Wulai

World : Asia : East Asia : Taiwan : North : Taipei County : Wulai

Wulai (烏來) is in a small town in Taipei County, Taiwan famous for its hot springs and aboriginal culture. The name of the town derives from the Atayal phrase kirofu ulai meaning "hot and poisonous". Don't let this scare you away from this lovely town!

Get in

  • MRT to Xindian Station (Xindian line). Directly in front of station, take bus with destination name: 烏來 Sindian-Taipei Main Station. The journey takes about forty minutes (much longer at weekends) and costs NT$45. Wulai is the last stop, so you can enjoy the journey without worrying when to get off. A seat on the right side of bus allows views over the river.

Get around

  • This compact little town is easily covered on foot.
  • The little train brings you to the terminus of the cable car that brings you to the top of a nearby mountain. From the main tourist street in the town, cross the bridge, and take the wooden staircase across the road. It goes up to the left. Follow the pedestrian street to the station. The little train costs NT$50 and takes you about two kilometers.

See

Do

Famous for its natural hot water springs, along with Beitou, Wulai is the place in the Taipei area to soak away the winter cold and damp. Public hot spring etiquette requires that bathers thoroughly wash and rinse off their bodies before entering the bath, do not wear clothing (including swim wear) in the bath and tie up their hair so that it does not touch the water. Finally, people with high blood pressure, heart disease or open wounds should not enter the baths.

Places to bathe

  • Gwoji Hotel (Hotel International) charges NT$450 for a soak in their baths. In the public pool area, there are three hot (one outdoor) and one cold pool, a sauna and steam bath. It is a very relaxing and well maintained facility. The hotel is located on the right, about two minutes after crossing the main bridge into town.
  • NT$500 will get you a soak in the outdoor pools at Yunding Hotel (Top of the Clouds). While the main building itself is a bit tacky, the outlay of baths has obviously been inspired by the spacious and luxurious resorts in Bali and Thailand. NB: The hotel has two bathing areas, which they alternate for women and men. Call to make sure that the large baths are available for you on the day that you plan to go. The small bathing area is no where near as impressive as its larger neighbor. Yunding Hotel is located right at the very top of the town - turn right after crossing the second bridge and keep going up. The hotel is painted purple.
  • The free hot springs are on the other side of the Nanshih River from the tourist street in downtown Wulai. Just cross the bridge, turn left, and walk up the road. Soon, on the left, you will see a stairway that takes you down to the river. Walk along the river and you will soon arrive at an outdoor public hot springs area, with changing rooms, several pools, and even a sauna. You can also take a dip in the river when the water level is low and the current is weak. NB: As this area is in the open, swimming wear must be worn.

Buy

  • Hand woven cloth made in traditional aboriginal designs. Available at stores on the main street.
  • Candy made of sticky rice (mua-ji) is a speciality of Wulai.

Eat

As an aboriginal town, Wulai has a host of unusual and delicious dishes, including wild boar, farm-raised muntjac (山羌 - shan qiang), and bird's nest fern (山蘇 - shan su). A speciality of the area is seasoned rice steamed in the tube of bamboo (竹筒飯 - zhu tong fan).

  • A neat little restaurant specializing in aboriginal dishes (including many suitable for vegetarians) is at 14 Wulai Street (just over the first bridge into the town, on the right). Tel:2661 6371.

Drink

Cafes:

  • The first building on the left (Xioushan) after crossing the first bridge into town serves good coffee and offers a balcony to sit and enjoy it.
  • Helen's Coffee No. 1, Lane 86, Wenchuan Road. Tel:2661 6392 - this coffee shop can been seen above the road as you cross the second bridge in the town (just after passing through the main street). The seating is mostly outdoors, so you can enjoy the fresh mountain air and a view over the river and town while sipping your latte.

Sleep

There are numerous hotels in Wulai, but be aware that they are terribly expensive (e.g. NT$7000/night).

Get out

To get back to Taipei, take the 烏來 Sindian-Taipei Main Station bus, and get off at the Xindian MRT station.