Birding Taiwan

Basic Itinerary:

*Below is the basic itinerary that we work from for each tour.  There are some locations, like Dasyueshan, that we visit every tour, and some locations are visited seasonally.  Because we go to Taiwan multiple times a year, during different seasons, we vary the itinerary for each tour.  Since the April 2024 earthquake in Hualien, we are adjusting the itinerary for each tour because Taroko Gorge is partially closed. Please contact us for the itinerary for the specific dates that interest you. 

Day 1:   Arrival in Taiwan
Flights are overnight with arrival on day one. Flights arrive in Taipei at the Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), and you will be greeted at the airport and shuttled to the Rido Hotel in the Da'an neighborhood in Taipei, where we will spend 2-nights.  Just across the street from the hotel is Da'an Park, which is a great place for walking and viewing local birds such as the Taiwan Barbet, Common Kingfisher, Black Drongo, Malayan Night-Heron, Spotted Dove, Grey Treepie, Black Bulbul, Crested Goshawk, Light-vented Bulbul, Black Bulbul, and Swinhoe's White-eye.

Day 2:   Taipei 
Taipei is full of wonderful parks for walking and birding; it also has great museums and monuments.  In the morning we will visit the Taipei Botanical Gardens and here we will find the endemic, Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler.  The Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Park has beautiful gardens and birds:  Brown Shrike, Oriental Turtle Dove, Eurasian Magpie, Black Bulbul, Pale Thrush, Asian Glossy Starling, and Black-collared Starling. And directly across the street from our hotel is Da'an Park, which has a bird list of 165 species.  Evergreen Shipping has a very impressive Maritime Museum, one of the best in the world, and we usually have lunch here.

Day 3:  Hualien
From Taipei it is a 3-hour drive down the spectacular east coast of Taiwan to the city of Hualien.  We will take our time with numerous stops along the way for birding and viewing the Pacific scenery.  Hualien is located at the base of Taroko Gorge National Park.  We will be staying at the Dream House B&B for 2-nights.  This small hotel is located in a wooded area where we will see numerous birds including the Slaty-legged Crake and the Maroon Oriole.  

**Day 4:  Taroko Gorge
Because of the 7.6 earthquake on April 3, 2024, the Taroko Gorge National Park Canyon Road, which travels up and over Hehuanshan Pass is only opened intermittently. Construction, to fully repair the road, is estimated to take 5-years, (until 2029). We might be able to visit the lower portions of the road for a half day visit. Taroko Gorge National Park is one of the largest marble canyons in the world.  Possibly and hopefully, the day will be spent birding, walking, and getting to know the geological and cultural history of this natural wonder. The cutest bird here is the Little Forktail and this is also a good location for finding the Brown Dipper. Birds to add to the list:  Styan's Bulbul, White-breasted Waterhen, Red-collared Dove, Blue Rock Thrush, Javan Myna, Crested Myna, and Oriental Honey Buzzard.   If the road is closed, we will visit other locations in the Hualien area.

Day 5:  Yilan
In the morning we will visit the Hualien waterfront, estuary, and beach for more birding and walking along the shoreline.  This area is good for shorebirds and raptors.  From Hualien we will make our way back up the coast to another coastal town called Yilan, which is a 2.5 hour drive north of Hualien. In Yilan we will find estuaries, paddy fields, the Wuweigang Waterbird Refuge, and the Luodong Forestry Culture Park.  We will spend one night at the Lan Yang Seaview Hotel.

Day 6:  Hsinchu
From Yilan, it is a 2-hour drive to Hsinchu area, located along the west coast, and here we will find numerous wetlands, estuaries, and pond areas for viewing waterfowl and shorebirds. Along the way from Yilan to Hsinchu we will stop at a few birding sites in the Wulai area. We will spend 1-night at the 168 Motel, close to the waterfront. 

Day 7:  Dasyueshan
From Hsinchu, it is a  2-hour drive to Dasyueshan National Forest where we will be spending two nights at Dasyueshan Lodge located within the recreation area at 7,500 feet.  Dasyueshan is a mountain paradise with great wildlife viewing, birding, and many miles of great hiking trails. On our way, we will stop at a few wetland areas in the Hsinchu area to view shorebirds and waterfowl.  Once we get within the Dasyueshan area, there will be great viewing of both the Mikado Pheasant and Swinhoe's Pheasant, as well as the Yellow Tit, Eurasian Jay, Taiwan Fulvetta, Eurasian Nutcracker, and White-eared Sibia.  

Day 8:  Dasyueshan
We will spend the day on the mountain ranging in elevations from 6,100 – 7,900 feet.  You will have options to go birding, hiking and/or relaxing at the lodge and visitor center.  There are nearly 20 endemic species at Dasyueshan, and this area is home to numerous mammals including the Formosa Rock Macaque (Taiwanese Rock Monkey), giant flying squirrels, barking deer, serow, and we will see these animals both during the daylight hours and during night-time exploring.  Dasyueshan is a birding hot spot for Taiwan and also an important hiking area for locals.  We will have a full day to see all the important bird species. 

Day 9:  Guoxing and Huisun
It is a 2-hour drive to the next location at Guoxing and here we will stay at the Pei Kong Creek Resort, located along the Pei Kong River, which has several hot spring pools and a large swimming pool for relaxing. The river is beautiful, and we will see the Common Kingfisher and Plumbeous Redstart.  But most impressive here is the "sky-walk" suspension bridge, which offers a great vantage point for birding and viewing very interesting insects. Although this area is not listed as a birding hot spot, it should be.  In the evening hundreds of bats take flight from their riverbank roost, while Great Egrets, Medium Egrets, Malayan Herons, and Little Egrets come home to roost.  Other birds seen at this location:  Black Kite, Taiwan Barbet, Taiwan Blue Magpie, Taiwan Whistling Thrush, Grey Wagtail, and Black-naped Monarch just to name a few.... 

Day 10:  Huisun
A short 20-minute drive from the resort is the Huisun National Forest Park and it is your choice to spend the day hiking, birding, or relaxing at the hammock park in the forest gardens. We will spend a full day at the park. There are numerous butterfly species here and flocks of Taiwan Blue Magpie.  Gray Treepies gather to feed and bath in the gardens. Huisun is one of our favorite places in Taiwan. This area is great for endemic species and birds in general including Taiwan Bamboo Partridge, Swinhoe's Pheasant, Taiwan Fulvetta, Chestnut-bellied Tit, and also Grey-chinned Minivets, Fulvettas and Laughing-thrushes. There are great walking trails and waterfalls here as well. 

Day 11:  Qingjing Farm
From Guoxing, it is a 1.5 hour drive the to the Qingjing Farm/Ren'ai area.  Along the way we will stop at the Chung Tai Chan Temple, which is the largest Buddhist temple in Taiwan, as well as other birding spots in the Puli area.  The Qingjing and Ren'ai area is located at 5,700 feet. A little further up this mountain road is a good birding hot spot for high elevation birds like the Taiwan Rosefinch, Taiwan Bullfinch, and the Alpine Accentor.  Here we will also see the Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler, Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler, and the Chestnut-bellied Tit, and many other birds.  Besides great birding and wildlife viewing, there are many miles of great hiking trails here as well. We will not be staying at the farm, but close by at the Ailiga Travel Villa for 1-night. 

Day 12:  Xitou
In the morning we will head up the mountain pass for more high altitude birding. After lunch, from our hotel in the Ren'ai area, it is a 2-hour drive to the Xitou Nature Education area.  We will spend 1-night at the Gingko Hotel. Our hotel is next to the entrance station for Xitou. We will go for a late afternoon walk in the park. Here we have good chances to see endemic laughing-thrushes, bullfinches, and flycatchers. 

Day 13:  Budai
From Xitou, it is a 1-hour to the Sun-Link Sea Nature Resort.  Here we will find the Little Forktail and the Brown Dipper. There are beautiful walking paths and waterfalls to see as well as other endemics. In the afternoon we will head to Budai with a stop in the Huben area for birding and a visit to a local temple for viewing birds like the Black Eagle, Oriental Magpie, Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler, and Green-backed Tit.  We will arrive in Budai in the late afternoon where we will stay at the Ocean Hotel for 2-nights.  Budai is a fun town.  It is a fishing village, where they also farm oysters.  There are great restaurants here and we always have a great time after a full day of birding.   Here we will see terns and gulls by the thousands:  Black-headed Gulls, White-winged Terns, Whiskered Terns, and Caspian Terns. The southwest coast is also an important wintering ground for thousands of shorebirds and vagrants and rarities can often be found as well.

Day 14:  Budai
The area of Budai is along the southeastern coast of Taiwan and is a bird watchers paradise with numerous marshes, reserves, canals, and salt flats for viewing birds.  The gem of them all is the Black-faced Spoonbill Reserve where numerous other species can be seen including Sacred Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, and many species of shore birds.  The activity choices for the day are birding and/or hiking.  In the evening near the oyster farms, sometimes as many as 20,000 whiskered terns come to roost and it is an amazing site to watch as the sun sets.  Budai is close to several significant historical and cultural areas.  The day will be spent viewing birds and getting to know the Budai and Beimen townships.  A few of our favorite shore birds that we see are Cinnamon Bittern, Yellow Bittern, Greater Painted Snipe, and thousands of shorebirds.  Please check the bird list for details. 

Day 15: Taipei
Our travels will have brought us to southern Taiwan near the city Tainan, the oldest city and former capitol city of Taiwan, established by the Qing Dynasty in 1683.   The Nankunshen Temple, which is one of the largest temples in Taiwan, is located just outside the village of Beimen.  There will be time for birding and visiting temples.  Many of the temples in Taiwan are very elaborate Taoist Temples.  Everywhere we travel to in Taiwan, you will find birds. In the late afternoon, we will take the high speed train (185 mph) back to Taipei where will be staying at the Rido Hotel across the street from the Da'an Park for 1-night.   

Day 16:  Fly Home 
There will be a shuttle to the airport for flights home.

Our local guide for Kaiyote Tours