Yangmingshan and History of Hot Springs Tour

The next stop will take us back in time to the Japanese colonial era. The Beitou Hot Spring Museum is a historic two-story Tudor-style building with a brick and wood façade, and black tile roof. The first level consists of a small bath and a large bath which you can see as you walk along the arcade. Additionally, the museum features a “sento” display which simulates the facilities of a traditional public bath, where you can gain an understanding of how communal bath houses worked in the past. 

The second level consists of a huge tatami lobby and a balcony with a special exhibition area where early Taiwanese film documents are displayed. With the help of your guide, you will learn more about Beitou’s rich hot spring culture and history. 

Afterwards, we will trace the hot springs to their source—Geothermal Valley. Due to the high amount of sulfuric steam arising from the area, it is also called “Hell Valley” and “Ghost Lake”.

The tour will then continue to the Yangmingshan Flower Clock—a lush park within Yangmingshan National Park, which is near the bus terminal and the visitor center.

Each season features different flowering plants, allowing visitors to enjoy blooming flowers all year round. Every year during the cherry blossom season, crowds of people flock to see the beautiful cherry blossoms that surround the flower clock. 

The next stop is “Yangmingshuwu”, formerly known as “Zhongxing Guesthouse”. This building was the summer residence of the late president Chiang Kai-shek and was used to receive important foreign dignitaries. 

The surrounding area was originally an old-growth forest. During the construction of the mansion, efforts were taken to preserve the forest, and today, the mansion has become a site symbolic of both Taiwan’s history and Taiwan’s efforts at nature conservation. 

Zhuzihu, a rural farming district in the mountains of Yangmingshan, will be our location for lunch today. The soil in the area is extremely fertile as a result of past volcanic activity from the nearby Datun volcano group. As a result, Zhuzihu is home to many restaurants offering wild-vegetable cuisine, cafes, and fields of seasonal flowers. 

After lunch, you will visit the most popular and unique attraction in Yangmingshan National Park, Xiaoyoukeng—the name literally means “little oil pit”. This post-volcanic geological landscape features fumaroles, sulfur pits, and steaming sulfur vents.  

A scenic trail offers close-up views of the pit from different angles. As you walk around you’ll be able to see the steam coming out of the cracks, and smell the sulfur from the fumaroles. This is as close as you can get to safely experiencing a dormant volcano.

Afterwards, you will visit Qingtiangang Grassland, a vast lava terrace formed from a previous eruption. During the Japanese colonial era, this grassy terrace was a ranch for grazing water buffaloes. Since their introduction years ago, the water buffaloes have become part of the landscape as well.

The last stop is Lengshuikeng, or “cold water pit”. This barrier lake is also the result of another lava flow. The hot spring water here is tepid compared to other hot springs (around 40 degrees Celsius), hence its name.

Your Yangmingshan Hot Spring Day Tour will wrap up with a calming hot spring foot bath, leaving your legs feeling rejuvenated after the day’s exercise.

Upon returning to Taipei, you may choose to disembark at Taiwan’s most famous night market, Shilin Night Market, or continue towards Central Taipei to the final stop at MRT Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station.