In this post, we’ll be sharing our travel experience in Taiwan when we go to Sun Moon Lake. We go to Sun Moon Lake after our stay in Alishan. Nestled at 760 meters, Sun Moon Lake (日月潭; pinyin: Rìyuè tán) is famous for its clear, sparkling blue water set against a picturesque mountain backdrop. This is the largest lake in Taiwan as well as a tourist attraction. It has also been a center of aboriginal life for thousands of years, with aboriginal people involved in its tourist industry since the 1930s.

Sun Moon Lake is located in Yuchi Township, Nantou County. There are no trains go directly to Sun Moon Lake; the closest major station is Taichung, from where you will need to take a bus or taxi. Some direct buses are available from Taichung or Taipei, but often it is more convenient to take a bus from Taichung to Puli, then transfer buses for the half hour ride to Sun Moon Lake. Because of we are on the family trip, so we go to Sun Moon Lake by a mini bus.

After drop at the parking area, we take a time to have a lunch. There is an alley with many resto and souvenir shop near the parking area and ticketing office. Unfortunately, we forgot what restaurant that we visited, but I think they roughly have the same kind of food.

Sun Moon Lake is abundant with fish and shrimp varieties such as the chi li fish 奇力鱼, lake shrimp, and the famous aruzay曲腰鱼(identified by the slight curve on its abdomen) which has a juicy and tender meat quality when steamed or fried. This is one of the must-try local dishes when you are at Sun Moon Lake, the regal-sounding President Fish 总统鱼 which breeds abundantly in this largest freshwater lake in Taiwan. Aruzay is the favorite dish of the late President Chiang Kai-Shek and hence renamed President Fish by local fishermen. It is now the signature dish of many restaurants in this area.

And this is the star of the show – President Fish! We had our fish steamed to preserve its taste. It has a lot of small bones, so do be careful eating it. The fish was fresh and the meat was tender. I usually do not eat freshwater fish but this was ok, except for the troublesome bones.. LOL

After having a lunch, it’s time to explore the lake. You don’t need the ticket to enter Sun Moon Lake, it’s free. The most favorite activity to do in Sun Moon Lake is taking a boat tour around the lake. We did not remember how much exactly the ticket price exactly, but  you can buy the ticket directly from the counter at Shuishe Visitor Centre.

The ferry is the most convenient way to cover a lot of ground and hit the main destinations. It has three stops, forming a triangle along the lake.

• The first pier is Shuishe, the main pier.
• The second pier is Xuanguang Pier, and it has a legendary tea egg store that has been run by the same woman for about fifty years (13 NT per egg).
• The last pier is Ita Thao, which has many local food stalls

From Shuishe Pier, we hop off at Xuanzhang Pier. A must-try local snack at the entrance of Xuanzhang Pier is Jin Men Ah Ma Cha Ye Dan (Famous grandma’s tea braised egg). The fragrant eggs are braised with mushrooms, tea leaves, and spices. You can also buy the mushrooms, in addition to the eggs.

The last stop is Ita Thao Pier, which has many food stalls. After strolling around and take some pictures, we continued on into the streets, only to find ourselves flanked by food stalls. Because it was a super duper hot day, we bought bubble milk tea and some snack from the street vendor.

Actually, you can take the cable car overlooking the lake. It is on a good day has stunning views of the lake. But unfortunately, we had limited time so we decided not to take the cable car. From Ita Thao Pier, we continued to Wen Wu Temple at the perimeter of Sun Moon Lake, just a few minutes down the road. Awed by the majestic facade, we got down to view the temple. Unexpectedly, we can get a very good view of the lake from here.

Just below Wen Wu Temple, you can spot a flight of steep stairway called “Year of Steps” made up of 366 steps, with each step representing one day of the year. A date is carved on each of the steps, along with names of internationally famous people born on the corresponding date. Information related to the 24 solar periods is also carved into the steps so that visitors can learn something about China’s traditional folk culture as they slowly ascend the steps.Before the road to the temple was built, the only way to get to Wen Wu Temple was to take a boat to the pier below the temple and climb up the steep flight of steps, thus gaining its nickname “Stairway to Heaven.”

There are the wind chimes hung along the steps by visitors. Visitors buy a wind chime for their specific Chinese animal zodiac, pass the chime through incense smoke, write their names and wishes on the chime, ring the chime at top of the Year of Steps, and lastly, hang the chimes at the step representing their birthday. That sounds like a lot of effort, I hope their wishes do come true.. 🙂

Sun Moon Lake is a must-visit place when you to Taiwan. Experience the unforgettable moment with its clear and sparkling blue water set against a picturesque mountain backdrop. See you at our next destination! 😉

Taiwan Travel Series:

• [TAIWAN] ALISHAN NATIONAL SCENIC AREA – Travel Guide
• [TAIWAN] XI MEN DING – Taipei
• [TAIWAN] SHILIN NIGHT MARKET – Taipei
• [TAIWAN] SUN MOON LAKE – Travel Guide
• [TAIWAN] WENG YAO JI (Taiwanese Brickkiln Chicken) – Chiayi
• [TAIWAN] FAMOUS TAIWANESE CRISPY FRIED CHICKEN
• [TAIWAN] CHUN SHUI TANG CULTURAL TEA HOUSE – 春水堂
• [TAIWAN] CHIANG KAI-SHEK MEMORIAL HALL – Taipei

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Sun Moon Lake

Jhongshan Rd., Yuchih Township, Nantou County
Tel: +886 49 285 5668

Website: http://www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw/English/

MAP

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