Hualien Tourism Service NetworkHualien Tourism Service Network

The Hualien Harbor Waterfront Recreation Area was formerly the warehouse of the Port of Hualien, Taiwan International Poets Corporation, Ltd., and has been turned into an exhibition space including the Venus Gallery. The waterfront recreation area is not a place for water sports, as the name alone would be misleading. Ｏn the site, you can still find traces of old railways, and you can get closer to the seawater than to the boats (this makes better sense of what waterfront originally means). Hualien Harbor Scenic Bridge and the old Hualien Harbor Station are around the corner, where visitors are provided a chance to witness the bustling harbor or just for casual strolling and cycling. At the nearby Scenic Bridge, you can enter the bridge and watch the train service at the neighboring Hualien Harbor Station, as well as look out over the Pacific Ocean and a spot for sunrise. The view southward to the estuary of Hualien River is a great spot to view the whole Hualien Harbor. There is a wooden track beside the bridge for pedestrians to walk and observe the scenery, and a ramp is set with an entrance width of about 90 cm for wheelchair access. The left side of the circular observation deck leads to the “Waterfront Recreation Area,” but note that there are road stalls and the ramp is long and steep. If you want to go down for a visit, it is recommended to take the other side of the road and drive in, passing by the old Hualien Harbor Station and passing the railway crossing to get there. The air is fresh and it is a relaxing and comfortable place for your trip.

Farglory Ocean Park, commonly known as Hualien Ocean Park, is located at the 10-kilometer point on Provincial Highway No.11,  in Fengbin Township Hualien. It includes part of the Yanliao Beach and Coast Range Mountains, covering an area of 51 hectares with the mountains and the sea at its edge, and is about 30 minutes from downtown Hualien. There are eight themed areas in Farglory Ocean Park, which can be roughly divided into Ocean Village, Adventure Island, Ocean Theater, Carnival Street, Pirate Bay, Brighton Coast, Underwater Kingdom, and Crystal Castle. Farglory Ocean Park is the first theme park in Taiwan that combines a marine theme natural landscape park with a five-star leisure hotel. In addition to a variety of rides, the park also features shows with dolphins and sea lions, an underwater world parade, musicals, and a mermaid show, making it the largest of its kind in Eastern Taiwan. Unlike other amusement parks that focus on automatic and artificial rides, Farglory Ocean Park is a resort that combines amusement and education.The wonderful sea lion show, watching adorable sea lions’ interesting performance, jumping up and diving back in the water and interacting and following the host’s clever words.The shows are amusing and will guarantee laughter! Meanwhile, the highlights of the dolphin show are the 360-degree flip out of the water, playing an exciting soccer game, and just any mischievous move would be a surprise to the audience.

The Yanliao Beach Rest Area (North) is the first rest area on the left-hand wide when traveling on Provincial Highway 11. Public toilets are also equipped in this breach rest area, including the gents, ladies, accessible toilet, and a nursery room. Therefore, it is quite convenient. The area has over one dozen parking spaces and some marble installation artworks for watching.Besides a rest area, it is also a beach park for watching the beautiful local coastline, as well as the closet spot for watching sunset from Hualien downtown to Provincial Highway 11. Toilets are cleaned by cleaners regularly to ensure convenience and sanitation.

The Yanliao Rest Area (South) is the last rest area on the left-hand wide when traveling from north to south on Provincial Highway 11.Besides a rest area, it is also a beach park for watching the beautiful local coastline, as well as the spot for watching sunrise from Hualien downtown to Provincial Highway 11. There are parking spaces for visitors and some marble installation artworks nearby for watching.The Yanliao Beach Park (South) is a small kiosk for visitors to stop by to watch the view and take a break. However, please pay attention to the following:Do not swim because of the unstable sea state is unstable.Keep away from the cliff No barbecue and camping. No electrofishing, poisoning fish, blast fishing.No picking wild plants or hunting wildlife.Do not litter and pollute the environment. Beware of thief.

Shuilian sitting by the seashore of Shofeng Township in Hualien County is a verdant hill embracing the widest river valley basin over which wriggles the Shuilian River down the path by the highway. The Niushan Coast in Shulian Wetlands is like a waterfront secret paradise. Besides watersports, beach activities, and the leisure angling, ecological resources are abundant in the area. The coastal plant forest is an ideal spot for observing the biodiversity in the East Coast, and hiking, stroll, bird watching, and butterfly watching are also great ideas. When lying on the spacious coastal meadow enjoying the blue sky, white clouds, and sunshine, time is like freezing.

The most beautiful gorge view on the east coast is located in Fanshuliao. Unlike the magnificence of the Taroko Gorge, the view the steep gorge from the lookout platform at Fanshuliao brings a different taste.A river valley basin and a steep forge sit in the west and south respectively of Bridge #18. The rock type difference is the main cause of these two different landforms. The Fanshuliao layer and Baliwan layer in the west are formed by mudstone and arenaceous shale, which are soft and weaker, while the Dulianshan layer in the east is formed by volcanic agglomerate that is hard and dense. Due to the rock texture differences, the landforms on both sides of the bridge are diverse.The characteristics of Fanshuliao hide at the old bridge under Bridge #18. The most unique gorge view in East Coast lies here.The Fanshuiliao River cuts hard rock layers at downstream into the deep and steep gorge landform characterized by erecting cliffs. The gorge is about 45m wide and hundreds of meters deep, steep and tough, comparable to the Taroko Gorge.If a trip of more than one day is planned, it is great to explore the estuary section of the Fanshuliao River to experience the most unique gorge view in East Coast.It is said that the ancestors of indigenous peoples in Fanshuliao had made a rule: Whoever jumps over the gorge by pulling over with a bamboo pole can be the chief. As many challengers were killed and left their bamboo poles in the river, the location eventually became a bamboo forest known as the “forest of bravery”.TransportationPublic transportHualien Bus (coast line via Provincial Highway 11) routes 1127, 1140, or 1145 to Fanshuliao Stop.Address: Next to Bridge 18, Provincial Highway 11, Shofeng Township, Hualien County.

Jiqi Beach Recreation Area is at Jiqi Bay in Fengbin Township, Hualien County, approximately 40 km from Hualien City. Mountains surround the area. To the south of the Area, you can find the approx. 100m-high Dashibi Hill.There is also a Dashibi Trail, which is about 910 m long. Most of the trail is composed of railway ties and stone stairs.If you walk upwards along the trail, you will see many of the residents’ plants, e.g. alianthus prickly ash, wild lilies, and common jasmin orange. The stairs of the trail are not steep. Also, the trail provides sea views, while its surroundings are filled with diverse natural resources. The entire trail takes around one hour to finish, suitable for all family members.Jiqi Beach is a 3km-long fine sand beach, which is rare on the east coast. When the tide rises in the winter, the black sandstones will emerge from the sea; in contrast, the beach is golden when the tide recedes in the summer. The place is perfect for water and recreational activities. Now, the beach has developed into seaside areas featuring a bathing beach, campsite, etc. It is an excellent place for playing in the water and watching the tide.

The entrance of Dashibishan Trail is located at the roadside parking lot passing Jiqi Beach. Its north-end and south-end entrances both connect to Provincial Highway No.11. Dashibishan Trail is 910 meters long, mostly made of railroad ties and stone steps, with mile markers and a seated pavilion along the way. When a heatwave hits, visitors can head to the newly opened entrance on the south side to hydrate themselves before proceeding onto the trail. Dashibishan Rest Stop is well designed, and the scenery of the scenic terrace is healing. It takes only about 15 minutes to reach an amazing view of the ocean horizon, and the magnificent wooden trestle with the blue sky, mountains and the sea as the background. This becomes a must-visit spot for bloggers and influencers for they can snap photos like a pro even without super fancy cameras or shooting skills. After exploring the trail, head across the parking lot to the aboriginal seafood restaurant for a tasty and flavorful meal before continuing your journey.

The famous “Sea Terrace” is Xinshe terrace, where you can appreciate the splendid scenery of the sea terrace in any season of the year, whether it is at the time of rice planting, before harvesting, or after the fallow season. The most impressive scenery is when the spikes of rice are swaying under the sunlight with the sea breeze. As you walk amongst the ridge of the rice fields, you can see the Coastal Range and the Pacific Ocean from afar, as if you have blended in with the picture and been unwilling to leave. The Kavalan who had migrated south from Yilan settled in Fengbin Township, Hualien, and thus the village was named Xinshe, which means “the place where everything is nurtured” in Kavalan. The residents were accustomed to farming in Yilan and missed the taste of rice, so they transformed the hill terrain into distinctive terraces for rice-planting fields along the sea, and thus they were called sea-facing rice terraces. The Xinshehai Terrace is the largest sea-facing annual rice terrace in Taiwan. The terraces are located right in front of the Coastal Range, adjacent to the ocean. The rice terraces are arranged in the shape of a sawtooth heading toward the sea and horizon, and there is a wooden trek at one end of the rice terraces for strolling and enjoying the scenery. Transportation guide●By public transportationTake Hualien Bus No. 1127, 1140,1145 (Sea Route, via Provincial Highway No.11) and get off at Xinshe station.●By driving to the destinationLocation: close to the 43.5-km point on Provincial Highway No.11, Xinshe Tribe, Fengbin Township, Hualien County