The Sun Moon Lake is the biggest body of water in Taiwan, located in a mountainous area inland of the little sweet potato-shaped country. Listed as one of the 13 national scenic areas of Taiwan, it’s not difficult to see why – the gorgeous body of stunning blue surrounded by rolling green hills is serene and breathtaking, and, to our surprise, not one bit undermined by the development in the surrounding villages, which has turned it into one of the hottest tourist locations in the country.

While planning our trip, a Taiwanese friend advised us to go to Sun Moon Lake, not because she had been but because “Everyone goes there; I don’t get why.” Perhaps all it would take to convince her is an actual trip to the lake, because our visit from the city of Taichung turned out to be our favourite experience in all of Taiwan, and one of the most outstanding highlights of our entire trip.

Some Basic Information

The lake is named accordingly, supposedly due to the shape. The eastern half resembles the sun, while the western half mimics the crescent shape of the moon. The lake was discovered by the indigenous Thao tribe. Some may outline a plot involving dragons who stole the sun and moon, but another legend says a deer led hunters to the water’s edge, where the luscious, abundant environment became an ideal place to reside. As such, indigenous culture is incorporated throughout the villages around the lake, and, of course, so is their cuisine.

Though the lake has many attractions surrounding, most of its activity is distinctly located in two areas: the ShuiShe Pier on the northern end is where many of the buses from outside of Nantou County stop to drop off visitors. It has many souvenir stores, Taiwanese restaurants, several newly-developed resort hotels, as well as a visitor/information centre.

Ita Thao on the southern end is an older village. It also has a fair share of resort hotels, but also a great deal of cheaper food options, street food, and indigenous restaurants for you to sample delicacies such as millet rice and wild boar. Both have distinctly different atmospheres. To us, ShuiShe is very new but feels a little detached, whereas Ita Thao may be more chaotic, though closer to many bigger attractions. For those who are visiting for a day, you’re bound to land in ShuiShe and make your way eventually around the lake. Those who are staying overnight – which, if you have time, we would totally recommend! – the more ideal accommodation would depend on what you’re looking for.

Getting There

The Tickets and Packages

Thanks to the increasing influx of tourism to Taiwan, of which many incorporate the Sun Moon Lake into their itinerary, there is an extremely established company which allows for exceptionally easy travelling to, around, and from the lake. Though options exist to start from other cities or to add other famous destinations, the Sun Moon Lake Shuttle and ticket packages make for a hassle-free travel experience.

Their website (available in English) has an excellent infographic to show what each Package offers, and of course the ideal Package will depend entirely on what you need. We purchased the NTD790 Water, Land, and Air Tour Package as it included the shuttle from Taichung as well as a round-trip on the famous cable-car, and vouchers for travelling around the lake. Just the round-trip ticket to and from the Lake would start at NTD330 (US$10.80) from Taichung HSR Station or NTD360 (US$11.80) from Taichung Station, which is already half the value of the Package.

Other packages may include discounts to bus rentals, or tickets to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, which will be discussed later. There are also packages which allow you to visit Xitou Forest.

Tickets can be purchased from the bus station where the bus departs. Located a few minutes’ walk north of the Taichung main station, Gancheng Station consists of a row of shopfronts designated to tourism companies. Nantou is the company which manages shuttles that leave for Sun Moon Lake and the Xitou forest. The signage may be a little old (though since uploading this article it may have changed), but the destinations are listed in English, and the staff speak enough English to help with basic questions.

At the ticketing desk, there are printouts with English of the passes and packages available, so you can point to your desired ticket for minimal ambiguity. These tickets can be purchased up to 15 days in advance. All the information on how to use the tickets and what and where they’re valid for is mostly printed onto them in both Chinese and English. They double as a brochure, so it’s very easy to use.

Leaving from Taichung

If you check the Nantou Bus website, there are several stops around Taichung (including Taichung Railway and Taichung HSR Stations) after Gancheng Station for picking up passengers. However, purchasing tickets does not mean you are buying a seat – it goes purely by a first-come-first-serve basis. There was even a queue 30 minutes before the departure of the first scheduled bus, and it wasn’t even peak season! Because of that, we highly recommend taking it directly from Gancheng.

You’ll have to pay attention to which bus is leaving, as you don’t want to be boarding the wrong bus! If in doubt, show the ticket to the driver, who should be able to direct you if you’re unsure. For reference:

• Taichung 台中
• Sun Moon Lake 日月潭
• Xitou 溪頭

The banner above the driver’s seat on the bus will have Chinese and English, so you can make sure that you’re boarding and alighting at the correct place. The ride takes 2 hours, which is why we would recommend having something to eat before, or bring something to eat on the ride. Once you’re at the lake, some buses also stop at extra stops such as the Formosan Culture Village and Xiangshan Visitors Centre. Besides that, everyone is required to get off at Sun Moon Lake Visitors Centre (日月潭水社遊客中心) on the northern side of the Lake.

Using the Tickets

We purchased the NTD790 (US$25.85) tickets. Besides the return trip from Taichung to the Lake, it also includes a Round-the-Lake Boat Voucher, a Round-Trip Cable Car Voucher, a Round-the-Lake Bus Pass, and a one-way ticket to Xiangshan Visitor’s Centre on the western shore. Besides that, there are also bike rental vouchers, shopping vouchers, and tickets to the Formosan Culture Village, which shall be discussed below.

Round-the-Lake Bus Voucher

The round-the-lake shuttle bus leaves the Sun Moon Lake Visitors Centre every 20-70 minutes, depending on the time of day. Be sure to check the details of their departure on the Nantou website, so you aren’t left waiting an hour for a bus.

Once redeemed, the bus tickets are valid for 1 day. Simply exchange the relevant tear-off section off your ticket for the print-off ticket from the bus driver, which you’ll have to hang on to for any other rides during the day. This 1-day ticket would otherwise be NTD80 (US$2.60).

Round-the-Lake Boat Voucher

According to the Sun Moon Lake website (link in English), the boats visit each of the 3 piers in an anti-clockwise direction, departing once every 15-20 minutes. Present the voucher in exchange for a ticket, which is available for unlimited use in one day.

Sun Moon Lake Round-Trip Cable Car Voucher

The Cable Car is the famed Sun Moon Lake must-do. Located on the southeast end of the Lake, this round-trip ticket would normally set you back NTD300 (US$9.80). Check beforehand to make sure they haven’t closed down the ropeway for maintenance on the day you intend to go. You can check the ropeway website (link in English) out for more details.

It’s an 1877m route (1.2 miles), which is a fairly long ride. There are two options for the ropeway: the normal cabins and the crystal-bottom cabins, which only occur once every 4 cars. As such, it can be expectedly popular. If you aren’t looking to wait, the regular cabins are not any less interesting, as the view underfoot is mostly grass and trees.

The ropeway connects the lakefront to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village (link in English), an amusement park incorporating cultural themes from different aboriginal tribes, cultural performances and architecture, amongst your usual offerings of souvenirs, activities, and amusement rides. We had no time to visit, but tickets for adults costs NTD850 (US$27.80), whereas the Sun Moon Lake Package that includes the Culture Village tickets costs only NTD370 (US$12.10) on top of our NTD790 package. If you’re staying a couple of days in the area, it’s a great opportunity to maximise the value of the package, as it’s valid up to 15 days after purchase.

Shopping Discount

We never figured out what the shopping discounts are but we believe there’s an app you can download for shops around the lake. The information for this, unfortunately, is in Chinese.

Exchanging Stamps for Souvenirs

On the bus ride, we read the information on the Package for more details and noticed that our NTD790 Package had a little empty box for you to collect stamps in exchange for souvenirs. Situated around the lake are 6 religious sites (5 temples and 1 church), where you can collect a stamp and bring to the Sun Moon Visitors Centre in exchange for a small artsy magnet of a religious figure.

It initially sounded capitalistic, but we found it to be otherwise. Not only is it a good incentive to visit more of the incredible cultural sites around the lake to admire the architecture and religions, but it also showcases Taiwan’s incomparable love of art. For magnets like these, someone had to draw them, which means that an artist is being paid for their work – something that is undervalued but very integral to us. We chose little magnet Jesus and the God of War (the second one unknowingly, but it was too cute to pass up).

Activities around the Lake

Shuishe Pier (north)

As mentioned, the northern end of the lake is a little more new and industrial. In the time we went (April 2019), there were several new resort hotels and another couple in construction. This side of the lake is newer, with many higher-end souvenir shops such as for tea, larger souvenir shops with mass-produced Sun Moon-related trinkets of surprisingly reasonable quantity, and many dine-in restaurants and cafés. Much of this corner of the lake is elevated a few metres above the lake, allowing for a stunning view over the water.

It’s a great place to stay with many newer facilities, including even larger resort hotels further inland. Besides the shopping, however, there isn’t too much to do here, but those who like arts and quirky souvenirs to take home can easily spend a couple of hours scouring the stores.

Ita Thao (southeast)

Perhaps a little older, Ita Thao is a much more concentrated village full of arts, crafts, food, and goodies. There are also a good number of hotels and homestays to suit any budget, so people may choose to stay in this area for its proximity to more things. There are convenience stores, street food, restaurants with indigenous cuisine, numerous souvenir stores, close to the ropeway, and accordingly, much more accessible to the Formosan Culture Village.

This area may be better for those who like to eat and spend a great deal more time shopping or generally out and about.

The Nine Frogs Stack (九蛙疊像)

After taking the round-the-lake bus from the Sun Moon Visitors Centre, we stopped at the Shuiwatou Hiking Trail stop (水蛙頭步道), which is the entrance to the walk down to the Nine Frogs Stack. This walk is predominantly downhill, taking us around 10-20 minutes (we didn’t keep track) through a wooded area via a set of stairs. Some stairs go uphill for a bit, and some of the path is flat. At the end is the Nine Frogs Stack, which is a statue of a stack of nine frogs.

This statue was built to gauge the water level of the lake, usually after rain. On the day we went, only 3 frogs were visible. Though there’s nothing else to do here, we were right at the edge of the water, allowing for the best view over water so blue it looks like an artificial chlorinated pool.

Rather than heading back up, we continued along the path, which leads directly to the foot of the ropeway. This one is around 1600m (1 mile) long, but it goes by fast when you walk along the water’s edge.

Eating Ita Thao

As mentioned, Ita Thao is a veritable source of tasty goodies, some your basic Taiwanese street food fare, others a little more specialised thanks to the area’s indigenous roots. We went during a pretty low season, so many of the shops were actually closed, but there was still more open than was reasonable to eat between two people, even over a few days. If it had all been open, the choices would easily have doubled.

Aboriginal Filled Steamed Buns

Gua bao is a popular Taiwanese food of fluffy steamed white buns split open and filled, often with a combination of braised pork belly, fresh coriander leaves, crushed peanuts, and pickled mustard greens. At a little stand in Ita Thao (古早味刈包 – 阿薩姆夾心豆干), they sell this style of sandwich in supposedly the original taste, with a slab of braised tofu. On their menu, this tofu can be used in place of the bun or the pork belly, but we went for everything in one go.

The “complete big bag (總匯大刈包)” (NTD70; US$2.30) or so Google Translate tells us, has the pork belly, the tofu, and all the trimmings with some fresh cucumber. Besides the savoury pork and the dense, juicy tofu, the pickled vegetables are sweet enough to combat the protein’s salty flavours. Thanks to the crunch of the peanuts, the wonderful aroma of the coriander, and the fluffy white steamed bun, this was a hefty little meal that we downed in one without a second thought.

Aboriginal Food: Wild Boar Sausages (山豬肉香腸) and Millet Rice Dumplings (小米粽)

The Thao tribe is one of the many aboriginal tribes around Taiwan. A small population still exists in the Sun Moon Lake area, working in the tourism industry and allowing an increasingly diminishing look into the culture of their history. With that, several food vendors sell traditional aboriginal food, which you can sample in the Ita Thao village area.

We visited in an off-peak season, so many of the stalls and restaurants were actually closed when we were there. However, one small food vendor on the edge of the village advertised itself as an aboriginal food vendor, and had dishes which were cheaper than many of the restaurants selling similar items. As we weren’t looking to sit down for a meal, we decided to try two of their dishes: wild boar (mountain pig) sausages (山豬肉香腸), and millet rice dumplings (小米粽).

Wild boar (or literally, “mountain pig”), is supposedly common in the area, with the occasional signage warning visitors of their potential appearance on the hiking trails. Here, their wild boar sausages (NTD30; US$1) are grilled and skewered for easy eating. Tender and fatty, it is sweetened like a typical Taiwanese style grilled sausage, and lightly spiced. It’s a tasty snack and highly recommended, if you aren’t looking to get a portion of their wild boar for NTD100 (US$3.30).

Their millet rice dumplings are NTD60 (US$1.95). They are wrapped in leaves and steamed, similar to Chinese glutinous rice dumplings zong zi (粽子). To it, they add some pieces of pork (which we suspect might be boar meat, though we can’t be certain), and chilli sauce if desired. The consistency is a little wet and sticky, though not in the same chewy texture like glutinous rice. Though the grains are smaller, it’s similar to eating normal steamed rice if it were coated in a bit of a sticky film-like sauce. It’s tasty! If you’re willing to splurge, it’s recommended to get the millet rice steamed in a bamboo tube (小米竹筒飯) which you can find around the village. On the day we went it was only available in restaurants, but not in small streetside vendors. For those who can drink, millet rice wine (小米酒) is also a popular item. Millet rice slushies are also available with very low alcohol content.

Millet Rice Mochi (小米烤麻糬)

Mochi is a common food consumed all throughout Asia. Usually made of glutinous rice flour, it’s steamed or boiled to make a soft, white cake that is soft, stretchy, and chewy. In a little stand in the Ita Thao village there is millet rice mochi that is grilled on a hotplate with a variety of toppings. One stick is NTD40 (US$1.30) and grilled to order.

We got a mochi with black sugar syrup and crushed peanuts (黑糖+花生). Other flavours include garlic sauce and fish flakes (蒜蓉酱 + 柴魚), seaweed and cheese (海苔 + 起司), pork floss and seaweed (肉鬆 + 海苔), condensed milk and chocolate (煉乳 + 巧克力), and peanut and sesame (花生 + 芝麻).

The cake appears to be made by layering sheets of the dough together. Thanks to the grilling, it was crunchy on the outside and chewy-soft in the middle. The combination of the rich, dark, molasses flavour of the black sugar and the aroma of the peanuts makes it taste like almost like the fragrance of a coffee, or a peanut brittle. A surprisingly delicious eat of the day, and very highly recommended.

Black Tea Soft-Serve (阿萨姆红茶冰淇淋)

As we’ll describe later, tea is a very common souvenir of the mountainous regions of Taiwan. Several shops around the Ita Thao village sell soft-serve ice creams with a black tea flavour, so we decided to give one of them a go. We bought ours for NTD60 (US$1.95).

It was very fragrant, much to our surprise. The fragrance of the black tea fills the mouth and combines with the creamy soft-serve to give the flavour of a strong milk tea. It was a welcome, cooling refreshment on a hot day, and a great pick for anyone who loves ice cream, tea, and milk tea.

Taiwan’s No.18: Red Jade Black Tea (紅玉紅茶)

No.18 tea is the tea famously grown in the Sun Moon Lake area. We will outline this later, but we had to try their No.18 before we purchased any as a gift. Tea18 is a little café in the Ita Thao village that specialises in tea and tea products, such as hot tea drinks, and No.18 ice cream and soft serve.

We bought a cup of their hot, unsweetened No.18 tea (NTD55; US$1.80). They said they would let us add sugar later if we wanted it, but we felt it was best to try it as it were first. It has a complex fruity, floral fragrance but without any of the sourness or astringency of a black tea. It also has a touch of liquorice flavour, though not in an unpleasant way at all. A rounded, balanced black tea, this was one of Jos’ picks to try because of its incredible quality.

Souvenirs

Besides the typical souvenirs of keychains, magnets, and postcards, a couple of things stood out to us as major themes of Sun Moon Lake. You’ll find these throughout both of the main villages around Sun Moon Lake, though not necessarily together.

Owls

Though it was supposedly a white deer that led the Thao tribe to the Sun Moon Lake, the owl is commonly seen as a guardian deity. This seemed to be a common theme throughout all of Taiwan, as we later see in Jiufen on the northern end of the country, but many souvenirs seem to revolve around this little bird.

Many of the mass-produced souvenirs feature owls alongside the Sun Moon Lake, and you can find many decorative owls in all shapes, sizes, and materials. We favoured the tiny glow-in-the-dark glass owls which a glassblower claimed to make himself – though we can’t say for sure, as we later found identical glass owls in Jiufen area, too. Nonetheless, to bestow good luck upon your friends, family, or even yourselves, you can pick up one of the hundreds of owl-related goodies throughout the lake.

Taiwan’s No.18 Tea

There’s some tea to spill, and it’s on the tea scene in Teawan- I mean, Taiwan. Taiwanese teas are considered some of the best in the world. As mentioned, several of the mountainous areas of Taiwan grow high-quality teas, known as the Gaoshan (高山; High Mountain) oolong teas, which are known as the Champagnes of Tea. Arguably, one of the best tea in the world is grown in the Sun Moon Lake area.

This tea is known by many names, including Ruby Black Tea (紅玉紅茶; literally, “red jade red tea”), the Ruby Red, or, most commonly, Taiwan’s No. 18. It’s a cultivar developed by Taiwan’s Tea Research and Experiment Station, a cross between the Indian assam and a native variety. This, and the unique symbiosis between the plant and the native Leafhopper is what results in its very unique fragrance and flavour.

You can find dried tea all over the Lake in souvenir shops that specialise in tea and otherwise. Many of the teashops will allow you to taste their teas, which they often have already brewed in teapots. Remember that a freshly steeped tea is far better than any that has been sitting for too long. As such, we recommend visiting Tea18 to purchase a sample of the No.18 at its very best.

No.18 tea can become pretty expensive. We bought a 24-pack of 2g (total 1.69oz) tea bags for NTD200 (US$6.55), and a 75g (2.64oz) bag of loose-leaf for NTD380 (US$12.43) at two separate stores, but be warned that several things can affect its price:

• Packaging. The tea is usually found loose-leaf in vacuum-sealed bags, in cardboard boxes, or in metal tins, which can vastly affect the price. One of the most expensive No.18 products we saw was NTD200 for 20g (0.7oz) of loose-leaf tea, thanks to its fancy metal container.
• The weight. Unsurprisingly, each packet can have different masses of tea. Some are advertised as far cheaper than others, but only have a small amount of tea. It’s best to look around first and compare the prices before making a purchase.
• Blends. Some of the cheaper No.18 teas are actually a blend of the No.18 leaves and assam tea, which is lower in value. It should be stated on the packet. Assam tea is 阿薩姆紅茶, whereas No.18 is often just referred to as “No.18”, or 紅玉紅茶.

Final Thoughts: Our Tips for Future Users

The Sun Moon Lake was by far our favourite experience in all of Taiwan, thanks to the gorgeous sights, the abundance of activities, and a plethora of eats to try. Using the pass is possible for overnight or multi-day stays as well. The bus tickets are stamped on the Package’s day of purchase, but each voucher can be redeemed over several days provided that the return shuttle bus from Taichung is used within 15 days.

Between the two of us, we agreed that in the likely event of us returning to Taiwan, we would be sure to put the Sun Moon Lake back on our list, if to see more of what they have to offer, such as the Paper Dome in Puli, and perhaps one of their tea plantations too. Even better is the additional package to visit the Xitou forest through the Nantou bus company.

In any case, thanks to the convenience of having all of the information and tickets in one brochure, travelling the Lake was far simpler than we’d ever expected. Even with our bare minimum knowledge of any Chinese dialect, we made our way around and had a lot of fun doing it, which goes to show just how easy the trip can be. The Sun Moon Lake is not just a tourist hotspot for those with a lot of time to plan – it really does have something for everyone.

Handy Links:

Nantou Shuttle Bus website, its timetable between Taichung and the Lake, and the timetable of the Round-the-Lake shuttle bus (English).
A guide to getting around the Lake (English).
The Sun Moon Lake tourism website and all Packages available for purchase (English).