Sun Moon Lake (日月潭 )

Situated at the geographic center of Taiwan in the mountainous Nantou County, Sun Moon Lake is a scenic destination with stunning mountain and lakeside views.

The lake is encircled by a road that allows access to all of the major attractions. On the west side is route PH21 which runs from northern parts of Nantou through Puli toward Yushan National Park, and on the north, east, and southern sides by route PH21A.

Three piers are located around the edges of the lake, offering ferry services for tourists to enjoy cruising around and access different attractions in the area. Shuishe Pier is the largest of the three, followed by Ita Thao near the aboriginal town area and base station of the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway, and Xuanguang Pier near the Xuanguang Temple.

Taiwan's largest lake at a high elevation around 1KM, the mountain tops and rolling clouds create incredible views when interacting with the sun during the mid-day, morning, and sunset times, and dream-like landscapes with the moon at night time. The views at all times of the day are unique and can be characterized as reminiscent of Chinese watercolor paintings.

A 30KM cycling path encircles the lake, starting at Shuishe Pier. Other well-maintained bikeways and hiking trails of various lengths and difficulty levels are available at numerous points around the lake.

Home to several aboriginal tribes, the most prominent is the Thao tribe, a minority group living around the Ita Thao area at the east side of the lake. Other tribes include subgroups of the Bunun people.

Lalu Island is the only land islet feature within the lake. As it is a holy site for the local tribe, outsider access to the island is not permitted, however visitors can view the island at a close range from the hill at Xuanguang Temple.

An aborigine-themed amusement park is located close to Sun Moon Lake, and can be directly accessed by riding the Sun Moon Lake ropeway cable car from the base near Ita Thao directly into the park.

Overnight visitors should consider finding accommodation at Shuishe Pier or Ita Thao.