Aowanda is a national forest recreation area in a steep river valley south-east of Puli, and it has one clear season when it is unmissable: from late November into December, when the maples turn. Taiwan has few reliable autumn colour displays and this is the best of them.
Outside maple season it is a quieter proposition — a well-managed forest park with a suspension bridge, waterfalls and clean, cool air, popular with birdwatchers and families. The valley sits between 1,100 and 2,600 m, so it stays comfortable through the summer when the plains are unbearable.
Top things to do at Aowanda
The maple grove in late autumn
The main maple area is a short walk from the visitor centre and is at its best in the last week of November and the first two of December. Weekends in that window are extremely busy — go midweek.
Cross the sky bridge
A 180 m suspension bridge spans the valley about 90 m above the river. It is solid and safe but has enough movement to be memorable.
Walk to the twin waterfalls
A well-graded forest trail leads to a pair of falls at the head of the valley. Around an hour and a half return, and much less crowded than the maple area.
How to get to Aowanda
- By car it is about 40 minutes from Puli on County Road 83. There is no convenient public transport, so a vehicle or a tour is effectively required.
- Most visitors combine it with Puli or Cingjing rather than approaching it from the lake.
- The park limits daily visitor numbers during maple season — book entry in advance if you are going in late November or December.
- Bring insect repellent in summer; the valley is damp and wooded.
- The last entry is in the afternoon and the gates close before dusk, so start early.
Best tours & tickets for Aowanda
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to enjoy Aowanda and its surroundings:
Private day tour from $40 Taichung: Qingjing Farm, Skywalk and Swiss Garden Tour
Getting to Cingjing under your own steam means a two-hour climb up Provincial Highway 14 with more than a thousand metres of ascent and a lot of hairpins — not everyone’s idea of a holiday. This private tour removes that entirely. A driver-guide collects you in Taichung and handles the mountain road while you take in the scenery, then you work through the three headline sights: the sheep meadows of the Green Green Grassland, the elevated Skywalk, and the alpine-flower terraces of the Swiss Garden. Because it is private you can linger where you like.
- The whole Cingjing plateau in one day without driving the mountain road
- Green Green Grassland, the Skywalk and the Swiss Garden
- Private vehicle — your group only, and you set the pace
Private day tour from $450 per group Taichung: Sun Moon Lake, Cingjing Farm & Skywalk Tour
Sun Moon Lake sits at 748 m, Cingjing at 1,750 m, and the road between them is one of the great mountain drives in Taiwan. This private tour strings both together in a long, full day — the lake in the cooler morning light, then the climb up to the meadows and the Skywalk for the afternoon. It is an ambitious itinerary and you will be in the car a fair amount, but if central Taiwan is a one-day stop on a bigger trip it delivers far more than trying to do either half by public transport. Priced per group of up to four.
- Nantou’s two headline sights — lake and high mountain — in a single day
- Private vehicle, so no waiting on a group at every stop
- Around 1,300 m of altitude change, and the scenery to match
