Tucked away in Yuchi Township of Nantou County, Sun Moon Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Taiwan with a surface area of 7.93 km. Surrounded by mountains from all sides, it lies about 748 m above sea level with a water depth of around 27 m. It is designated as one of thirteen national scenic areas in the country.
This picturesque lake is surrounded by gorgeous alpine scenic views and thick forest. In the middle of the lake lies a tiny Lalu Island that separates the lake into a part shaped like a round sun and another part shaped like a crescent moon.
The island was once inhabited by a Taiwanese aboriginal tribe. Legend has it that the Thao hunters discovered this mystic place when chasing a rare white deer for days across the rivers and mountain ridges. They believed that this beautiful sight would ensure the continuation of the tribe and they decided to settle here.
Due to its unique geographical location, Sun Moon Lake is one of the most stunning places in the country. Many outdoor lovers and day-trippers from Taichung make their way to immerse themselves with their natural scenic views.
Best Time to Visit
Sun Moon Lake is a great destination throughout the year, with pleasant weather between 19°C and 29°C. January will be the coldest month with an average temperature between 14°C and 19 °C. The temperature in February and March is still low, and it’s a great time to view cherry blossoms and enjoy the annual Formosa Village Sakura Festival.
Other times to visit will be in April and October to December where you will expect average temperatures of 20°C and 24°C with mostly sunny and little rain. It is a good hiking place with lush forest to Ci’en Pagoda or Yidashao Lakeside Trail.
I wouldn’t recommend visiting between May and September when there is much rain. The heat and humidity can be unbearable. Also, typhoons are common in the late spring or summer.
Since Sun Moon Lake is one of the favorite destinations in Taiwan, it’s mostly crowded on the weekends and accommodation is easily occupied. It’s also not the cheapest place to visit, so you can come during the weekdays when hotel prices are generally more affordable.
Getting There
By Bus
Taichung City
Traveling from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake is very straightforward as you can catch the Nantou Bus 6670 from Gancheng Bus Station (南投客運干城站), just a few minutes walk from Taichung Station. It isn’t really a station but a collection of bus line offices located next to each other in a row. You will find a red “Sun Moon Lake” sign outside the shop.
The first bus departs at 7.20 am and the last one leaves at 8.30 pm. The journey takes around 1.5 hours to reach the lake with a single trip for NT$195 or a round trip for NT$360. Just swipe with EasyCard or iPass, or buy the Sun Moon Lake Pass with a return bus ride at the ticketing office. The bus will drop you off at the Sun Moon Lake bus station opposite the Shuishe Visitor Centre (水社遊客中心).
If you are coming to the lake for a day trip, do note that the last bus back to Taichung departs at 7:25 pm. The seats are usually full and it is advisable to take the earlier bus. The pick-up point is right outside the visitor center.
Personally, I did a day trip from Taichung and was supposed to take the 7.20 am bus. Unfortunately, this bus was fully booked and only got the third bus departing at 7.45 am. The seats are first-come-first-serve basis and can’t be reserved in advance. Also with such limited time, using an EasyCard (or iPass) to pay for Nantou bus and buy separate tickets for the boat ride is cheaper when exploring the surroundings of the lake (I will share more about the varied passes below).
Taipei City
There are no direct train routes from Taipei to Sun Moon Lake. It is possible to catch Kuo Kuang Bus 1833 from Taipei Bus Station which takes 4 hours and costs NT$470 per way. Buses run from 6.30 am until 2.30 pm daily.
The alternative way is to take an hour HSR train from Taipei Main Station to Taichung HSR Station and catch Nantou Bus 6670 from this station directly to the lake.
It is best to spend a night here if you’re traveling from Taipei. Otherwise, the trip will be too rushed and can’t enjoy much in a few short hours.
Getting Around
Sun Moon Lake Pass
Getting yourself a Sun Moon Lake Pass depends on what activities you are planning to do. There are various packages starting from NT$710 to NT$1,180 as they offer different discounted items to attractions, transportation and shopping vouchers.
But if you are doing just a day trip, it is better to just use EasyCard or iPass to take a round-trip Nantou Bus 6670 for NT$360 and buy a separate ticket for ferry rides for NT$300. You can visit their website for more details.
By Ferry
The fastest way to get to the attractions around the lake is by ferry. They run more frequent than buses and leave the jetty every 15-20 minutes. from 9 am to 5.40 pm daily in summer and until 5 pm during winter. The ferry goes counter-clockwise from Shuishe Per, making the next stop at Xanguang Pier, then to Ita Thao before returning back to Shuishe Pier. So, make sure to be at the pier 5-10 minutes before departure.
You can buy a ticket from any boat operator at Shuishe Wharf or Ita Thao Pier. It doesn’t matter which operator you choose, the price is fixed at NT$300 and is non-negotiable. The most important thing is to buy a ticket from an actual ticketing booth and not from any random strangers who claim to be a ticket seller on the street.
By Bus
The Round-the-Lake Bus 6669 or 6669A are run by the Nantou Bus and you can get a one-day ticket costing NT$80. Some Sun Moon Lake passes come with a one-day bus ticket.
You can also use the EasyCard or iPass on the Nantou Bus if you are not planning to buy the pass or Round-the-Lake bus ticket. It will be cheaper this way if you don’t take the bus frequently and just pay with the card for each trip for NT$15. You can look up at the bus timetable for these buses.
By Bike
Riding a bicycle around the lake has become a popular activity here in recent years. It sounds like a wonderful way to explore the area if you are not in a hurry. You can cycle between turquoise water and verdant hills with the freedom to stop on every whim.
You can rent the bikes from some of the bike rental stores here, including the biggest shop- Giant Bike Rental located at the basement of the visitor center. Sun Moon Lake Passes gives discounts to some bicycle shops around the Shuishe Visitor Center. Typically, a standard bicycle costs NT$150 and an electric bicycle costs NT$600 a day.
A Great Day Trip to Sun Moon Lake
Sun Moon Lake is boast with Incredible lakeside views, sky-high pagodas, impressive temples, delicious local street food and fun outdoor activities. It makes a perfect day trip from Taichung to explore this calm and peaceful lake.
Hop on the ferry around the lake
One of the fun things to do at Sun Moon Lake is cruising around the lake. It is the fastest and most reliable way to go to different points as the ferries make their stop at Shuishe Pier, Xuanguang Wharf and Ita Thao Pier. You can get off at any of these piers to visit the attractions nearby and hop back on when the next ferry arrives.
The boat captain shares some interesting stories, tales and facts about the lake while you can admire the beautiful landscapes of its surroundings. The ferry will pass by Lalu Island where the local tribe once inhabited.
Stop by Xuanguang Temple
Xuanguang Temple (玄光寺) was built close to Xuanguang Wharf in 1955 to enshrine the sacred relics brought by Xuanzang, a famous Tang dynasty Buddhist monk. Many classic Chinese novels depict the story of his pilgrimage where he spent his life devoted to Buddhist teaching.
He embarked on a 17-year journey by traveling all the way from India to China to bring back more than 650 important Buddhist sutras. He has translated 75 of those with the help of his disciples. Because of his work, Buddhism became more widely known in China and the rest of the world.
During the war between China and Japan, the Japanese acquire a fragment of Master Xuanzang’s bones from Nanjing and enshrine at Ci’en Pagoda in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture. His bone was returned in 1952 and placed at the temple when it was built. You will find his golden idol with an inscription above written “Great National Scholar”.
There is a rock outside the temple where you can take photos with that written “Sun Moon Lake” in Mandarin, to give a great travel memory lane down the road. There is a short queue for visitors to wait in line to take pictures but won’t take long before my turn.
Address: No. 388號, Zhongzheng Rd, Yuchi Township, Nantou County
Opening hours: Daily from 5 am to 5 pm
Entrance fee: Free
Hike up to Ci’en Pagoda
Perched from the hilltop of Shabalan Mountain, Ci’en Pagoda (慈恩塔) can be seen mostly from every corner of Sun Moon Lake. It is one of the top places to visit in Sun Moon Lake if you are a photography enthusiast.
This 12-story octagonal pagoda was built in 1971 in memory of the mother of the late President Chiang-Kai Shek. It stands 46 m tall at the center of a large square on an elevation of 954 m, reaching 1,000 m to be precise at the tip of the pagoda.
To get here, you can start hiking from Xuanguang Wharf to the peak of Shabalan Mountain and usually takes up to 2 hours depending on your walking pace. I take 45 minutes to get to the pagoda while taking 3 short breaks for some photography of the scenery. The trail is well-paved with an easy walking path and covered with lush green forest.
You can climb up the pagoda to enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views of the lake from the balcony to see Xuanzang Temple, Xuanguang Temple, the lake and the surrounding mountains. It is an excellent spot to admire the sunrise and sunset.
Address: 555, Taiwan, Nantou County, Yuchi Township
Opening hours: Daily 9 am to 4.30 pm
Entrance fee: Free
Taste local delicacies at Ita Thao Shopping District
Just a short ferry ride from Xuanguang Wharf is the Ita Thao Village. It is a great place to spend a few good hours to experience the rich culture of Ita Thao tribe and sample their abundance of street food.
This shopping district (伊達邵商店街) is popular for its unusual and delicious aboriginal food. Some of the local delicacies to sample here are the famous cabbage buns, wild boar skewers and sausages (picture below), wild mushrooms, Taiwanese hamburger, millet buns and aruzay fish (also known as the President fish).
The Taiwanese hamburger locally known as Gua Bao is a popular dish in town. It’s a type of sandwich typically made with braised pork belly sandwiched between two halves of Chinese steamed bun.
Be sure to come here before late evening because the town turns into a ghost town quite early at night and you’ll miss all the delicious food.
Explore Wenwu Temple
Located on the northern bank of the lake, Wenwu Temple (文武廟) is the most visited temple in Sun Moon Lake. You will be greeted by two large guardian stone lion statues at the entrance of the temple, which is said to be the largest in Taiwan.
When the Japanese came to construct a hydroelectric power plant, the water leveled up and the two temples had to be removed. The leaders of the two temples built the present Wenwu Temple together with three separate halls. The front hall is a shrine dedicated to the First Ancestor Kaiji and the God of Literature; the central hall is devoted to Guan Gong, the God of War and the warrior-god Yue Fei and the rear hall is dedicated to Confucius.
The walkway across the Main Gate has magnificent views of Sun Moon Lake. It is usually the best sight to admire the sunset during clear weather. You can easily spot Ci’en Pagoda and Lalu Island from a distance.
Traveling to Taiwan Soon?
If you are planning to come to Taiwan, here are the posts to give you some ideas on the best things to do in the fascinating country. There are some cities and towns you can visit in Taiwan and the delicious Taiwanese food worth trying:
- Taipei
- Yehliu and Beyond
- Jiufen and Shifen
- Taichung
- Taiwanese Food
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