Tamsui: a Charming Harbor
Taipei is surrounded by majestic mountains, lined with meandering rivers, and rich in natural resources. New Taipei City introduced Blue Highway tours as a way to attract weekend visitors to this natural wonderland. The tours offer panoramic views of the beautiful scenery lining the shores and bring the waterfront culture together with the urban landscape.
{Hiking} Taiwan Travel -- Mt. Guanyin (觀音山)
Mt. Guanyin is the mountain you can see from the town of Tamsui on the other side of Tamsui River. It's a steep climb over hundreds of stone steps, but from the peak you have awesome views.
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From Travel in Taiwan (2016, 3/4)
By Richard Saunders
Mt. Guanyin is one of the scenic highlights you’ll see on the way to the port town of Tamsui from central Taipei. Situated on the opposite side of the Tamsui River, the mountain resembles Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, lying down. There are numerous trails on the mountain, ranging in difficulty from easy but steep to steep and challenging. The views from the peaks are magnificent, and there is also a very special tiny temple in a narrow cave to be explored.
That fine profile is one of the main reasons why Mt. Guanyin is such a popular hiking spot in the Taipei area. There are several ways to the top of the highest of its various summits, known as Yinghan (“Tough Man”) Peak because the Japanese military used the trail for fitness training during the 1895~1945 Japanese occupation period. The most popular route is the relatively easy one from the southwest, beginning at Lingyun Zen Temple, which sits in a beautiful spot, backed by the sheer cliff face of an outlying peak. Below lies the much smaller Lingyun Temple, a pretty and very photogenic place of worship.
After arriving at Lingyun Temple bus stop, walk uphill, following the signs, to the Lingyun Zen Temple complex. After exploring the temple and enjoying the magnificent view, walk past the front of the main prayer hall and through the temple grounds and car park, to reach the adjoining road. The signposted, stepped trail that leaves the road here, on the right, is the path to Mt. Guanyin’s highest summit.
Winding up the wooded hillside, the first section of the climb is quite steep, so proceed slowly. Turn right at a “T” junction reached after about half an hour. From here the gradient becomes a bit more gradual as the trail gains the main ridgeline and follows its rolling curves, and there are views at intervals through the trees over the Taipei Basin and ahead to Yinghan Peak.
After about 20 minutes of hiking from the “T” junction, you come upon a trail crossroads just below the summit. Turn right up the stone steps and walk for a couple of minutes to reach the main Mt. Guanyin summit (616m). The view from the peak is tremendous, and you can see Yangmingshan on the opposite site, the whole of Taipei City laid out far in the distance to the right, and Tamsui and the mouth of the Tamsui River to the left.
To descend the mountain, you have several choices. One is to retrace your steps to the crossroads just below the summit, and then to follow the stepped trail on the right, which descends the eastern side of the mountain. After meeting a narrow lane after about 30 minutes walking, turn left and follow the lane downhill through a cemetery and orange orchards until you reach the highway (No. 15) that follows the west bank of the Tamsui River.
Cross the busy highway with care, and walk to the bicycle path that runs parallel and right beside the river. Turn left and follow the path (north) for about 20 minutes, to the Bali Ferry Pier. For a fare of just NT$23 (get your ticket at the ticket booth behind the pier before joining the queue, or swipe your EasyCard before boarding the ferry), you can take the little ferry across the river to Tamsui. There are services every 15 minutes or so. Don’t forget to look back at the towering bulk of Mt. Guanyin while crossing the river, or, even better, spend an hour or two exploring the promenade at Bali Left Bank before boarding the ferry in time to see the famous Tamsui sunset (weather permitting), which looks especially great from the deck of the boat. The ferry docks right in the heart of old Tamsui, 10 minutes from MRT Tamsui Station.
Bali 八里
Guandu 關渡
Guandu Temple 關渡宮
Lingyun Temple 凌雲寺
Lingyun Zen Temple 凌雲禪寺
Mt. Guanyin 觀音山
Mt. Qixing 七星山
Tamsui River 淡水河
Yangmingshan 陽明山
Yinghan Peak 硬漢嶺
Yingzai Peak 鷹仔尖
Zhanshan 占山
Yinshan Temple
No. 15 Denggong Rd., Tamsui, Taipei
Recording Date: Aug. 11, 2013
Editing Date: Aug. 13, 2013
Guanyinshan (觀音山) & Bali (八里), Wugu, Taiwan, 03/13/2011
Guanyinshan is on the west bank of the Danshui River, with the main mountain chain between Wugu and Bali Districts in New Taipei City. It is a young extinct cone-shaped volcano, part of the Datun mountain group. Its north slope is mainly lava while the south is mainly debris flow deposit. Viewed from Danshui and Guandu areas, the mountain looks like Guanyin Buddha lying on her back, hence the name.
Guanyinshan is the home of many species of raptor and is also visited by many migratory birds of prey.