Taiwan 2025: Yehliu Cape
On the northern coast there exists Yehliu Cape, a geological marvel scattered with honeycomb and mushroom rock formations, ever being eroded by the relentless sea. The same sea that shaped these rocks will continue to transform it, someday beyond recognition. What will this cape look like in 50 or 100 years? At least today, we can enjoy its beauty and wonder in this moment.
Today was a bit of a rough start, though I did my best to turn it around with a hearty breakfast. Often times I feel like my day is ruled by what I eat in the morning lol. I didn’t charge my camera batteries beforehand, so I tried to be conservative with my shots. Lack of sleep and jet lag were hitting hard.
As my mom is still awaiting knee replacement surgery, we opted for a private tour driver to cut down on walking, similar to when we went to Ine and Amanohashidate in 2023 (and, now that I think about it, Beijing in 2010). Our guide was Ming An (Junior) from YOLO Taiwan, who was a great resource and was happy to customize our itinerary to what we were interested in.
Our One-Day Itinerary
This itinerary is a very popular one, and it’s great that you can experience it in a few different ways. Outside of private tours, there are guided bus options or going completely solo using public transportation. It’s really up to what you think you’ll enjoy and what your budget (and physical limitations!) allows.
We hit the road at 9:00am sharp. On the drive to our first destination, we learned about how Taiwan is 70% mountain ranges, with the remaining 30% consisting of plains, basins and gentler hills — and 23 million people living in that 30%! As we exited the city, and as we watched the scenery pass by, it wasn’t hard to notice that there were very few structures on the mountains and hills. Taiwan is fiercely passionate about environmental conservation and preserving its unique ecology and biodiversity, and has been for many decades. In some articles, it has even been stated that development is second to conservation. We also talked about resiliency, both in the ways that buildings are constructed in response to typhoons and earthquakes, and to the cultural scars and blooms of a very complex history of colonization.
Yehliu Geopark was actually somewhere I really wanted to go, but didn’t know if it was possible with our short stay. I was really happy to see it on the list! The drive over was beautiful, with a stretch of coastal cliff road that Wang An likened to California’s Highway 1 (and it actually is part of its own Route 1 — a famous cycling route to be exact!). We passed through small fisherman towns that bustle and hum during September to October, peak season for crabfishing.
Our first task was the ticketing office and the visitor center. After securing our tickets (120NT each, roughly 4 USD) and some water, I was elated to see that there was a stamp booth! I had brought my stampbook just in case, and I’m so, so happy that I did. There were six different stamps to choose from, so I picked two that I liked the most. In hindsight I probably should have stamped them all just for the fun of it…
And they stamped so beautifully! Yay!
To get to the rock formations, we walked a beautifully paved path covered by a canopy of banyan trees. I really wanted to see the banyan trees while visiting, so it was a lovely chance to walk in their shade. The experience was unfortunately, frequently, interrupted by everyone else’s lack of spatial awareness…
The path opened up to the seaside, gusts of sea breeze cutting through the day’s humidity. The smooth, tan coast was so striking against the pale waters before us and the lush greenery behind.
The highest hill, 龜頭山, translates to “turtle mountain,” named for its resemblance to a turtle about to dive into the sea.
The sea leaves its mark on many things.
We met the Queen’s Head and the Cute Princess, smaller and more delicate than expected.
The veins of the earth, exposed.
A quieter path, away from everyone.
Despite the crowds coming and going, I did my best to find ways to focus on, and take in, the landscape. It just takes a bit of patience and letting things be what they will.
On to our next stop: Shifen!
The most mountainous island in the world. A wonderful adventure that must have been. You have captured nature’s dynamic beauty exceptionally well.