By air
Taichung (RMQ), ~1.5 h by road
East Asia · Taiwan
Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan
A mountain lake of temples and cycling paths
Getting there
Best time to visit
October to April — mild
Don't miss
Wenwu Temple
The Ci'en Pagoda
Ita Thao
Xuanzang Temple
Things to do
Cycling the shore
Boat hops between the piers
The ropeway to the aboriginal culture village
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Webbyj · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Layers, cycling-friendly clothes
A quieter corner
The Ci'en Pagoda at sunrise
Questions travellers ask
How long is the drive to Sun Moon Lake?
About 1.5 hours by road from Taichung (RMQ).
What's the best way to explore Sun Moon Lake?
Cycle the shore in cycling-friendly clothes, and hop between the piers by boat. Take the ropeway to the aboriginal culture village too.
When is the Ci'en Pagoda at its best?
At sunrise. Wenwu Temple and Xuanzang Temple are worth adding to the same day.
What should I taste at Sun Moon Lake?
Lake shrimp and a cup of Sun Moon Lake black tea.
About Sun Moon Lake
- Lakeside
- Mountains
Where it is
Sun Moon Lake is a large mountain lake at about 750 m in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, near the centre of Taiwan, ringed by forested hills.
History
The lake is the ancestral home of the Thao people, one of Taiwan's smallest indigenous groups, who hold Lalu Island at its centre sacred. Under Japanese rule a hydroelectric scheme completed in the 1930s raised the water level considerably, and the lake later grew into one of Taiwan's favourite holiday resorts.
People
The Thao keep their language, pestle music and harvest rites at Ita Thao village on the shore, while Han Chinese families run the tea gardens, hotels and boats. Mandarin and Taiwanese Hokkien are the everyday languages, and black tea from Assam plants has been grown here since the Japanese era.
Known for
- Cycling the lakeshore path
- Wenwu Temple and the Ci'en Pagoda
- Boat trips between the piers
- Thao culture at Ita Thao
- Sun Moon Lake black tea
Did you know?
The lake's name comes from its shape: the eastern part is round like the sun and the western part curves like a crescent moon, with Lalu Island between them.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.