Wulai: The Aboriginal Hot Spring Town That’s Less Than an Hour from Taipei

Wulai is a gorgeous mountain village in New Taipei County famous for its abundant hot springs and aboriginal culture, not to mention the pristine countryside surrounding it. Its proximity to Taipei make it the ideal place for a day-trip or weekend getaway, though it is often overlooked by tourists and hot spring enthusiasts for Beitou, which is better connected to Taipei through the MRT. This is not to say that Wulai lacks attention or tourist infrastructure — it is first and foremost a tourist town — but upon visiting, we were surprised that it didn’t feature higher in most people’s lists of Taipei must-dos.

What to do:

Hot springs

It should come as no surprise that in a hot spring town, hot springs are the main attraction. There are a huge number of hotels and hot springs offering both public and private rooms at a range of different prices, so even budget-conscious travellers can indulge in a soak. In fact, there’s even a section of the river that used to house a public hot spring (since shut down) where you can bathe for free. Just go to the end of the Old Street and look down the river while standing on the bridge — the bathers will be easy to spot. The hot springs in Wulai have water rich in sodium bicarbonate, apparently making them particularly good for the skin. Some sources even recommend drinking the water after you’ve finished bathing, but we weren’t particularly taken with that idea. Either way, hot springs are an unmissable part of your Wulai trip, and we recommend doing a bit of research to find a place that appeals to you.

In addition to private hot springs in our hotel room, we tried one of the more famous hot spring resorts called Volando Urai Spa. Located a little further away from the main area of Wulai, Volando Urai offers both public (between $750-$1000 per person for four hours) and private (between $980-$1400 per room for an hour) pools with stunning views of the river below. Check out their prices here. We tried their private room and thought it was well worth the price — everything from the atmosphere to the view was perfect, and sitting in the hot water for an hour was just enough time. Their public, Japanese-style hot spring baths also look beautiful but do note that swimming suits are not allowed.

Another hot spring that we tried was 國際岩湯, right on Wulai Old Street. This was somewhat cheaper than Volando Urai — $600 for a private room and $400 per person for the public baths — but there was a big difference in quality. It was still enjoyable, but it reminded us that you get what you pay for!

Old Street

The other unmissable part of your Wulai experience is the Old Street — this is where all the street food (and indeed many of the restaurants) are located, making it the perfect place to stop off and try some local aboriginal food. The Old Street is located right in the centre of town — minutes away from the bus stop — making it exceedingly easy to find and navigate. It takes no more than five to ten minutes to walk the full length, and there are plenty of vendors packed inside to buy from. Keep reading for more information on food.

Aboriginal Culture

One of the coolest things about Wulai is that you are surrounded at all times by Atayal culture — from decorations in Family Marts and 7-Elevens to mosaics and murals on schools, churches, streets, walls, and buildings, Wulai’s aboriginal heritage is ever-present. Signs point you in the direction of different tribes, and you will notice people wearing indigenous clothing or with facial tattoos. We loved walking around and admiring the murals, totem poles, statues, and street art found on every corner.

Atayal Museum

The Atayal Museum on Wulai Old Street is a smallish, free museum where you can learn more about the local customs of the Atayal Tribe. There are three floors, with exhibits on topics such as tools, weaving, musical instruments, facial tattoos, and — the most interesting — head hunting. The museum can easily be finished in 20 – 30 minutes.

Wulai Falls

A short 20-30 minute walk from the town centre is Wulai Falls, a pretty waterfall that cascades from a cliff into the blue water beneath. The road is well-maintained and suitable for all ages and levels of fitness. At the top are a collection of houses and small businesses selling aboriginal food and handicrafts. There are also hiking trails that lead to the falls, as well as an old Japanese mining train that has been converted into a tourist attraction.  Read more on the train below.

Scenic Train

The scenic train was originally built by the Japanese in 1928 for the purpose of transporting timber, tools, tea, and passengers. Nowadays, this little train ferries visitors up to the viewing point for Wulai Falls. It costs $50 one-way and takes about five minutes to reach the top. The view on the way down is better, as you can see more of the valley below. The train is particularly good for kids as it is small, cute, and very slow.

Swimming

The beautiful, clear blue water of the Nanshi River makes Wulai the perfect place for swimming. A favourite spot among locals is close to Wulai Elementary School — if you are coming from the bus station, take the left turn immediately before Wulai Old Street and walk a few hundred metres up the road. You will see multiple turn offs where you can scramble down to the river below. There are signs forbidding you to swim; this is due to the lack of lifeguards and strong currents that can be overwhelming to inexperienced swimmers.

If you keep walking until you see the road branch to the left (right-hand side photo) you can follow the trail down to this gorgeous section of the river, where plenty of locals will be swimming during nice weather. It’s quite a scramble, so it’s only suitable if you feel confident climbing down a rather steep rock-face. We don’t recommend taking young children here. You can go further up or down the river, but be careful — it’s easy to get swept away by the current! Most of the time it’s easy to see where the rapids are (and avoid them), but we strongly recommend exercising caution.

Hiking

There are lots of hiking trails around Wulai — just be sure to do your research, as some have closed due to typhoon damage. We started off on one, and by chance were warned by someone from the village that it was dangerous due to a landslide back in 2015. Instead, we explored some of the roads surrounding Wulai for some great views and easy exercise. If you’re in doubt about which trails are safe, just check with a local first.

Yun Hsien Resort

The Yun Hsien Resort is a large nature park known for its great hiking trails and paddling boats. There is a cable car that leads up to it from Wulai, and you can also take a taxi. Unfortunately for us, this resort and the cable car were closed for maintenance when we visited. Read all about what to do there here.

What to eat:

Street food

The fastest, cheapest, and possibly the most rewarding place to eat is Wulai Old Street, where you will find a range of interesting aboriginal street food. Taiwanese street food is always incredible, but at times it can get repetitive. In this way, the street food at Wulai Old Street was a breath of fresh air — although much of what was on offer was similar to other stands, by and large we were seeing most dishes for the first time. Most foods feature wild boar and millet, such as wild boar stir-fry, wild boar sausages, millet mochi, and aboriginal millet wine. One stall in particular has great boar sausage — go to the end of the Old Street and it will be easy to find due to the long queues. These sausages really are better than the others, so it’s worth the wait. We also enjoyed the stir fry, and tried out some great baozi (steamed buns with filling). For dessert, there are a few places that have ice cream/popsicles using real Taiwanese fruit, but one place in particular kept us coming back for more. Our favourites were passion fruit, mango, and pineapple.

Granny Atayal’s Gourmet Food Shop

While there are dozens of restaurants in Wulai serving aboriginal food, one that was recommended to us by a local was Granny Atayal’s Gourmet Food Shop on Wulai Old Street. This restaurant served some interesting Atayal dishes such as three cup flying squirrel, which we don’t particularly recommend due to a high number of bones and barely any meat, but was pretty cool to try anyway. Check out their menu below.

Meilu Workshop

Right at the beginning of Wulai Old Street is Meilu Workshop, a little cafe selling some interesting drinks such as Maqaw (also known as mountain pepper, a plant that is native to Taiwan) iced tea, specialty coffees, Maqaw beer, and millet wine cocktails. They also have Atayal crafts and a few sweet treats. Not only was it the perfect place to have a rest from walking and eating, but the owner spoke excellent English and was very kind, and the millet wine cocktails were delicious and strong.

Where to stay:

There are a number of accommodation options to suit a range of budgets in Wulai, so to narrow it down, it’s best to keep two things in mind. First, location: how close do you want to be to Wulai Old Street, i.e. the centre of town? Staying near the centre is by far the most convenient, but the advantages of staying a little further out are the great views (check out the one from our hotel) and the chance to explore a little more of the surrounding area. Do note that the town is pretty small, and if you are staying further away from the centre there aren’t a lot of transportation options, so you should be prepared to walk each time. Whichever hotels you are considering, make sure to double-check how long the walk will be on Google Maps — even if the hotel advertises as being 0.2km away from Wulai Old Street, you could end up walking for up to 30 minutes to get there due to the winding mountain roads. If you’re planning on staying out of town, we strongly recommend checking that you get a room with a view that’s actually worth the trek. Not all windows face the correct way, and the climb can be pretty steep!

The second thing you need to consider when booking accommodation is whether or not you want to have a private hot spring bath in your hotel room. We did, and never regretted our choice, but there are so many hot springs in Wulai that it’s not necessary to pay extra to have your own. An easy way to save money would be to stay in a regular hotel or hostel and pay a visit to a public or private hot spring of your choice.

How to get there:

The great thing about Wulai is how close it is to Taipei. It’s only about a 40-minute drive from Taipei, which means that taking a taxi or Uber there is pretty affordable, especially if you are sharing with friends. Our Uber from Taipei Main Station cost around $750, though we have heard taxis can cost slightly more than $1000. Driving there is a nice option if you are crunched for time, but there is also a bus that will take you directly there for a fraction of the price — the 849 from Beixin Road near Xindian MRT Station goes to Wulai, taking between 30 minutes to an hour depending on traffic, and costing a mere $45. Seats fill up quickly — this is a public bus, not a coach — but buses run regularly enough that you could easily wait for the next one to be more comfortable. Change is not given, so make sure to bring coins!