Aside from Taipei, we also visited Taichung in Taiwan which is about an hour HSR train ride from Taipei Main Station. We visited few beautiful places in Taichung but my personal favorite is Gaomei Wetlands. I consider it the highlight of our Taichung trip as it showcases one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve seen in my life. The place tends to be touristy but it is not that famous among Filipino travelers. We were supposed to rent a car on the day of our visit to Taichung but got cancelled last minute. Good thing, Taiwan’s transport system is so efficient and we were able to pull up a DIY trip to Gaomei Wetlands at the last minute. Here’s a guide that you can follow if you wish to add Gaomei Wetlands to your next Taiwan bucket list.
Knowing the Wetland
Gaomei Wetlands is a flat land that lies in the coastal area of Qingshui District. Coming from its name, it is a wetland or an area where a mixture of soil and sands is covered by water forming a diverse ecosystem that serves as home to diverse wildlife such as crabs and mudskippers. The area spans over 300 hectares which is a good spot to watch the sunset and the picturesque windmills across its dock during the late afternoon. It is just about an hour drive from Taichung center and will absolutely turn up your Taichung experience.
How to Get There?
From Taichung Main Station or Xinwuri Station (if you will be coming from Taipei through HSR train, just transfer station from HSR to Xinwuri Station), ride the local train (TRA) that will take you to Qingshui Station. Please check the train schedule online to make sure that you’ll get to the train on time. The ride may take around 45 minutes, outside Qinshui Station you may take a taxi going to Gaomei Wetlands (about a 15-minute ride). In our case, the taxi ride to Gaomei costs us 300 NTD for a group of 4 pax.
If you prefer a less hassle trip, you can book a private or joiners tour through tour agencies or klook.
Gaomei Wetlands
We arrived at Gaomei Wetlands at about 5:00 pm just in time before the sunset. Their main viewing point is their 800-meter dock that lies from the main street and will take you directly to its wetland and the shallow sea. There are flocks of people but the spectacular views are worth steering the crowds. Despite the crowd you may catch in a late afternoon, it is still a good place to relax, take a breath of fresh air and reconnect with nature.
The Gaomei Wetlands is represented by a mudskipper mascot that will welcome you at the start of the dock. While taking a stroll on the wood dock, we saw a lot of mudskippers and a few huge groups of small crabs. Aside from the sunset, it is also a perfect spot for bird watching as you can see a lot of migratory birds here during fall and winter. Upon reaching the end of the wood dock, you can take off your shoes and take a step on its waters to capture more scenic photos with the windmills and sunset at your back.
You can also visit the Gaomei Lighthouse, the Gaomei Pedestrian Bridge and the Gaomei Wind Turbine Avenue near the area. I suggest renting a bike to get into the bridge and windmill area as for me, it’s a bit far and will consume a lot of time and effort if you just walk.
There are also food places in the area if you wish to get a meal after getting tired on all the walks and wandering. We decided to have chicken and fries for an early dinner while waiting for the same taxi driver who took us from Qingshui Station. Just tell the driver to pick you up again as finding a vacant ride in the area might be difficult, especially during the night.
Going Back to Taipei
From Gaomei Wetlands, the taxi driver took us back to Qingshui Station. From Qingshui Station, we ride the local train (TRA) going to Xinwuri Station, transfer to Taichung HSR Station and finally catch our ride back to Taipei.
Gaomei Wetlands is such a dreamy place that I’ll forever cherish on my Taiwan’s core memory. Visit the place and be mesmerized as well of the beauty it has to offer.
