An Overcast Day at Sun Moon Lake

Taiwan’s famous Sun Moon Lake has always been at the top of my Taiwan “to do” list. Something about the enticing water and natural beauty around the area really captivates me.  Unfortunately, we got a very late start to the day and we only ended up spending a few hours there. Still, it was enough for me to figure out that I would take another trip back there again if I had the chance!

We were lucky and boarded an almost empty Nantou Bus to Sun Moon Lake from Taichung. We stayed close to Taichung Park, so it made more sense for us to take the bus from Gancheng Station (干城站) at Shuangshi Road (雙十路) opposed to going all the way back to the railway station.

Once we arrived, we discovered that the temperatures between Taichung and Sun Moon Lake vary quite a bit. The lake area was very chilly, so I would suggest bringing a jacket if you are headed that way in the winter.  We spent some time enjoying the scenery and taking lots of pictures. The entire atmosphere was so peaceful and tranquil.  Too bad it was a bit of a gloomy day.

We decided to take a hop on hop off boat ride across the lake to see as much as we could, since we were pressed for time. During the boat ride, we passed many famous sights such as Lalu Island and Yu Chi Village (魚池鄉). Yu Chi Village is most famous for “Granny’s tea eggs”. The staff on board the boat took orders and went out to purchase eggs for us during the brief stop at the Yu Chi Village pier.  The eggs were delicious and I wish I had purchased more.

We decided to disembark at Yidashao (伊達卲). Unfortunately, because we were so late getting there, we only had half an hour to explore, before the last boat departed back for Shuishe Village. We ended up just taking lots of pretty pictures and then buying some local red tea to try – another Sun Moon Lake specialty.  It’s too bad the tea wasn’t quite to our liking.

Once we arrived back at Shuishe Village, the sun had already set which meant it was time to return to Taichung.

For photos, please visit my Photo Gallery of Sun Moon Lake.

Getting there
We took a Nantou Bus from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake.  The bus makes 4 stops (Taichung Railway Station, HSR Taichung Station, Puli, and Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village) before reaching Sun Moon Lake.  The whole journey should take around 90 minutes. The timetable is listed on the official Sun Moon Lake website site