Alishan National Forest Recreation Area

Comfortable stay in alishan hotel with breakfast and dinner buffet within package. Tour group was professionally conducted with ample time within each sight

The food was delicious, the scenery was beautiful, the train ride was so relaxing, and the carriage smelled amazing!

I can take four segments of the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Alishan ticket plus a Fenqihu bento box, which is suitable for tourists staying in Fenqihu who want to visit Alishan. The route is from Chiayi Railway Station to Fenqihu and back, then from Fenqihu to Alishan and back. This makes exactly four trips. The Alishan ticket also allows for two consecutive days of visits, but you need to get a voucher at the entrance.

Pei Pei was our guide. She was an amazing driver and super nice. The tour was worth the price considering the difficulty of getting up to Alishan and back. Having a private driver in a private car who worked out restroom stops, helped you take photos, made precise pick ups was perfect. The unexpected part was being asked to purchase extra tickets once we arrived. The 1st was a bus ticket getting you from visitor's center to the trailhead. This was $60 ea and though the signs said credit cards were accepted, there was a well used sign saying the machine was broken. The 2nd was the small little train @ $100ea that took you back to the visitor's center, cash only. They were presented as mandatory tickets and when on a tour you do what the guide tells you. So worth the price and the time if you are looking for an introduction to Alishan but bring extra cash.

The driver was very helpful and attentive along the way, providing a great experience. The mountain scenery was also well-planned. The only downside was the 4-hour Alishan Forest Railway ride down to Chiayi, which was just too time-consuming.

The trip was very well-organized and complete, including visits not only to the Alishan National Park area, but also connected sites like Beimen Station, Fenqihu Station, and Hinoki Village; this gave us the bigger picture of train and forestry culture surrounding Alishan. The driver/guide Mr. Xu explained each site and took us many pictures. He was also very accommodating to my older parents when they needed to go to the restroom multiple times. When we arrived at Alishan, we received two train tickets (Alishan to Zhaoping and Shenmu to Alishan) and a recommended route for our self-guided trek inside; we were then able to explore multiple key sites in a relaxed pace. A good bento lunch, some local snacks, and bottles of water were also provided at the start of the trip. Overall it was well-worth what we paid considering how large and confusing going around Alisha can be.

Joining a day tour was very convenient, with a driver providing transportation between Taichung and Alishan. We were lucky enough to see the sunrise over Alishan. Our driver and guide, Seven, was witty and humorous, sharing a lot about local culture and history. Seven is also a great photographer, happy to take beautiful pictures for everyone in the group 👍🏻 We are very grateful to Seven for leading the way, which added a lot of fun to this trip.