I was in Taipei for a couple days; the nature lover in me wanted to explore the nearby park of Yangmingshan. I postponed my trip to the park because of inclement weather, I waited for a bit of sunshine or at least a non-rainy day (even if it would be cloudy), before deciding to finally go.
It took almost an hour or so to get to Yangmingshan, but it was worth the trip because I just love exploring parks. Taiwan's parks are a bit different because a substantial part of what you'll be walking on are steps or paved roads, which isn't bad because it makes exploring easier. Yangmingshan is a huge park, an entire day isn't enough to explore each section so I decided which parts I'd like to see.
I started with the nearest section, which was the flower park.
I was fortunate enough to arrive just at the right season for cherry blossoms. Japan isn't the only place in Asia where you could see them. I took a couple of pictures before heading out to a nearby bus station to get to the other sections of the park.
It was an overcast day, but the good thing was it didn't rain and if it did it was only a drizzle. The walking paths were also quite beautiful with flowers and different kinds of plants.
One of the sections I went to is Xiaoyoukeng, which has a huge fumarole, which is a large opening that emits sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide just to name two gases. The smell is distinct (like rotten eggs) even in the cold and windy weather. It was very cold when I went, around 10 degrees Celsius.
The surrounding environment of the fumarole was also picturesque, with pine trees, rolling and verdant hills and green as far as the eyes could see.
The park also had a couple of ponds worth visiting; the views could've been better with good weather.
After visiting two ponds (Menghuan and Lengshuikeng), I decided to visit a waterfall. The trip there was worth it because I saw moss-covered trees, stones and parts of the trail. There were also very few people walking as well, making it a peaceful walk.
Honestly, the Juansi Waterfall was underwhelming, but thankfully the trail and walk going there made it worth it.
The last section I visited in Yangmingshan was Qingtianggang Grassland. This area was the highlight of the trip. The trail was mostly flat, it was breezy and the rolling and verdant hills were picturesque.
Apparently, this part of the park is a popular place to shoot wedding or engagement photos.
I liked how you can still find a place to enjoy the view and have alone time in this popular park close to Taipei.
How to get to Yangmingshan
Yangmingshan is accessible by public transportation; go to Jiantan Station, take Exit 1 (Shilin Night Market). Go to the station on the left side with the north-bound buses. Board R5, S15 or S17 buses; these travel to Yangmingshan Station and cost TWD$15. Alternatively, you can take bus 260 from Taipei Main Station; however, your waiting time is longer (based on my experience).
There is no entrance fee to enter the park; however, you have to pay TWD$15 for the different stops inside Yangmingshan.
