南投县

Why this place

Nantou is the only landlocked county, and it holds Sun Moon Lake — the island's most famous lake — plus the Central Mountain Range, with Yushan (Jade Mountain) on its edge, the highest peak in northeast Asia. It was also the epicentre of the 1999 earthquake.

What to see

• Sun Moon Lake and the Lalu island, with the Wenwu Temple and the lake's cycling path
• Yushan National Park, and the Hehuanshan high pass road
• The Cingjing Farm and the high-mountain country around it
• Puli, the town at the island's geographic centre, and its paper and wine industries

What to eat

• Sun Moon Lake tea — the local 'ruby' black tea is genuinely good
• The local 'shaoxing' wine and the aboriginal 'bamboo rice'

Best time

October–April; the high mountains are best in autumn and spring

Practical tips

• Yushan's summit needs a permit applied for well in advance — the daily numbers are capped