Xitou is a plateau of towering Japanese cedar at about 1,150 m in the hills above Lugu, and it feels quite unlike anywhere else in Nantou. The trees were planted from 1906 as an experimental forest for what became National Taiwan University, and a century of careful management has produced something close to a cathedral — dense, quiet, permanently a good ten degrees cooler than the plains, and very often full of drifting mist.
It remains a working research forest as well as a visitor site, which shows in the quality of the paths, the labelling and the general absence of tat. This is the best straightforward forest walking in central Taiwan, and it suits everyone from serious hikers to grandparents with a pushchair.
Top things to do at Xitou Nature Education Area
The Sky Walk through the canopy
A 180 m elevated walkway rising to 22.6 m above the forest floor, taking you level with the crowns of the cedars. Short, well built and genuinely worth the small extra effort to reach.
University Pond
The signature image of Xitou: a small dark pond with an arched bamboo bridge, usually wrapped in mist. It is a five-minute walk from the entrance and consequently the busiest spot in the park — go early.
The Giant Cypress and bamboo trails
A 2,800-year-old red cypress stands about 40 minutes into the forest, and the surrounding moso bamboo groves are extraordinary. The full loop past the tree takes two to three hours at an easy pace.
How to get to Xitou Nature Education Area
- Yuanlin Bus and Taiwan Tourist Shuttle services run to Xitou from Taichung via Zhushan, taking around two hours.
- By car it is roughly 90 minutes from Taichung, or about an hour and a half from Sun Moon Lake via Shuili.
- Xitou pairs naturally with Monster Village, which sits at the park gates, and with Sun Link Sea further up the mountain.
- It rains here often and the mist is part of the appeal. Bring a light waterproof rather than hoping for sun.
- The park is large — pick two or three targets rather than trying to walk everything.
- Arriving before 09:00 gets you University Pond in near-solitude and the best of the mist.
- There is an entrance fee, with a discounted rate for early morning entry.
Best tours & tickets for Xitou Nature Education Area
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to enjoy Xitou Nature Education Area and its surroundings:
Day trip with audio guide from $29 From Taichung: Sun Moon Lake Day Trip with Audio Guide
If you are already in Taichung, this is the sensible way to reach Sun Moon Lake. Taichung is only about 90 minutes away, so you spend far less of the day on the road than you would from Taipei, and the audio guide means you get the history without being marched around in a group. You are dropped at the lake with a solid block of free time to ride the ropeway, take the ferry to Ita Thao or simply eat your way along the waterfront, then collected for the run back. The best price-to-time ratio of any Sun Moon Lake tour we list.
- Round-trip transport from Taichung, the closest major city
- Multilingual audio guide instead of a fixed group pace
- Free time at the lake to choose your own boat, bike or temple stops
Private day tour from $320 per group Taichung: Xitou Forest, Lukang and Rainbow Village Tour
The one tour on our list that gets you into southern Nantou’s forest country. Xitou is a former National Taiwan University experimental forest turned nature reserve — a plateau of towering Japanese cedar, a bamboo walkway through the canopy and air that sits a good ten degrees below the plains. Next door, Monster Village is a gleefully strange Japanese-styled resort village built around Taiwanese folk monsters, and a firm family favourite. The day is rounded out with historic Lukang and Taichung’s Rainbow Village. Priced per group of up to four.
- Xitou Nature Education Area — cool cedar forest at 1,150 m
- Xitou Monster Village, Taiwan’s wonderfully odd Japanese-themed street
- Lukang Old Street and the colourful Rainbow Village near Taichung
