With enough resources at one’s disposal, that is time and money, but time being the most crucial one, driving around Taiwan is a rewarding travel experience with a guaranteed good dose of adventures and diverse sights along the way. Going around Taiwan is in fact a popular endeavor among Taiwanese. The word has it that they have to go around the island at least once in their lives.
The whole island of Taiwan has an area of 36,197 square kilometers. Not too big, not too small. It is this “ideal size” that makes it a great traveling playground. Within its territory, there are no shortages of high mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes and all kinds of coasts for every taste.
On the cultural side, Taiwan preserves interesting sites of its history scattered all over the island, from the influence of the Chinese dynasties, to the occupation of western powers and the Japanese. Old streets, historical hiking trails, and brick tunnels and bridges are certainly a unique sight that is worth the effort to visit.
When it comes to the Taiwanese cuisine, it is often overshadowed by that of regional neighbors like Korea, Hong Kong, or further south by the world-famous Thailand. However, every city has plenty of interesting dishes to taste, all sorts of night market snacks that are worth the try, such as the oyster omelette and stinky tofu.
Thus, planning a trip around Taiwan island is a worthwhile endeavor that should never be short on great food, striking nature and a healthy dose of historical landmarks.