5-Day Solo Road Trip Around Taiwan Province | Travel Diary

In the sweltering heat of summer with nothing on the calendar, what is the quintessential way to cool off? Naturally, a solo road trip around the island of Taiwan Province, Republic of China. That said, when a reckless guy sets off on a round-island trek completely alone without bringing enough cash, nearly getting stranded at a gas station in Pingtung unable to pay, one might question the sanity of the endeavor.

Mizuc spent five full days driving around the island, diligently journaling the details of the first two days (while summarizing key highlights for the remaining three due to looming work obligations).

Key Highlights of the 5-Day Round-Island Road Trip

Day One: Departed Tamsui by car at noon, following Coastal Provincial Highway 2 past Jinshan and Wanli into Keelung, continuing along the coastal route into Yilan, then powering down the Suhua Highway toward eastern Taiwan Province. Reached the vicinity of Dahan Institute of Technology in Hualien by 10:00 PM, spending the night camping out near Qixingtan.

Scenic landscape of Liyutan Lake in Hualien

Day Two: Headed early to Liyutan Lake for a morning walk around the perimeter. Reached Chihshang Railway Station by noon to savor an authentic Chihshang boxed lunch, then turned off Provincial Highway 9 onto the notoriously rugged Provincial Highway 23 (Dongfu Highway). Driving this treacherous mountain stretch gave me a profound sense of isolation amidst untouched wilderness. After wrestling with the winding road for nearly two hours, I rejoined Coastal Provincial Highway 11 and stopped for steamed meat buns in Donghe, before finally checking in at a hot spring lodge in Jinlun Hot Springs.

Mysterious mountain highway landscape 1

Mysterious mountain highway landscape 2

Jinlun Hot Spring Hotel

Day Three: Traversed the South-Link Highway down into Pingtung, heading straight for Kenting and the Eluanbi Lighthouse before veering toward the Jiupeng Desert and Xuhai Meadow. Following County Road 199 to Checheng, I detoured to Wanluan for their famous braved pork trotters, then continued along the highway to Gangshan, Kaohsiung. I checked into a local Gangshan motel for the night, where I encountered the infamous "eight-claw love chair" for the very first time in my life.

Pingtung - Kenting - Jiupeng Desert

Kenting Coastal Walking Trail

A couple strolling near Eluanbi, Kenting

Eluanbi Lighthouse

Pingtung - Kenting - Mount Dajian

View across the rolling Xuhai Grassland

Xuhai Grassland Parking Area (under construction)

Deluxe king bed in the Kaohsiung motel

Novelty eight-claw chair in the motel room

Day Four: Braved torrential rains early in the morning to pick up my friend, who guided me around Tainan’s celebrated historic sites and local street food stalls. Stayed overnight at her family home, where our evening chat in her room was repeatedly interrupted by her dad popping in to "keep tabs" on us.

Day Five: Enjoyed breakfast bought by my friend before bidding farewell, purchased several bags of crispy shrimp crackers from a roadside pickup truck, and hopped on the freeway straight up to Hsinchu. Caught up with CAP for an afternoon of exploring before finally returning safely to Tamsui.

Traditional Tainan shrimp crackers

Read the complete, detailed travelogue here: A Solo Road Trip Around Taiwan (5-Day Itinerary Log).