A Morning at Yehliu

There are two natural attractions in Northern Taiwan that I was interested in seeing.  As we only had time for one, I had to make a decision as to whether it would be the Yehliu Geopark or the Nanya Rock Formations. 

In the end, we chose to explore Yehliu Geopark, which is a 1.7km stretch of unique stone structures which were formed when geological forces pushed Datun (大屯) Mountain into the sea. The result is an amazing, but strange set of stones that have taken on all shapes and sizes. 

There are three distinct areas within the park.  The first area is home to rocks with name descriptions such as mushroom, ginger, candle and ice cream.  The second area is closer to the coastline and consists of rocks that have been exposed to sea water corrosion.  These include the elephant, fairy’s shoe, earth, peanut and the one that is the most famous of all – the Queen’s Head.  The last area is the cliffs which include the Filial Piety Hill, Pear, and Marine Bird.

You can easily spend a few hours exploring the fascinating, but strange, natural beauty of Yehliu.  I would recommend adding on either Keelung, Jiufen or the Pingxi attractions to your day, as all are relatively close by.

More photos can be found in the Photo Gallery for Yehliu Geopark

Getting there from Taipei:
From Taipei Main station, follow the signs to Taipei West Bus station Terminal A.  The KuoKuang Bus company (國光) has a window inside Terminal A where you can purchase a ticket for $96NTD to take Bus 1815 directly to Yehliu Geopark.  Alternatively, if you have an easycard, you can just swipe the card when you board the bus.  The bus ride should take around 90 minutes and will drop you off on the main road, where you will then need to walk about 10-15 minutes through a small town to get to the entrance.

Getting to Keelung from Yehliu:
Regardless of where you decide to travel to next, the easiest way to get there, is to travel to Keelung first.  Walk back towards the main street where you initially got off the bus and find the stop for Bus 790.  The trip should take you around 40 minutes, and unfortunately, this bus will drop you off away from Keelung Station, so you will need to walk in a northwesterly directly for about 5 minutes before you reach the station.  From the station, you will be able to catch buses to Jiufen, Ruifang, or Taipei.