Cycling around Taiwan | Fernando A. Olguin

This year I finally completed cycling around Taiwan without rest day and without train help. Here are a few details of this trip.

A bit of history

This was my third time going around the island. The first time (2019), since I was just getting to know the roads in Taiwan, I followed what most tourist sites recommend: basically followed cycle route No. 1 with detours for Tainan and Hengchun and take the train to skip the Suhua road (between Hualien and Su’ao).

The second time around (2021), I tried to follow roads close to the coast to complete the outer perimeter and visit the 2 lighthouses in the north and south tips of the island. However, due to weather, I had to trackback my steps from Kenting to cross through Mudan, instead of Manzhou, to Taitung. This time I was talked out of doing the Suhua road, mainly due to uncertainty on the weather forecast. After crossing by train I was a bit regretful because the weather was mostly fine with the exception of the last bit close to Su’ao, but I got to enjoy a more relax ride in the Taroko gorge.

This time around

For this trip, I tried to stick to the coast, which I achieved for the most part, and reach the extreme north-south points of the road (not necessarily the geaographical points).

The equipment

All my trips around the island have been with a light (more like bikepacking) setup. I used my road bike (Merida Scultura 7000E), so I cannot overload. My setup included a seat-pack from Ortlieb and a top-tube bag from Restrap.

The forecast included hot sunny weather in the south and a cold snap and rain for when I was getting close to the north, so I packed accordingly:

2 bib shorts
2 jerseys (1 short- and 1 long-sleeved)
1 merino wool sleeveless base layer
1 cycling waterproof jacket
1 cycling windbreaker
1 arm warmer pair (mostly for the sun)
2 leg warmer pairs (one for the sun and one for the cold)
2 pair of socks (one for colder and one for hotter weather)
1 cycling cap
Road cycling shoes and rain overshoes
1 long sleeve t-shirt (that also served for sleeping and could be used as base layer if needed)
1 sports trouser
1 pair of trainers (light running shoes is this case)
A pair of underwear
Contact lenses and sunglasses

In addition, all the necessary equipment to repair punctures, lube the chain and charge my electronic devices.

Road planning

My trip started in Hsinchu, since it’s where I live, and travelled counterclockwise. I planned to follow the same road as the second try around the island, so mostly around the perimeter, but not necessarily visit the lighthouses because I had done that. As on every attempt I planned my trip around the Chinese New year holiday. This may not be the best time of year to do this trip. First, finding accommodation has to be done well ahead and the prices tend to go up. Also, the weather forecast kind be very uncertain, especially in the north. However, many cyclists choose this holiday for this trip, so it’s easy to find people to ride with.

West coast riding

The west side of the island has the biggest cities and is probably the most boring side (at least nature-wise). Since I visited them the first time around, I followed the coast road to skip most of the hassle of entering the city centre and save time and probably legs (less traffic lights).

The first day I had a strong tailwind. It got a bit dangerous towards the end of the day, when I was crossing through small towns and the buildings produced strong crosswinds which almost pushed me down in my top heavy bike. The road along the Hsinchu and Miaoli coast is a mix of small towns, wetlands on one side and farms on the other and wind farms. After Miaoli, factories and the Taichung harbour dominate the landscape, making it a bit boring, while through Changhua and Yunlin counties farms are more common. Countryside houses have a different charm and sunsets with the sun reflecting in water pools or water in rice paddies are almost perfect for photography. This first day ended in the town of Tuku with a delicious hot chocolate and food around the city temple.

The second day I still enjoyed a bit of tailwind, but the temperature was getting higher. Legs were feeling a bit sluggish at the beginning but by the end they were alright. The landscape on the first half is dominated by water pools for fishing and fishing harbour towns. After entering Tainan County, I visited a couple of huge temples. There are also salt fields that I visited last time around but this time I skipped. I passed through Tainan centre as fast as possible to reach the southern Tainan coast and then the industrial north coast of Kaohsiung ending in the Zuoying district with its popular tourist sites.

The final day on the west coast was hot, down to Kenting, but this was a very comfortable ride. The landscape transitions from industrial to sunny beaches and the ocean next to the right and green mountains to the left. A bit of headwind towards the end was not a problem to take in the landscape and fresh air. As usual during holidays, there was a traffic jam before the road split to Taitung, with some cars invading the cycle/scooter lane. Here I started to see more cyclists, some of them I will encounter later on the trip. At the end of the trip I dropped my bag in the hotel and cycle and walked to the southernmost point of Taiwan.

Distances and maps:

Day 1: Hsinchu to Tuku: Mainly cycling routes No. 1, 1-4 and 1-5 (178 km)
Day 2: Tuku to Kaohsiung: Mainly cycling routes No. 1-5 (160 km)
Day 3: Kaohsiung to Kenting: Cycling routes No. 1, 1-19 and 1-20 (137 km)

East coast riding

The trip on the east coast is probably the most fun and full of green and fresh air. Even in bad weather the landscape is captivating.

The first day on the east coast starts with rain and a bit of wind. The rain dominates the coast between Manzhou and Mudan with a bit dryer conditions when the road goes to the interior. This first half is also characterised by undulating terrain with a larger climb at the end. However after the climb and a good (but cold) descent, the rain stops and the road joins the 9 road so it widens and fills with cars. In this second half the safest thing to do is drive in the hard shoulder together with the scooters. The ocean is a constant on the right hand which can be seen from the top of the few ups and downs along the road. The day ends in Taitung with of my clothes almost dry.

The second day on the east coast starts with a change of plan. Initially I was going to follow the coast road, but the cold snap brought strong winds and rain. In order to save the legs for the last two days (especially the longer last day) I changed to the east riff valley road. Once in the road I quickly realised that this was the best choice, because even with the protection of the coast mountains the headwind was strong and very rainy. The final bridge crossing into Hualien is horrible with the wind throwing small rocks a couple of times. At the end of the day the bicycle is dirty with almost no lube on my chain. Fortunately the motel where I stayed allowed me to use a hose to wash it and I quickly dried my shoes and clothes due to a perfectly positioned closet under the AC. To feed along the road in the next days, I went downtown to buy pastries and mochi in the many stores selling local produce.

For the Suhua road, the weather was not clear but it was favouring a drier day. I have heard different reasons why this sections is usually skipped, including: narrow roads next to cliffs with large trucks travelling up and down, and propensity for landslides particularly in bad/windy weather (once just happened a couple of weeks before my trip and collapsed a covered section between 2 tunnels). With people on holiday, less trucks go around the road during the Chinese New Year, so this seems to be the best season to travel along it. So I join forces with an American cyclist who I met in Taitung and decided to ride it. The cold brought some frost to the tip of the mountains, or at least the ones that can be seen under the clouds that most time cover them. We started the day early to avoid much of the traffic in the first few tunnels which are shared with most of the cars and are more narrow. After these tunnels the road divides between the old coastal one and the new one through tunnels (where bicycles are not allowed). Along the coast we didn’t see many cars, the road was empty for the most part with a few groups of people travelling by scooter. The road has different sections, each one ascending along the cliffs on the coast to then descent into a harbour town until reaching Su’ao. Each section has its own charms, but they all have in common the amazing views of the cliffs and the ocean. The final tunnel of the road is shared with the cars, which come and go in waves. This particular tunnel before the town of Dong’ao is wide and less risky than previous ones, but the descent at high speed is where the knowledge about cycling in Taiwan comes handy. By the time we reach the last section before Su’ao, a bit of rain starts to fall and the final descent is extremely cold, so we looked for some hot soup. After a few kilometers of riding along the coast of Yilan we part ways, and I reach my final destination for the day which welcomes me with a bit of rain.

The last time is the longest one and the longest distance I have travelled ever. It starts with an amazing sunrise out of the coast of Toucheng. Quickly I ride through the east coast of New Taipei and rush through Keelung. Here the road is dotted with fishing villages and geological parks. Once reaching the northern tip of Taiwan, when a bit of headwind starts to develop, a couple of riders pass me but I manage to stick with them and even share time on front to fight the wind. After the undulating terrain of northern Taipei and lunch, I continued solo through the flat road across the coast of Taoyuan. This was probably the most dirty (with rubbish accumulating on the side of the road) and worst tarmac of the whole trip. It is probably also the most boring section together with the Taichung one. It only improves after Yongan Fishing Harbour, which also has a nice bike path through the wetlands and a coastal path both of which I have visited before. Once in Hsinchu, I avoided the traffic through the river bike path, which is constantly improving and used by many people for exercise including some kids sprinting in their road bikes.

After passing the 200 km mark in one day, I felt that I could have continued, but there weren’t more roads to go in this trip.