Fancy escaping to the urban jungle for the real deal? Xitou lies just an hour from Taichung by bus in Nantou county. The two main attractions are the monster village and nature reserve.
Most visitors spend time first in the monster village, a smaller scale version of a Japanese village, (though some say there is a similar concept in Japan too). There’s atmosphere, snacks, souvenirs, and of course lots of photo opportunities. A hotel in on site as well as a restaurant with decent cuisine. A visit at night is worthwhile to see all the monster lanterns and statues lit up.
Lying 400m North of the village is Xitou nature reserve. The reserve boasts several trails of varying lengths and times that are suitable for all ages. Each has its own characteristics such as bamboo forest and flower trails. There’s also a 220m sky walk for the vertically adventurous. Make sure to try the famous bamboo rice while you’re there too. Electric vehicles can be rented from the tourist information center for those in need.
Opening Hours:
Monster Village: Shop opening times 10am to around 8-9pm.
Nature Reserve: 8am to 5pm.
Getting there.
To get there, you can buy bus tickets directly from Nantou bus company near Taichung Train station. They usually sell tickets on the same day that you wish to travel, so get there early – an hour before should be enough. The bus will drop you near the entrance to the nature reserve. It may be a good idea go buy a return ticket when you arrive to avoid queuing up
Address: No.2-3, Hsing-Chan Rd., Neihu village, Lugu Hsiang, Nantou County
References
http://taiji.nantou.gov.tw/English/Product/483602739.html
http://www.exfo.ntu.edu.tw/sitou/eng/01about/default.aspx
Photo Credits
Feature Photo Credit goes to Metamorfa Studio
Monster Village Photo by SSR2000 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
Bamboo Rice Photo by M. Weitzel (Own work) [GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0 or CC BY 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
