HazelDiary

*Updated January 2024*

On my latest visit to Taipei, my experience took a unique turn compared to my previous trips. This time, I dedicated half a day to venture beyond Taipei and explore Thousand Island Lake (千島湖) in Shiding. Unlike popular tourist destinations, this hidden gem is not well-known, as evidenced by our private cab driver of 42 years who had never been here before. Interestingly, it has started gaining attention among tourists, particularly after the impact of Covid where everyone is restricted to travelling.


How To Get To Thousand Island Lake (千島湖) from Taipei
There are several options for you to choose and we decided to go with private cab driver this time. The reason being is that we decided the night before.It was too late to book from online platform and we take our own sweet time to travel there.
We booked through our hotel reception for 4 hours private cab service, which turned out to be the cab driver. The 4 hours service is 2500TWD ~S$114.94 and we tipped the cab driver 200TWD ~S$9.20 for his good service.
Alternatively, you can opt for :
Public Transport– Take to Xindian Station (新店捷運站) and take Green #12 bus to Shiding (石碇) to the “Shisangu” (十三股) bus stop where you get off and walk down the hill.
Note: Taking public transport can be quite inconvenient because of the timing and availability.
Book through Klook package for a half day trip that starts early and finished by noon.

Thousand Island Lake (石碇 千島湖)



Thousand Island Lake was derived from Qiandao Lake in Mainland China. The area was formed by the surrounding Feitsui Reservoir and Beishi River. It is located in the middle of the water that gives the sense of thousands of islands.


If you are getting private driver like us, be sure to tell your driver to drive to Yongan Trail (永安步道) so that you can get this particular view shot here.

Ba Gua Tea Plantation









We also stopped over Ba Gua Tea Plantation for a while. There is a pit stop where tourists can view the tea plantation. The locals there are friendly and approachable. We even bought a tofu ice-cream TWD50~S$2.30 from them.
Apart from Ba Gua Tea Plantation, there is other plantation including Pinglin Tea Plantation and Klook package goes there.
The whole journey took us 4 hours from hotel to the location and back to hotel again. If you wish to explore Shiding Old Street (石碇老街), do extend your travelling time. There is noodles workshop available via pre-booking. Other than that, I think old streets are all pretty much the same so we decided to skip that and end our journey with the beautiful greenery scenery.

Note: You may experience car sick due to the uneven road and the steep route up to the tea plantation or the lake. So, be prepared!

More Taiwan Travelogue posts: read more about my travel adventures here and my Taiwan travelogue here.

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