Rail Tour of Taiwan Traveller Reviews

Rail journey from Taipei down the West side to Kaohsiung and then back to Taipei via Taitung up the east side The east side provides superb views of the mountains and coast from the train First stop was the Grand Hi Lai hotel in Kaohsiung which is a superb 5* hotel Highlight of the trip was staying at the Silks Place Hotel in the mountains Approximately one hour by Hotel coach from Hualien station but worth the effort as the views are superb

Superb service and everything organised down to the last detail

Thank you for arranging our fascinating holiday in Taiwan. Your itinerary was perfect and it gave us the opportunity to explore this beautiful island. All your arrangements – flights, hotels, trains, shuttle buses, tours, etc – worked like clockwork and enabled us to relax and enjoy our trip without worries. Your suggestions and ideas were much appreciated and enabled us to make the most of our trip. The scenery across the island was spectacular –- from the coastal regions to the high mountains in the clouds -- and we have so many wonderful memories: the bustling city of Taipei and Walter who took us on the morning tour; travelling the Pingxi Railway Line and hopping on and off the train at stations to explore the mining towns and watch the launch of the sky lanterns; the peace and beauty of Sun Moon Lake; the twisting road to Alishan through the tea plantations and into the mountains through the clouds; the early morning ride on the 4.50 am Alishan Forest Train to watch the sunrise at Chu-Shan (6.23 am) and, after breakfast, we spent the rest of the day hiking along different forest trails. In Kaosiung, we took the ferry to Cihou and explored the fishermen’s quarter; the next day we visited a fish market, walked around Central Park and then saw “The Dome of Light” glass ceiling installation at Formosa Boulevard MRT station. Kenting was delightful: a member of the hotel staff gave us a guided tour of the marine coastal park and we walked the trail around Frog Rock. The following day we walked for 5+ hours in the National Park and were fortunate to spot two families of wild macaques. The railway ride on the Tze Chiang Line was wonderful and, although it was a very windy and damp day, we enjoyed the views from the train. The onsen in our room in Chihpen. The twisting road along the Taroko Gorge to Silks Place was memorable for the views in spite of the rain, but we were fortunate it was fine for our tour to Changchun Temple, our walk along the Swallow Grotto Trail and at Cimu Bridge. Afterwards we climbed up to the beautiful Buddhist temple and pagoda on the hillside overlooking the Gorge. Our tour with Frank from Taipei along the northern coast to Keelung and Yehliu Geo Park, where the rain ceased as we walked among the amazing sandstone formations. So many incredible sights: the temples, the markets, the scenery, the flora and fauna. A memorable holiday. Your choice of hotels was excellent: from the amazing Lalu overlooking Sun Moon Lake to Caesar Park with its friendly and charming staff. Silks Place in Taroko with its beautiful garden – and aboriginal music in the evening. Royal Chihpen with our own onsen. Alishan House, where the staff wore Halloween costumes. Quote Hotel, a convenient city hotel. And the Grand Hi-Lai with wonderful views over the port from our room on the 19th floor. All the hotels were so different and this added greatly to the enjoyment of our holiday. We loved the Taiwanese food and that it changed with our location around the island. We found the Taiwanese very friendly and we met so many lovely people. Thank you again for your extremely thorough and comprehensive arrangements for our remarkable holiday. Xie, xie.

Dorothy, Cathy and Angela arranged a wonderful Tour by Rail around Taiwan, with an itinerary tailor-made for us. Their attention to detail was second to none and all their arrangements - flights, hotels, trains, shuttle buses, tours, etc – worked like clockwork and enabled us to relax and enjoy a fantastic and carefree holiday.