Guandu Nature Park and Guandu Temple

The Moon Pond at Guandu Nature Park

A walk around the Guandu Nature Park and Guandu Temple. The Guandu Nature Park sits on the edge of the 55 hectare Guandu Nature Reserve which is an important wetlands habitat for many birds and other animals. The colorful Guandu Temple was built in 1661. It is dedicated to the goddess Matzu but there is also a chapel with a statue of thousand-armed, thousand-eyed Guanyin. The temple is built into a hillside and on top there are quiet stone paths, gardens and great views of the river and wetlands.

Distance/Time:  6.41 km/ 2hours 16 minutes.

Trail Conditions: This is an urban walk. The entire route is easy to walk. But don't let its proximity to the city put you off. The Guandu Nature Preserve is teeming with life. Just in the short time I was there I spotted birds, fish, crabs, frogs and even water buffalo. And the large temple is a unique and worth exploring.

 What to take: Nothing special is necessary. There are plenty of places to buy food and drinks. A good pair of binoculars would be great to have at the nature park. The entrance fee for the park is $60 for adults but there was a discount so I only paid $30. Maybe the discount was because they were doing some renovations when I visited.

Transportation: I took the MRT to Guandu Station on the red line and took exit 1 to Dadu Road.  

On the way home I rode a Ubike which was about a 12 km bike ride. There are Ubike stations outside the nature park and the temple.

  The walk: 

I have not had much time for hiking lately because of lots of weekend work and also because I am moving to a new apartment. But early Sunday morning I got out for a short but really enjoyable urban walk. 

Outside exit 1 of the MRT Station I turned right and then took a slight left into an alley between a Starbucks and a brunch place. 

At the end of the alley there is major road with an elevated roadway passing overhead. At first I made the mistake of turning left before the elevated roadway but its hard to cross the road here. Its better and safer to pass under the elevated road and turn left along a shady sidewalk passing by apartment buildings. 

I walked one block and then turned right onto Guandu Road. A short distance down this road is the entrance to the Guandu Nature Park on the left. I paid the entrance fee and went in.

 Its a nice park with both wide and narrow shady paths, ponds and patches of grass. Any route can be taken through the park but I walked to the end of the park via the wide, main path and then returned by smaller paths that are close to the edge of the wetlands. 

The two story Nature Center was closed for renovation. It usually has exhibits about local wildlife, a gift shop and--on the second floor-- mounted binoculars for watching birds through huge windows that look over the wetlands. It is scheduled to reopen in January of 2022. 

On the return path there were three bird watching cabins with small windows looking over the wetlands. Even without binoculars I could see lots of birds and also saw three water buffalo grazing. The park keeps six water buffaloes. Their natural grazing and wallowing habits are beneficial to the wetlands.

a view from one of the bird watching cabins

Inside a bird watching cabin

I returned to the entrance along smaller paths.

Outside the entrance I went left and at the end of the street right onto Zhi Xing Road. At the end of the road I could see the ornate roof of Guandu Temple. 

At the end of the the road, the temple is on the right. To the left is the entrance to the Guandu Bikeway which goes between the river and the wet lands. There are blinds for bird watching and some cafes along the bike way. 

I walked past the temple food stalls until I came to a wide plaza and a Ubike station on the left and a large temple entrance on the right. I crossed the street and went in. 

I think this is actually a back entrance. The main temple entrance is on the other side. 

I went through a cave like tunnel that cut through the hill and came out to a courtyard with a fountain near the main entrance. 

Next to the tunnel that I took is another which cuts back through the hill and comes to the chapel for Guanyin. There is an alcove with a statue of the thousand-eyed, thousand-limbed goddess. 

From the courtyard I climbed up the stairs that lead to the top of the hill. The temple was lively and noisy but the higher I got on the hillside the more quiet and peaceful it was. On top of the hill there are lots of stone paths with gardens, stone tables and benches, and there are great views of the river, wetlands and surrounding area. 

Guandu Bridge seen from the top of the temple hill

a perfect spot for taking in the view

 I wandered around the paths for a while but I had promised to be home by 12 so it was time to go. 

I wanted to bike home but there were no bikes at the Ubike station near the temple. So I walked back to the Ubike station outside the nature park where there were plenty of bikes. 

GPS and Map:

Guandu Nature Park: 25.119415, 121.46932 

Guandu Temple: 25.117739, 121.464004

https://my.viewranger.com/track/details/MjEzODA1Mzc=

 

Valley of the Gods Waterfall 神仙谷瀑布

 

Valley of the Gods Waterfall is a huge waterfall in scenic Nanzhuang, Miaoli County.  It is popular but with good reason. It is definitely worth a visit anytime in the area. Two streams come together to form an impressive waterfall in a rocky valley with green hills and mountains rising up behind it. 

Distance/Time:  0.64 km/about 25 minutes.

Trail Conditions: This walk is very easy. The path is at first concrete, then goes along a boardwalk and over a suspension bridge and returns by the same route. 

 What to take: Nothing is needed. There is a restaurant/vendor with a barbecue grill that sells food and drinks beside the road at the top of the path. On a previous visit we ate a simple lunch there and the extremely welcoming proprietor let us come behind the grill to pretend we were cooking and to pose for photos with us. 

There are bathrooms that you need to pay NT$10 to use.  

Transportation: There is no public transportation. The path begins beside Miaoli County Road 21. There is medium sized parking lot just across the road. It may fill up on busy days or there may be a wait for a parking spot.

 The hike: 

I really would not call this a hike. Its more of a short, easy detour from the road. Its definitely suitable for families and children. 

This was my second time visiting this waterfall.This time I visited it on a weekend trip with my family. Nanzhuang is beautiful but popular areas (such as Nanzhuang Old Street) are very crowded in the daytime. If you visit overnight its much more tranquil once the day tripping hordes head back home.  We stayed overnight in a homestay not far from the waterfall. 

Nanzhauang is full of campgrounds. Some are of the "glamping" variety, others are more simple. On a previous visit I stayed at the Kiss Kiss Campground, which I liked for its simplicity. It offered just a camping spot and simple showers and in the morning we had a view of a sea of clouds in the valley below. 

 

Here is the google maps address:  https://www.google.com/maps/place/%E5%90%BB%E5%90%BB%E9%9C%B2%E7%87%9F%E5%8D%80/@24.5290781,121.0214709,17z/data=!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x35947f78a84a1a16!2z56We5LuZ6LC354CR5biDIFZhbGxleSBvZiB0aGUgR29kcyBXYXRlcmZhbGw!8m2!3d24.54515!4d121.03076!3m4!1s0x3468513b4fb72a05:0xab98a78a5bf02274!8m2!3d24.5290781!4d121.0214709

We visited the waterfall on a slightly rainy, overcast afternoon near the end of the day and though there were quite a few visitors it was not crowded. 

 We parked in the lot, turned left and crossed the street. 

 The beginning of the path to the waterfall is easy to see--in the corner just beside the restaurant. 

 The path goes down wood and then concrete steps and passes through bamboo forest.

  At the bottom you can see the valley and rocky bed of the first of the streams that join together at the waterfall. 

 The path goes along a wooden walkway. At the end of the walkway there is a viewing platform.

 

 However the best view is from the middle of the suspension bridge that spans the chasm.

 

 We walked to the other end of the suspension bridge and then returned.  

 I read later on Xiaofei's blog https://followxiaofei.com/taiwan/miaoli-waterfalls-nanzhuang-valley-of-the-gods-waterfall-and-7-layer-waterfall that there is a path down to the waterfall behind the viewing platform but I didn't I try it, so can't comment on it.

If you are interested in a more challenging hike, the trail to Jiali Shan 加里山步道 is at the end of the same road. It is the tallest peak in Miaoli and one of the small Bai Yue. I hiked it twice before but it has been several years since I have been there. I think that its become more popular and might be crowded but its a great hike.

While we were in the area we also visited the Penglai River Fish Watching Trail 蓬萊溪護魚步道.  https://www.google.com/maps/place/%E8%93%AC%E8%90%8A%E6%BA%AA%E8%AD%B7%E9%AD%9A%E6%AD%A5%E9%81%93/@24.5461773,120.9521116,13.58z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x346851bca55c5fbb:0x56e2e2e8af316f92!8m2!3d24.5510055!4d120.9724369

However, I did not enjoy it much. At the entrance there was a saxophone player playing sentimental music that was (to me) too loud and annoying. The path was crowded. The mostly flat trail follows a very inviting looking river with nice pools and you can see lots of fish but it is frustratingly off limits. There is a rope fence all along the trail and signs saying not to cross it. Of course, seeing how many tourists visit this place I can respect why they would want to keep people out in order to protect the river ecosystem.

But if you are in the area and looking for an easy walk that is suitable for families or those who don't really like hiking, it is an option. 

Map and GPS:

Valley of the Gods Waterfall:  24.545275, 121.03014

https://my.viewranger.com/track/details/MjEyODQyNzI=