Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceTea Country & the Northeast Coast
Cross Pinglin to Fulong, Jiaoxi, Yilan and Nanfang’ao on a three-day loop through the northeast.
- Allow
- 3 days
- Route
- 220 km
- Drive time
- 3 hr 42 min
- Stops
- 6
Pinglin’s tea hills provide a deliberate transition out of metropolitan Taipei. From there the route descends toward Fulong’s beach and old Caoling coast, then rounds into the Yilan Plain for Jiaoxi’s hot springs and the working fishing harbor at Nanfang’ao.
Rain shapes this region. Visibility can disappear quickly on mountain approaches, and typhoons or landslides override the itinerary completely. Use main numbered roads, skip unsigned scenic shortcuts and return through the official tunnel corridor rather than improvising a high-mountain route.
The road, in one glance
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Drawing the route…
The route earns
its distance
Each pin is selected as a place to do something—not merely proof that you passed through.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceTaipei
Leave with offline navigation and a fresh official road check for the tea-country crossing.
Taipei, officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of Taiwan. Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of the northern port city of Keelung. Most of the city rests on the Taipei Basin, an ancient lakebed.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourcePinglin
Tea terraces, a small museum and river bends introduce the hills east of Taipei.
Pinglin District (a.k.a. Ping-Lin, Chinese: 坪林區; pinyin: Pínglín Qū; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pîⁿ-nâ-khu) is a rural district of southeastern New Taipei, Taiwan. It is the third-largest district of New Taipei City and it is located in the mountainous area bordering Yilan County.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceFulong
A broad beach and the old Caoling transport corridor open the Pacific side of the loop.
Fulong Beach, also known as Fulong Bathing Beach (Chinese: 福隆海水浴場; pinyin: Fúlóng Hǎishuǐ Yùchǎng), is located at Fulong Village, Gongliao District, New Taipei, Taiwan. It is the outlet of the Shuang River.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceJiaoxi
Hot springs and a compact rail town make the simplest overnight on the Yilan Plain.
Jiaoxi is a hot-spring township on the northern edge of the Yilan Plain, where naturally heated water feeds public footbaths, hotels and bathhouses. Its station-centred spa district also serves as a base for short walks toward low waterfalls and forested foothills.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceYilan
Markets, design and regional food give the fertile plain an urban center.
Yilan City (Mandarin pinyin: Yílán Shì; Hokkien POJ: Gî-lân-chhī) is a county-administered city and the county seat of Yilan County, Taiwan. The city lies on the north side of the Lanyang River.
Photo: Wikimedia contributors · See sourceNanfang’ao
Fishing boats, markets and headland views show the northeast as a working coast.
Nanfang'ao is a working fishing harbour beside Su'ao on Taiwan's northeast coast. Auction halls, seafood businesses, temples and densely packed basins show an active port economy, with coastal viewpoints rising immediately behind the waterfront.
Drive the conditions,
not the itinerary.
Use main numbered highways, slow for scooters and rain, and check 168 for controls or landslides. Never follow navigation onto a closed mountain shortcut.
Checked against
the people who run it
Distances and driving times are planning estimates. Conditions, closures, ferries, permits and park rules can change, so check the linked official guidance before setting out.