Alishan Is More Than Just The Red Train
If you’ve heard about Alishan via TikTok or Instagram, then it’s most likely because of the red train of the Alishan Forest Railway, which most content creators have perfunctorily compared with the Hogwarts Express. I love the Harry Potter world as much as the next Muggle, but comparing Alishan with the Hogwarts Express and running with it as the location’s main selling point feels like a disservice.
Nestled in Chiayi County and bordering Nantou County, Alishan (阿里山 or Mt. Ali) is Taiwan’s famous mountain resort and nature reserve, where locals and expats go for a weekend getaway or a longer hiatus. Due to the high altitude, the temperature in Alishan is typically about 10 degrees cooler than in the main cities of Taiwan.
This alpine destination is renowned for its natural, cultural, and historical attractions, including misty forests, ancient cypress trees, oolong tea plantations, and the sea of clouds overlooking Yushan, Taiwan’s tallest mountain. Its most notable attraction is the Alishan Forest Railway, an 86-km network of narrow-gauge railways constructed by the Japanese colonial government in 1904 (although some articles suggest 1912) for the logging of cedar and cypress.
🇹🇼 Get Ready For Your Taiwan Trip
Having visited Alishan and ridden this train, I say the similarity ends with the main locomotive being red and gliding through a misty forest. In fact, the current Alishan tourist train service runs on diesel. They no longer use steam locomotives a la Hogwarts or Scotland’s Jacobite Steam Train, which was used for filming that iconic scene. As for TikTok insisting that it feels like being in the wizarding world, I contend that Alishan has its own distinct magic. Watch my Alishan reel.
Red Train vs. Wooden Train
The famous red train of Alishan is what you’ll often see online, but there’s a second version that off-the-beaten-path travelers aim to catch—the wooden, vintage train, which runs only every Wednesday. I only found out about the wooden train long after my Alishan trip. Had I known and if I had more time to prepare, I would’ve aimed for a two-day trip where I could experience both trains.
Day Trip vs. Overnight Trip and DIY vs. Organized Tour
To fully immerse in Alishan’s nature and history, staying a night or two is the best way to go. For tourists on a tight schedule, a day trip to Alishan will suffice, but you will miss out on certain attractions, such as the sea of clouds before sunrise.
A DIY trip (whether overnight, multi-day, or day trip) to Alishan from its neighboring counties is possible, but according to travelers who have done so, it’s challenging and complicated. For tips on organizing a DIY Alishan trip, I recommend reading the articles of my favorite Taiwan-based bloggers, Nick Kembel and The Taiwanderers. You’ll need to extensively plan your itinerary, study the train schedules, book your hotel early (as they sell out weeks before the holidays and peak season), and prepare for many possible contingencies along the way.
If you’re willing to shell out more for an organized trip, you may book my trusted tour organizers—Klook, Get Your Guide, KKDay, and Viator.
My travel style is usually DIY backpacker, but with only a few days left in Kaohsiung, I booked a hassle-free day trip to Alishan via Klook.
Book An Organized Trip to Alishan
Alishan Day Trip Highlights
Our pickup point was at the HSR Zuoying Station. Our van departed at 8am. We had a stopover at the Longyin Temple overlooking the Tian Chang and Di Jiou Bridges in Chiayi County, Fanlu Township, at around 9:30am. We had another stopover at Zhengwang Tea Factory, one of the oolong tea shops near the famous Tea and Mist Trail in Chiayi.
Side note: Organized day trips are notorious for extra stopovers where you’re invited (but not forced) to buy souvenirs or local produce. Some travelers abhor this tourism practice, while the rest of us don’t mind.
At 11:30am, we finally arrived at the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area for a tourist briefing and quick lunch break at the Alishan Market District before starting our hike, covering the following highlights:
Zhaoping Station
Also called Jhaoping or Chaoping, this station in Alishan first opened in 1914. Here you’ll find several locomotive relics from back when the station was a bustling hub for the logging industry.
Alishan Hiking Trails
There are several trails to choose from when exploring Mt. Ali. There’s the easy, scenic Shuishan Trail, highlighted by giant trees and the old railways. The Tashan Trail entails a longer, more challenging out-and-back trail with steep sections. The Alishan Forest Park Loop covers the main recreation area. Visit the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office or All Trails for a guide to Alishan’s trails.
Our guide didn’t specify which exact trail we followed, but looking back, it felt like a combination of the Tashan Trail and Alishan Forest Park Loop.
Forest Bathing
I’m a believer in the Japanese practice of forest bathing, where grounding and immersing yourself in the forest atmosphere promotes well-being. In Alishan, the forest vegetation is a mix of bamboo groves, India-charcoal trema, camphor, ring-cupped oak, Formosan red cypress, Taiwan cypress, spruce, and hemlock trees. Together, they release phytoncides, a distinct forest aroma said to reduce stress and boost human immune function. Red train aside, forest bathing in Alishan was the top highlight of my day trip.
Sisters Ponds
Two tranquil alpine ponds—Elder Sister and Younger Sister—feature emerald green waters surrounded by the Autumn mist (I was there in November). As of publishing this blog, Alishan is experiencing snow for the first time since 2018.
The Four Sisters
This clump of trees has an interesting backstory: After the main cypress tree was cut down, nearby cypress seeds fell into the cracks of the stump. The stump supplied nutrients, allowing the seeds to sprout four seedlings, which eventually grew into four clumped trees now known as The Four Sisters.
Magnolia Garden
After walking down the trail from Sisters Ponds, we emerged in a picturesque open space with year-round blossoming Magnolia flowers. I was here in the autumn. Coming during the winter, summer, or spring season will give you a different vibe. The cherry blossom season (March to April) is always packed with tourists.
Alishan Shouzhen Temple
At 2,150 meters, the Shouzhen Temple is the largest in the Alishan area. It enshrines the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven as its main deity. The Taoist temple stands between the Sacred Tree and the Chaoping Station. It’s next to a rest area full of shops and snack bars selling local delicacies, such as Alishan wasabi, oolong tea, tea eggs, bamboo shoots, millet zongzi, and smoked wild boar sausages.
Cedar and Cypress Trees
The ancient Taiwan red cypresses (Shenmu) are the famous giants in the Alishan National Forest. The popular trails will lead you to these breathtaking landmarks, such as the Xianglin Sacred Tree, which replaced the original revered 3,000-year-old Sacred Tree that was felled in 1998 due to damage from lightning and storms.
A walk through the Giant Trees Boardwalk showcases other famous Taiwan red cypress trees and cedar trees. Your guide will stop at the popular ones to tell you the stories behind them. You’ll also find signages with English translations if you prefer reading at your own pace.
Sacred Tree Station
By 3pm, we arrived at the Sacred Tree Station (Shenmu), where you’ll find the social-media-famous red train. Did it remind me, the Potterhead, of entering Platform 9¾ before boarding the Hogwarts Express?? Absolutely not! Did riding on that vintage-looking, diesel-powered train as it chug-chug-chugged through the mist-filled forest make me feel like I was about to start my first school year as a wizard? Still no!
But what it did make me feel was that I had time-traveled to the early decades of 20th-century Taiwan, back when trains symbolized modern technology and precious timber was transported from the Alishan mountains. It made me want to learn more about the culture and history of Taiwan’s highlands while sipping on a piping hot cup of oolong tea from a nearby tea farm. It made me want to learn more about the Tsou Tribe, Taiwan’s indigenous people who traditionally inhabited the Alishan Mountain and still reside there.
Alishan Main Station
Our train ride ended at a foggy Alishan Station, where I made a beeline to the souvenir stamp station at the ticketing booth. Like Japan, Taiwan’s tourist spots offer free stamping stations for stamp rally (ink stamp) enthusiasts like myself. I’ll write about Taiwan’s stamp rallies in another blog post.
We wrapped up our overcast afternoon by exploring the souvenir shops and tea shops next to the station, where the magnets and other souvenirs were a bit overpriced.
At 5pm, we headed back to HSR Zuoying Station, with the same stopover at the Longyin Temple in Chiayi County.
🏨 Best Hotels in the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area
- Alishan Gou Hotel, near the Chaoping Station and Tashan Trail
- Alishan Hotel, which has four stars and is the most upscale of all the options there
- Dafeng Hotel, which is near the Alishan Bus Station
- Alishan Shermuh Hotel, a modern, three-star hotel
- Chinshan Hotel, which is near the Alishan Railway Station
Pros and Cons of the Alishan Day Trip
The biggest downside to booking just a day trip to Alishan is that you will miss a lot of the highlights, such as the Zhushan Sunrise Observation Deck, where you’ll catch the famous sea of clouds overlooking Mt. Yushan. The time constraint means you’ll also skip many other hiking trails, stunning views, and stations. I wish we dropped by the Fenqihu Station and the charming Old Street.
I also wished we had time to stop at the Alishan Post Office for my postcard project and the Alishan 7-Eleven store, the highest in Taiwan. Coming from a country with mediocre 7-Elevens, I loved exploring the 7-Elevens in Taiwan, especially the cartoon-themed ones.
The upside to booking an Alishan day tour is having a trusty local guide organize everything for you. I didn’t have to spend days studying and organizing an itinerary. With only a short time left in Kaohsiung, I didn’t have the bandwidth for my usual DIY ways. I was worry-free and stress-free throughout, and even took naps in the van. Just make sure you have nothing booked early the next day, as you’ll need to rest after this.
The Alishan Day Tour from Kaohsiung is one of my best and most recommended Klook trips in Taiwan. Beyond the train ride, Alishan’s ancient giants looming over the misty forest, the phytoncides permeating the air, and its rich history made for a pleasant escape from the city.
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