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Alishan Indigenous Culture & Tea Tour - 3-Day / 2-Night (2027)
☀️☀️☀️ Trail Rating: Easy ☀️☀️☀️
Step beyond the familiar and discover a deeper side of Taiwan on this immersive journey into the Alishan National Scenic Area, where Indigenous culture, mountain landscapes, and Taiwan’s renowned tea heritage intersect. Designed for travelers seeking authentic, community-based experiences, this easy-to-moderate tour blends cultural exchange with nature and slow travel.
The journey begins with pick-up from Chiayi High-Speed Rail Station, followed by a scenic ascent into Alishan’s forested highlands—an area known for misty valleys, biodiversity, and long-established Indigenous communities. Over three days, you’ll visit Chashan and Shanmei, guided by local Tsou and Bunun community members who share their traditions, stories, and way of life.
Highlights include exploring Indigenous culture parks, learning about traditional plant use and architecture, cooling off in a natural swimming pool beneath a waterfall, and enjoying Indigenous fusion cuisine. In Danayigu Ecological Park, discover how Indigenous stewardship restored the river ecosystem. The journey concludes in Shizhuo, where you’ll walk through tea plantations, experience traditional tea processing, and sample locally produced Alishan high-mountain teas.
Tour Highlights:
- Visit two Indigenous communities, Chashan and Shanmei with local guides/community members
- Swim in a natural river pool surrounded by remote nature and stunning scenery
- Enjoy lunch in one of Taiwan’s first “floating” restaurants - food is served on a river on floating trays.
- Enter a replica of an Indigenous Tsou home and learn how life was like long ago.
- Walk through a tea plantation surrounded by stunning mountains and plantation terraces and experience traditional tea processing techniques and sample locally grown high mountain teas.
2027 Tour Dates:
- April 10-12, 2027
- October 2-4, 2027
- Note: Select the specific date on the drop-down calendar option listed on the right side of this page
Important Notes:
- To ensure we can apply and secure the services at the communities, you need to book this tour one month prior to your preferred departure date.
- Our system is set up to allow guests to register and secure their seat on the tour, but you do not have to pay at registration. We will request payment only when our services have been successfully secured.
- We run our tours "rain or shine". However, this doesn't mean we don't take guest safety seriously. We also know that running tours outside means there's a chance to we might get wet. That's all part of the experience. However, in the event there is adverse weather (as defined by a rain warning issued by the Central Weather Administration of Taiwan), the tour will be cancelled and a full refund will be provided. Guaranteed.
The After-Purchase Process:
- Upon receipt of a booking and registration, Taiwan Outdoors' staff will contact the guest to ask for some additional information for insurance purposes.
- Once services have been confirmed, our team will send you a request for payment.
- Approximately one week prior to the departure date, Taiwan Outdoors will send guests a pre-trip information email with details regarding their tour, including revised scheduled, pick up and drop off location and details regarding their destination.
- We'll add each group member to a private WhatsApp or LINE Group to allow for any last minute questions to be answered by our staff/guide.
Daily Itinerary
Meet the guide and be picked up from Chiayi High-Speed Rail (HSR) Station, then be driven to the Chashan Community. From the Chiayi HSR Station, expect a 90-minute drive.
Our first stop will be the Chashan Community culture park where we will meet our local Indigenous guide and be introduced to Indigenous traditions, such as the use of an “air whistle” made of bamboo used to convene community meetings, traditional structures such as a watchtower, and wild greens.
Across the street is the community kitchen where we will be treated to a beautiful array of Indigenous fusion dishes. Don’t fill up too much, as after lunch we head into the hills surrounding the community and spend the afternoon at a natural swimming pool.
After that, we check-in at a guesthouse run by a friendly Hakka family to clean up and change, before enjoying a delicious Indigenous cuisine dinner in the community kitchen, followed by a torch lighting ceremony and the telling of Indigenous Tsou legends.
Day One Notes
- There is only a simple restroom at the community kitchen, no changing room. If possible, wear your swimsuit under your clothes at the start of the day. Please note that there are no restrooms or changing rooms at the natural swimming pool. Lifejackets are provided by the local guide.
- Prepare a towel for drying off after your swim, aqua shoes (if you don’t like walking on rocky riverbed barefoot), sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and water.
- The guesthouse does not provide toiletries (by law) or towels.
- The roads in the Alishan National Scenic Area are winding. If motion sickness is an issue, please prepare medication.
Day One Schedule
- 08:30 – Depart from Chiayi HSR station. (guests responsibility to travel to Chiayi HSR Station)
- 10:00 – Arrive in Chashan Community
- 10:30-12:00 Guided tour of Chashan’s culture park
- 12:00-13:00 Lunch at community kitchen
- 13:30 Head to waterfall/natural swimming hole (swim or relax)
- 16:30 Head to 95 Coffee Guesthouse to check-in, shower, and change.
- 18:00 Dinner at community kitchen and explore the community.
- 19:30 Nighttime tour (torch lighting and legends of the Tsou).
- 21:00 Return to guesthouse.
*Please note: These times are approximate and will depend on a number of factors including weather, road, and trail conditions and walking pace.
Our guesthouse, although somewhat rustic, is perfectly located in the heart of the Chashan Community. If up early, explore the community’s unique features – each home has a kind of gazebo (made of wood and thatch), which is called hufu in the Tsou language. These were traditional “living rooms” of the people of this community, where they met socially and divided up food from hunts and harvests. Along the streets are numerous woodcarvings depicting scenes from Tsou and Bunun legends.
After enjoying a hearty breakfast prepared by the guesthouse owners, our local Indigenous guide then takes us back up into the hills above the community, this time to experience traditional activities such as archery and making bird calls using shellflower stalks. We may even stop at a scenic overlook where your voice echoes across a deep river valley. As we say goodbye to the Chashan Community, no need to feel sad, as there is more Indigenous culture and scenic beauty to explore. We will drive for approximately 30 minutes to the Indigenous Tsou community of Shanmei (Saviki in the Tsou language) and the Danayigu Ecological Park. This park is well known in Taiwan for its achievements in the restoration of the population of Taiwan shoveljaw carp. Typhoon Morakot (2009) brought great destruction to the riverbed here. However, the saying of the elders, “Rivers have a memory,” rings true. Today, the crystal-clear waters of the river have returned, as have the fish. Experience these waters firsthand, as this is where lunch is served!
After lunch, there will be a brief period to clean up, then our local Indigenous guide will lead us in a discovery of this community’s ecological efforts and traditional Tsou culture including ecologically friendly fishing methods and a visit to a replica of a traditional home. After this, it is only another 30-minute drive to our guesthouse in Shizhuo, where we will also eat dinner. Enjoy some free time to explore the area and stock up on snacks and drinks at a local convenience store.
Day Two Notes:
- For the floating restaurant lunch, prepare aqua shoes (if you don’t like walking on rocky riverbed barefoot) and wear shorts or pants that can be easily rolled up (or wear a swimsuit under your clothes).
- Bring towel, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and water.
- The guesthouse does not provide toiletries (by law).
- The roads in the Alishan National Scenic Area are winding. If motion sickness is an issue, please prepare medication.
Day Two Schedule
- 09:00 Chashan mountain tour (may include archery, shellflower leaf bird call making, scenic overlook)
- 11:00 Head to Danayigu Ecological Park (orientation)
- 12:00-13:30 Lunch (Indigenous fusion cuisine meal in the community’s floating restaurant, i.e. along a river).
- 13:30-13:50 Change clothes (if needed)
- 14:00-15:30 Traditional fish trap demonstration area, suspension bridge, cultural tour (traditional Tsou dwelling)
- 15:30-16:00 Head to Shizhuo Guesthouse and check-in
- 16:00-18:00 Free time
- 18:00 Dinner
- Onwards Free time
*Please note: These times are approximate and will depend on a number of factors including weather, road and traffic conditions.
Day three marks a gentle shift in focus, from Indigenous lifeways to the agricultural traditions that have shaped Alishan’s mountain culture for generations. After breakfast, the short drive into the surrounding hills reveals sweeping views of tea plantations cascading across steep slopes, framed by cool mountain air and forested ridgelines. This is the heart of Alishan’s high-mountain tea country.
Begin with a walk through the tea fields, where neat rows of tea bushes trace the contours of the land and offer insight into how altitude, climate, and terrain influence flavor. You’ll then visit a family-run tea processing facility dedicated to preserving traditional, largely manual methods—techniques that are increasingly rare in modern tea production. Here, the process comes to life as you learn how freshly picked leaves are withered, rolled, and transformed. Try your hand at hand-rolling tea leaves, gaining an appreciation for the patience and skill behind every cup.
The experience concludes with a guided tea tasting, allowing you to sample locally produced Alishan teas and understand the subtle differences shaped by season and elevation. A relaxed lunch at a nearby restaurant rounds out the day, offering time to reflect on a journey defined by culture, landscape, and the quiet richness of Taiwan’s mountain traditions.
Day Three Notes:
- Prepare sunscreen, mosquito repellent, and water and wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
- The roads in the Alishan National Scenic Area are winding. If motion sickness is an issue, please prepare medication.
Day Three Schedule
- 08:30 Breakfast
- 09:30-12:00 Xu Long tea plantation and tea processing experience
- 12:30-13:30 Lunch (hot pot)
- 14:00 Transfer to Chiayi HSR Station
Please note: These times and the content are approximate and will depend on a number of factors including availability and traffic, weather, road, and trail conditions.
Cost Description
Price Includes
✅ Private round-trip shuttle service from Chiayi HSR Station (Please note that guests are required to make their own way to Chiayi)
✅ Licensed, bilingual guiding services
✅ Two (2) nights of accommodation in locally run guesthouses (double occupancy). Single occupancy is available, additional costs may apply.
✅ 7 Meals included - Day One: Lunch, Dinner | Day Three: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Day Four: Breakfast, Lunch
✅ Guided community tours in Chashan and Danayigu and DIY activities.
✅ Guided tea tours and tea tasting in Alishan.
✅ Sleeping Bag Rental at Jiaming Lake Refuge House
✅ Passenger insurance on the van
✅ Daily $3,000,000ntd travel agency liability insurance
✅ An experience of a lifetime on one of Taiwan's most unique experiences!
Price Excludes
❌ Meals not included - Day One: Breakfast | Day Three: Dinner
❌ Transportation to/from Guanshan, Taitung County
❌ Any additional snacks, food, or drinks
❌ Additional stops at other attractions or souvenir shops
❌ Additional Personal travel insurance
Cancellation Policy
| Cancellation Request Date | Cancel Fee |
|---|---|
| 41day before | 5% |
| 31day before | 10% |
| 2day before | 70% |
| 1day before | 80% |
- 95% refund when the cancellation notice arrives 41 days before the scheduled day of departure (less the 30% non-refundable administration fee).
- 90% refund when the cancellation notice arrives 31 days to 40 days before the scheduled day of departure(less the 30% non-refundable administration fee).
- 70% refund when the cancellation notice arrives 2 days to 30 days before the scheduled day of departure (less the 30% non-refundable administration fee).
- 20% refund when the cancellation notice arrives one day before the scheduled day of departure (less the 30% non-refundable administration fee).
Notice
⚠️ PICK-UP / DROP-OFF LOCATION: Our pick-up and drop-off location will be Chiayi HSR Station. It is the guest's responsibility to arrive at Chiayi HSR Station. If you require an alternate pick-up/drop-off locations, please contact us directly at [email protected]. Additional costs may apply.
⚠️GUIDE: In addition to providing an amazing cultural experience, our guides have the responsibility for guest safety and well-being. Our guides will monitor the group's fitness levels and health throughout the tour. In the event of poor weather or if any guests are struggling from poor fitness or adverse conditions, they reserve the right to alter the tour itinerary and/or cancel the ascent. We thank you for your understanding as we believe guests' safety is of the utmost importance.
⚠️ MEALS: Day One Breakfast is not included in the tour price. As well as Day Three Dinner. Guests are responsible for preparing and bringing their own meals on these days.
⚠️ GROUP SIZE: Our Alishan Indigenous Culture and Tea Tour can be booked for groups between 1-6 guests. This tour is limited to 6 guests. If you have a team of more than 6, please contact us directly at [email protected]
⚠️ TOUR AVAILABILITY: Our Alishan Indigenous Culture and Tea Tour must be booked at least three weeks prior to your planned departure date. Due to the consideration and advanced notice we wish to provide our community partners, we require this advanced notice.
⚠️ PAYMENT REQUIREMENTS: Full payment is required at least 14-days prior to the departure date. This ensures our guests commitment to the tour and allows us to confirm participation.
⚠️ NON-REFUNDABLE ADMINISTRATIVE FEE: When a group registers and pays for Taiwan Outdoors' Alishan Indigenous Culture and Tear Tour, we make arrangements with the local community, reserve accommodations and arrange transportation. Because of the work required, as well as the money required to secure the services provided on this trip, Taiwan Outdoors' has one non-refundable administration fee our guests should be aware of:
- Each booking will incur a non-refundable administrative fee of 20% of the booking price at the time of booking, in addition to cancellation fee enforced by the domestic law associated with consumer protection in Taiwan. The cancellation policy is outlined below.
⚠️ CANCELLATION POLICY:
In the event Taiwan Outdoors cancels the event due to an Act of God, adverse weather or any other unforeseen circumstance, a full refund will be provided. Guaranteed.
- 95% refund when the cancellation notice arrives 41 days before the scheduled day of departure (less the 10% non-refundable administration fee).
- 90% refund when the cancellation notice arrives 31 days to 40 days before the scheduled day of departure (less the 10% non-refundable administration fee).
- 70% refund when the cancellation notice arrives 2 days to 30 days before the scheduled day of departure (less the 10% non-refundable administration fee).
- 20% refund when the cancellation notice arrives one day before the scheduled day of departure (less the 10% non-refundable administration fee).
- No refund when the cancellation notice arrives after the scheduled day of departure.
Do you have any other questions? Please send us an email to [email protected].
