Taiwan Hiking Journal: Nanfang'ao and Nanfang'ao Lookout 南方澳觀景臺 Trail

Nanfang'ao is a small fishing village just south of Su'ao in Yilan. From the lookout there is a lofty view of the harbors and streets of the village as well as the surrounding green hills, beaches and rugged coastline. On a clear day you can also see Turtle Island. It only takes about 20 minutes to walk to the lookout up a steep trail with steps. Nanfang'ao makes for a tranquil overnight stay. There are home stays, cafes and restaurants that are just a few steps from the ocean. On this trip we also visited Dongshan, Dong'ao, and Nan'ao.

Distance/duration: From our home stay to the lookout was less than 2 km and took about 40 minutes. We did a couple of other short walks on this trip that were both around 2 km.

What to bring: Nothing special is needed. I walked in sandals and shorts and took just a bottle of water.

The Trail: I started from near Neipi Beach and Nanfanghai'an Junior High School. Steps leading to the lookout start on Xue Fu Road directly behind a Taoist temple. The steps are steep but its a short, easy walk. There are even benches along the way if you need a rest. There is also a parking lot next to the road at the top of the trail.

Transportation: We took a Kamalan Bus from Taipei Main Station to Luodong. The buses leave every 5-10 minutes and take about an hour and a half. We just showed up and were on bus within 20 minutes.

We picked up a rented a car from Carplus in Luodong.

You can also take Kuokuang buses 1766 or 1791 to Nangfang'ao. The first bus originates in Luodong. The second starts further north and passes through Jiaoxi, Yilan and Luodong.

Accommodation: We spent the night at the Sea Forest Home Stay which is almost at the very end of a small road across from the sea. From the outside it looked like it might not be that nice. The door was weathered and old-looking and my son commented that it looked crappy. But when we opened the door we were in for a pleasant surprise.

It was very nice inside--clean, comfortable and tasteful. Our room was on the ground floor. The room was maybe slightly more expensive than I would have expected but had space to sleep six and we were only three. There was a double bed on the main level and two more futon style double beds in a loft. The only thing I did not like about the room was there was no window. Well, there was one small window but since it faced the alley we kept the shade down most of the time. The upper floors are smaller but they all have big windows and balconies.

Sea Forest Home Stay

two beds in the loft

The shower was amazing with incredible water pressure and I thought the breakfast was top-notch. The main dish was traditional Taiwanese rice porridge but the ingredients were obviously of good quality and it was served with fresh fruit, eggs and a roll.

We checked in next door and were given a code for the door so we could come and go as we pleased.

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The Trip: This walk was part of a quick family weekend getaway. After we picked up the car we ate lunch in Luodong and then I drove about 20 minutes north of Luodong to Dongshan to see a couple of waterfalls.

In October of the previous year I had hiked the Xinjiuliao Mountain Trail which goes over a mountain from Jiuliao Waterfall to Xinliao Falls and takes about 4 hours.

This time we parked in the Xinliao Falls parking lot and walked 1.2 km to the first waterfall which took less than 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, we couldn't proceed to the upper falls because there was a chain across the path and a sign saying the trail had been damaged in the recent typhoon.

Here are pictures of the other waterfall from my previous visit.

We went back the parking lot and drove around the mountain to the Jiuliao Waterfall parking lot. The walk to Jiuliao Falls was about 1 km uphill. There is a viewing platform near the waterfall and a nice spot just downstream where you can go right down to the water and wade in shallow water.

After this we drove to our home stay in Nangfang'Ao. Coming into the village we drove over the Nangfang'ao Bridge which is kind of well-known, mainly because the old bridge collapsed in 2019, injuring 20 and killing six. Some victims were on the bridge at the time and some were in boats in the water below. Construction of the new bridge was completed in December, 2022.

That night we walked on the path along the sea wall above Neipi Beach and checked out the menus of some of the cafes.

Later we drove to a supermarket just a five minute drive from our accommodation. There was a huge temple celebration going on and we couldn't find parking, so I stayed with the car while my wife and youngest son went in to buy snacks and (for me) beer.

I have to take a moment to sing my son's praises here. I sent him in with clear instructions about which beer I did not want and while he was inside he took the trouble to call me on Facebook messenger and showed me the beer selection. He came back later with a six pack of Kirin. Such a good son!

Later that night we had excellent pizza at the Pizza Cafe just across the street from our home stay. We ate on the rooftop from which we could see and hear the waves.

In the morning, I woke up early and took the walk to Nanfang'ao Lookout.

I would have liked to visit some of the temples in the village and to have walked around the harbor but my family's tolerance for sightseeing is not as high as mine. After breakfast, they were ready to move on.

Before leaving town we did drive to Tofu Cape. There was a sheltered cove where people were doing stand up paddle boarding and we also saw some scuba divers. At the end of the land was a view point where waves beat and foamed against jagged rocks. It was a nice spot but I could not see why people think the rocks look like tofu. My suspicion is they just came up with the name to attract tourists.

Next we drove to Dong'ao and visited Dong'ao Bay and the Dongyue Cold Spring. I've written about both places in a previous post: Camping at Mystery Beach 神秘沙灘: Mystery Beach Sea Cave and Waterfall

Dong'ao Bay is a huge, beautiful bay with azure water.

I've been to Dongyue Cold Spring many times. It's just a short walk from Dong'ao train station and is a great place to cool off on a hot day. The water is cool and clear and not very deep. It's a popular spot for families. There are toilets where you can change clothes and a few vendors selling snacks and water toys.

When we finished at the cold spring it was past lunch time so we drove to Nan'ao to have lunch at a local spicy noodle restaurant that is somewhat famous. They sell a variety of spicy sauces and I even saw a bottle of chili infused kaoliang. The lunch was not that spicy but it was delicious, ample and only NT$ 200 each. The interior is decorated with rustic wood furnishings and outside you can take your picture with giant anthropomorphic chili peppers.

I have been to Nan'ao many times and love wandering around it's country lanes. Before we left we drove to Nan'ao Farm which is a huge, free campground provided by the Yilan government.

I've stayed there several times both alone and with my kids so I was disappointed to see that it seems to have fallen into disrepair. Trees had fallen along the entrance drive way and they had not been taken away, there were brush piles all over and in most places the grass had not been cut for a while. There was also trash outside of the bathrooms. I would still stay there because I have great memories of the place but I hope they clean it up soon.

By this time, we were thinking of getting back home because we all had work and school the next day. So we drove back to Luodong, returned the car and took the bus back to Taipei.

Nearby hikes I have done:

Camping at Mystery Beach 神秘沙灘: Mystery Beach Sea Cave and Waterfall

Xinjiuliao Mountain Trail: Jiuliao Waterfall 舊寮瀑布 to Xinliao Falls 新寮瀑布

Su Hua Historical Trail: Great Nan-Ao Mountain Crossing 蘇花古道大南澳越嶺段

Further info about things to do in the area:

The Occasional Traveler: Feeling fishy? Things to do in Nanfang’ao 南方澳, Yilan

Taiwan Trails and Tales: SNAKE HILL and DONGYUE COLD SPRINGS (蛇山/東岳冷泉)

Taiwan Everything: The Suhua Highway in Yilan

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Places mentioned in this post:

Xinliao Falls Trail

Jiuliao Falls