Taiwan

The tour starts on Saturday 21 February, at Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei, with a transfer to our hotel.

The tour ends after breakfast on Thursday 5 March, at the Regent Hotel, Taipei.

Flights from Australia arrive in Taipei early in the morning. We are met by our tour leader and guide at the airport before transfering by coach to our hotel. After an early check-in and time to freshen up, we meet for a tour of historic Taipei, visiting both the Linan Tai Historical House and Fort San Domingo before enjoying lunch in a local restaurant. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure to relax in your hotel room or to continue exploring Taipei. Overnight Taipei (L)

Departing Taipei early this morning we join the fast train to Tainan, the oldest city on the island and the site where folk- hero Koxinga overthrew the Dutch colonialists in 1662. Once the capital of Taiwan, Tainan’s atmospheric city centre is a fascinating mix of narrow laneways, traditional shop-houses and ancient temples. We visit the privately owned Chimei Museum whose extraordinary and diverse collection includes fine and decorative arts, fossils, armour and antiquities as well as the world’s largest violin collection. After a break for our welcome lunch at a traditional Tainanese restaurant, we continue our tour, visiting Anping Old Fort, built by the Dutch as Fort Zeelandia, and the city’s splendid 17th-century Confucian temple, the oldest in Taiwan. This evening there is an optional visit to the famous night markets, where locals and visitors browse the fascinating array of food and produce stalls. Overnight Tainan (B, L)

Joining our coach this morning we depart Tainan for Alishan, arguably one of the most beautiful areas in Taiwan thanks to its subtropical highland climate. The stunning mountain vistas are often swathed in mist and are dotted with tea plantations, including the famous Oolong fields. On arrival, we’ll visit Taisugar Santour and take the sugar train to the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum, where we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and visit the cultural Hinoki Village. We then travel 7000ft up the misty mountaintop forest aboard the historic narrow-gauge Alishan Forest Railway. Originally built by the occupying Japanese in 1912 to carry wood, the undersized cars pass through 50 tunnels and across 77 bridges as they wind their way up to a dense area of old- growth trees. In the later afternoon we check-in to our hotel, followed by an evening at leisure. Overnight Chiayi (B, L)

Today we have time to enjoy the scenery for which Alishan is famous, exploring the area on a forest walk as we look for early buds on the Sakura trees, which produce a colourful riot of cherry blossoms in early Spring. After a relaxed lunch in a local restaurant, we visit the little logging village of Fenqihu and wander its old street lined with traditional teahouses and shops selling local handicrafts. Returning to the hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Chiayi (B, L)

We leave Alishan this morning and drive to Sun Moon Lake, our base for the next three nights. After checking in to our hotel, and time to freshen up, we rejoin our coach and make our way to Taichung where we visit the National Museum of Fine Arts. With a focus on the visual arts, this vast museum actively promotes works by emerging and established contemporary Taiwanese artists and integrates an outdoor sculpture garden into its architecture. The museum’s collection also includes documents from the Ming and Qing Dynasties and works from the Japanese era through to the period following the Second World War, effectively documenting Taiwan’s history through its art. We meet for dinner this evening in our hotel’s excellent restaurant. Overnight Sun Moon Lake (B, D)

Surrounded by steep mountains, Sun Moon Lake lies some 1,000 metres above sea level and its stunning natural environment has been carefully preserved by strict planning laws. This morning we take a relaxed tour around the lake, visiting the Syuangang temple in its picturesque location on the lake shore. The temple preserve the relics of 7th-century Chinese monk and pilgrim Xuan Zang, whose translations of over 600 Sanskrit texts, collected on his travels through China and India, had an enormous influence on Chinese Buddhism. After a lunch break in a local village, we visit an Assam tea farm where we experience the fine art of Taiwanese tea making. Returning to our hotel, the later afternoon is free for you to wander the well-maintained lakeside walks nearby, enjoying the lush vegetation and bird life around the lake. Overnight Sun Moon Lake (B)

Our destination today is the Chung Tai World Museum, located near the town of Puli, a short drive from Sun Moon Lake. Opened in October 2009, this superb museum, adjacent to the Chung Tai Chan Temple, contains an outstanding collection of Buddhist art in stone, gilded bronze and wood, beautifully displayed with comprehensive explanations in English. It easily ranks as one of the world’s great collections of Buddhist art. After lunch in a local restaurant, we return to Sun Moon Lake with the evening at leisure. Overnight Sun Moon Lake (B, L)

Departing Sun Moon Lake this morning we follow the coastline north to the town of Lugang. One of Taiwan’s largest port settlements in the 18th century, the town is a fascinating historic site, steeped in ancient Chinese traditions and old Taiwanese culture. Here we visit the vibrant Tianhou temple, a Daoist place of worship dedicated to Mazu, the Chinese goddess of the sea. We continue to the Koo family mansion, built during the period of Japanese rule in the late 19th century and once home to one of Taiwan’s most prominent families. Donated to the town by descendents of the family in 1973, the mansion is now the Folk Art Museum which houses an interesting display of furniture, art and design from the period. After lunch in a local restaurant, we stroll down bustling Market Street and visit the Longshan Buddhist temple, beautifully decorated with fine wood carvings. Overnight Lugang (B, L)

We return to Taipei today, travelling via the township of Miaoli where we visit the remains of the Longteng Bridge, a masterpiece in Taiwan’s Railway history. Designed by American engineers for the Japanese colonial government, the bridge was damaged by several successive earthquakes and is now a monument to these events. We also visit the old Shengxing Train Station, built entirely of wood in the Japanese huya or tiger-tooth style, traditionally constructed without nails or glue as a means of warding off evil spirits. Today, many artifacts from the Japanese occupation period can still be seen here and we’ll enjoy a cafe lunch before continuing on to our hotel in Taipei. This evening we attend a performance of Chinese Opera at the Taipei Eye, home of Taiwan’s traditional performing arts. Overnight Taipei (B, L)

Today we make our way northeast of Taipei, heading to the coast to visit the popular sites Jiufen and Shifen. On arrival, there is time to explore the winding alleyways and tea houses of the traditional towns of Jiufen and Shifen before we meet for lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon there is the opportunity to participate in the local sky lantern tradition, where wishes are written onto a traditional lantern before releasing it skywards, a nod to the days when locals sent sky lanterns up to notify others when the area was safe from bandits. Overnight Taipei (B, L)

After a talk in our hotel this morning we have a city tour of the Wanhua and Zhongzheng districts, where we find some of Taipei’s best sites. One of Taipei’s oldest districts, Wanhua is home to many historic buildings including the impressive and colourful Longshan Temple. Established around 1740 by Chinese settlers, the temple has been rebuilt several times following damage from earthquake, fire and bombing during WW2 and hosts daily chanting ceremonies. The Zhongzheng district houses many of Taipei’s government buildings. Here we visit the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, whose monumental forecourt consciously mimics Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, referencing Taiwan’s dramatic 20th-century history. We also have the opportunity to visit the towering Taipei 101 skyscraper, inspired by Chinese pagodas and offering unparalleled views across Taipei from its 89th floor observatory. The afternoon and evening are at leisure. Overnight Taipei (B)

This morning we make our way to the National Palace Museum, Taiwan’s most famous cultural institution. The museum’s collection is based on the careful selection of over 500,000 artefacts and artworks from China’s imperial collection taken by Chian Kai Shek in 1949 as he retreated from the communists. Stored in the hills near Taipei after a long and often dramatic journey, the pieces – representing the very finest in Chinese art and including ancient bronzes and jade pieces, exquisite Ming porcelain and fine paintings from the Song Dynasty – eventually became the basis of the museum’s collection. There is free time to explore the collection after our guided introduction. This evening we meet at our hotel’s fine restaurant for our farewell dinner. Overnight Taipei (B, D)

Our tour ends after breakfast today, but we have full day use of our hotel rooms in anticipation of evening flights to Australia. Please refer to individual documents for onward travel arrangements. (B)

The accommodation we have arranged is excellent, with 4 and 5-star hotels throughout.

• Taipei, Regent Hotel (5 nights, total)

• Tainan, Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza Hotel (1 night)

• Chiayi, voco Chiayi Hotel by IHG (2 nights)

• Sun Moon Lake, The Lalu Hotel - Lake View Rooms (3 nights)

• Lugang, Union House (1 night)