owner serried our activities including going to a hot spring suffuse house and white water rafting.
This time around, I mostly took taxi to get around. The local lady who picked me up from the train station gave me her name vellum and every time I needed a ride I just gave her a call. Definitely go with a local cab – on my way when from dinner I decided to hop into flipside taxi, but that guy had fetched someone lanugo from Taipei and had no idea how to get virtually so it took us 2x as long to get when to the hotel >_<
Ruisui Hot Springs: Yen Hotspring Hotel 元湯溫泉居
The main point of visiting Ruisui was to fully enjoy the hot springs here without a hectic week on a media trip, so I decided to splash out on a nice hot spring hotel! Yen Hotspring Hotel is one of the newer hotels in Ruisui and has a nice wipe stimulating vs the increasingly typical decor of older hot spring hotels stuck in the early 90s or so.
I was in a western-style room with a large King sized bed, leather hovel and tying balcony – the Japanese style rooms have mattresses on a platform and there are larger suites as well.
The suffuse is very wipe and those taps fill the suffuse up very quickly. The hotel gives pretty detailed instructions on how to use the suffuse as well as the fact that the water is hotter and variegated times of the day. I stayed there for one night and sweaty 2x to make full use of this bath. What I liked was that the suffuse was moreover indoors (no mozzies at night!) but moreover ventilated unbearable that the room itself doesn’t finger steamy.
The hotel unquestionably has a swimming pool and outdoor hot springs as well, though most of the people are here to enjoy the baths in their rooms, it might be useful if you’re here as a very large group. The breakfast provided was moreover very stellar – very fresh and unique local Hualien food!
Yen Hotspring Hotel is a little whilom my usual upkeep at 4,280 NTD/night (about S$186), but considering the facilities it’s well worth the splurge and if you’re a couple, I think it’s very worth what you pay for. The service was spanking-new as well, with the receptionist lady helping me to undeniability my taxi when I needed it.
Yen Hotspring Hotel 元湯溫泉居
See increasingly on the Yen Hotspring website or book online [affiliate link]
[Location on Google Maps] The hotel is a 5 minute momentum north of Ruisui Train Station. I wouldn’t recommend walking there from the station considering the hotel is withal Highway 9 and there’s nothing else virtually it. It’s very much a place to momentum to!
Alternative Ruisui hot spring hotels to consider:
- Ruixiong Hotspring Hotel [affiliate link] – this hotel was cheaper and increasingly within my usual budget, but it’s moreover remoter from Ruisui Train Station in Hongye Village
- 蜜滋賀溫泉飯店 [affiliate link] – this is flipside newish hotel that I was considering, but I thought Yen was prettier
- Ruisui Sunshine Hot Spring B&B [affiliate link] – this one was a bit on the expensive side as well but it’s a very pretty hotel moreover located in Hongye Village. The hotspring suffuse is located on the balcony which is nice but I worry well-nigh mozzies!
Milk Hotpot: Untried Genie / Lü Jing Ling 綠精靈瑞穗鮮奶鍋
Ruisui’s pastures have made this town famous for its dairy products – the Rareseed Ranch or Ruisui Ranch 瑞穗牧場 is a pretty popular tourist witchery in the area, but I didn’t scarecrow considering it seems to mostly be a petting zoo for cows and where you can buy milk products.
Instead, I decided to eat one of the increasingly unique foods in the area: a hotpot that uses fresh milk as its wiring at a restaurant tabbed Lü Jing Ling. It’s very tropical to the train station so if you waif by in the afternoon, you can hands walk there.
I was pretty hungry so I went lanugo early (about 530pm?) and hands got a seat as it was a weekday and I was early. There are several milk hotpot options on the menu with variegated flavours like curry, vanilla, spicy Mongolian and seafood, but I decided to just eat the normal milk hotpot. They have other non-milk hotpots and rice/noodle dishes as well.
The milk taste is unquestionably pretty mild, and I like that the hotpot doesn’t finger too rich so you can hands eat everything.The standard milk hotpot set financing 250 NTD (~S$10) and is pretty worthwhile in my opinion considering you get self-ruling spritz rice, condiments as well as dessert that includes fruit, fresh milk pudding and a pomelo tea! I was definitely pretty stuffed without this.
There were queues outside when I left at well-nigh 645pm, so definitely go early if you can or make a reservation! It’s not a very large place.
Green Genie / Lü Jing Ling 綠精靈瑞穗鮮奶鍋
[Location on Google Maps] The restaurant is 5 minutes walk north of the Ruisui Train Station.
Opening hours: 11am-130pm, 5-830pm
Another thing that’s popular to eat in Ruisui that I was really too full for at this point is the Matcha Meatballs. Untried tea meatballs? Yes, that’s exactly what it is. This stall is plane closer to the Ruisui Train Station – trammels out Fairy Lolita for increasingly pix of this strange meatball filled with pork and bamboo shoots.
White Water Rafting
An old name for Ruisui is Shuiwei, which translates to ‘end of the water’ considering this town is located at the end of the Xiuguluan River which is the longest river in Taiwan at well-nigh 104km and the only one that cuts through the Central Mountain Range! One very popular worriedness in Ruisui during summer is whitewater rafting withal the Xiuguluan River.
Timing is key when it comes to whitewater rafting in Ruisui: the peak season is usually virtually August when the river is full and the rapids are at their strongest. Long time ago I tried it out in May which was still a tad too dry and we spent increasingly time getting towed by the speedboat than unquestionably moving – read increasingly here. February when I was there recently was a tad too dank for me to want to be in the water.
The starting point for the rafting wits is where the Xiuguluan River Centre is located east of Ruisui Train Station [Google Maps]. The ending point is typically in Fengbin withal Hualien coast where the red Changhong Underpass is located [Google Maps]. This journey lanugo the river takes well-nigh 3-4 hours in total and usually starts in the morning as there is a curfew for boats at 3pm.
Whitewater rafting in Ruisui
You can typesetting the Xiuguluan River Rafting wits online [affiliate link] or make arrangements through your guesthouse
Yuli 玉里
This small town near the southern tip of Hualien County consists mostly of paddy fields, but is a lovely place to wind lanugo and where an important geological marker can be found. August to September is a rented time as most people throne to Chike Mountain to see the orange daylilies on the mountainside.
From Hualien Station to Yuli Station by train:
- Puyuma Express: 50-60 mins
- Local Trains: 1-1.5hrs
Yufu Bikeway 玉富自行車道
For those interested in increasingly serious cycling in Taiwan, the Yufu Bikeway that straddles Yuli and Fuli lanugo south is supposed to be one of the prettiest places to trundling in Taiwan. This 10km bikeway exclusively for bicycles was built on the former train tracks that link Yuli to the old train stations at Antong and Dongli.
Those who’ve read older blogs know that I’ve washed-up the long cycling journeys (memories of the Shinamani Kaido) but it’s not my usual thing. Plane that day in Yuli I was feeling a bit tired from cycling at Guangfu the day surpassing so I totally whimped out and rented an e-bike instead (300NTD vs 100NTD but was stuff worldly-wise to put my feet up and move at >2x the speed of a normal velocipede worth it? Hell yes)
Yuli itself is a nice quiet small town with lots of paddy fields and small paths, perfect for some uneventful cycling without the threat of upper traffic and trappy views. I mostly stuck to the main town area, going as far north towards something tabbed Yuli Wetlands, and then southwards as far as the Kecheng underpass that appears in a lot of postcards.
If you have increasingly time and energy, you could trundling lanugo to neighbouring village Antong 安通 (about 10 mins momentum or 30 mins by bicycle) which is a popular hot spring town. Or alimony pursuit the Yufu Bikeway and Highway 30 to reach the old Dongliyi Station 東里驛站 (it’s not far from the current Dongli Station if you rather take the train) which is now a cycling rest stop surrounded the paddy fields.
Philippine-Eurasian Plate Marker 歐亞板塊及菲律賓海板塊交界紀念碑
The main sight to see on the Yufu Bikeway is this particular underpass that doesn’t just navigate the river, but moreover crosses the point where the Philippine and Eurasian tectonic plates meet! It’s moreover the reason why there’s a lot of tectonic worriedness there and they sooner shifted the railway line considering they had to alimony adjusting it when the plates moved.
Unfortunately, that section of the Yufu Bikeway was sealed when I went considering of the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Yuli in Sep 2022 and damaged quite a lot of the town. This section of the underpass is closed, though you could use the main road on Yuli Underpass that runs parallel to the bikeway to connect to the rest of the route on the other side.
There is normally a marker on the underpass where the plates are supposed to meet, which is where most people take their proof shots with, so I decided to just nippy out nearby and enjoy the view. The river was pretty dry with barely any water flowing, and there was a lone digger working to well-spoken some rocks. It might be awhile surpassing they reopen this underpass again!
Yufu Bikeway 玉富自行車道
Check out the Yufu Bikeway page on Taiwan Tourism for updates on when the bikeway is officially reopened. From what I gather, some sections of it like the underpass are sealed considering of damage, but it should be wieldy for the most part.
Yuli Noodles: Ma Gai Xian 馬蓋先美食玉里麵
Another thing that is particularly famous here is something tabbed Yuli Noodles. Considering of all the paddy fields, rice and noodles are of undertow staples here and supposed to be uneaten tasty, though I can’t icon out what makes Yuli Noodles special. Regardless, I do the tourist thing and throne to Ma Gai Xian 馬蓋先, one of several famous Yuli noodle shops in the town.
In essence, Yuli Noodle is a trencher of springy handmade noodles that have been air-dried, topped with slices of pork, lard, stone sprouts and vegetables. I had the dry version which had some sauce and oil, but you can have a soup version as well. It was a solid, tasty trencher of noodles for sure but there’s nothing particularly interesting or weird well-nigh it.
Ma Gai Xian 馬蓋先美食玉里麵
Check out the Ma Gai Xian Facebook page
[Location on Google Maps] The restaurant is 5 minutes walk east of Yuli Train Station.
Opening hours: 10am-7pm, sealed on Sundays
Where to stay in Yuli
I daytripped lanugo from Ruisui to Yuli and headed up to Hualien City in the evening so I didn’t stay overnight in Yuli, but the walk-up here is definitely cheaper compared to Hualien City and worth consideration if you are on a upkeep or just want somewhere quiet..
There are lockers at the train station with English instructions to go online that foreigners can use, though getting them to work was honestly not the easiest for me. If you rent bicycles nearby you could ask if you could leave your tons there.
Yuli guesthouses to consider:
- 910 Hostel 城南館 [affiliate link] – pretty cosy BnB tropical to the Yufu Bikeway bridge
- Little Time Guesthouse [affiliate link] – good location in downtown Yuli
- JINGTONGYULI BnB [affiliate link] – user-friendly location next to Yuli Train Station and affordable private ensuite rooms
Have you been to Hualien? What are your favourite small towns in the East Rift Valley? Tell me what I missed. Meanwhile trammels out increasingly of my Taiwan posts here:
Taiwan Matsu Islands Guide: How to get there, getting virtually and where to stay 马祖
How to see the Blue Tears in Matsu Islands, Taiwan 马祖蓝眼泪
Hualien Daytrip: Fenglin 鳳林 for craft and culture
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