Whether in glorious sun or gloom, I will never tire of the scenery found in New Taipei’s Ruifang District. This newest post on the site details a walk we did there in murky conditions earlier in the year, which was beautiful despite the weather’s best efforts to make it not so.

Walking up the road to get breakfast in Lishan, we passed a grandma and her three young charges walking down. The grandma and an older girl of around 8 were walking to either side of a trolley cart onto which had been loaded a cardboard box containing a pair of toddlers.

Another Xiao Bai Yue ticked off! This time, it’s Mount Dadong in Chiayi’s Zhuqi Township. The walk starts close to the old railway town of Fenqihu, climbing to a high of 1,976 metres before heading back down more or less the same way. taiwantrailsandtales.com/2026/09/05/f...

FENQIHU’S MOUNT DADONG (奮起湖大凍山)

Most visitors to Fenqihu come for the old street and the lunchboxes. This pleasant trail climbing to one of Chiayi’s lesser-visited Taiwan 100 Minor Peaks is a short scooter ride out of town,…

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Though Dashu (大暑) has official passed, we’re still months away from genuinely cool weather. Still, when in Beitou, a girl can dream. Yesterday’s good company and pleasant wander amidst the mists and the murk and the rain was precisely the tonic for my soul that I needed.

This little drama just unfolded outside my back balcony. It was the first time I’d ever seen a kingfisher there and I was surprised because there’s not enough water there to sustain a stable fish population. It turns out the kingfisher’s diet is more varied than just fish!

The latest trail guide covers a city-bound night hike with lots in the way of interesting wildlife. taiwantrailsandtales.com/2026/08/01/f...

FUYANG ECO PARK NIGHT HIKE (富陽自然生態公園)

Previously a military facility, the little patch of forest between Da’an and Wenshan districts is now a biodiverse habitat where Taipei’s herpers and hikers can come to get close and pe…

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This isn’t my usual kind of hangout, but I found it pleasing enough to share. In a multi-storey carpark in city-bound Luzhou District, a small section had been cultivated as an allotment complete with wormery and hydroponic fish pools.

It took me nearby a decade, but I’ve finally gotten around to walking and writing up my final Guguan Hero, Mount Baimao. I guess it’s time to go back and revisit some of the earlier ones now… taiwantrailsandtales.com/2026/07/18/m...

MOUNT BAIMAO (白毛山)

Mount Baimao is a mostly forested walk that saves its best for last with a dramatically exposed rocky ridge near the summit and sweeping views up Dajia River toward the hot spring town of Guguan.

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We had no bananas to hand, so went with the tried and tested finger-for-scale approach.

A Taiwan kukri snake (赤背松柏根, non-venomous) that was right where my foot was about to fall when I spotted it. The last time I encountered one of these, it thrashed around like a crazy thing, but this one was rather mellow.

It’s my MIL’s birthday today, so we’re having dinner with her at a vegetarian Yunnan shop in Taoyuan’s Pingzhen District. Curiosity about why such a shop would exist in such a place led to me learning about the Yunnan-Burma ROC soldiers who were relocated here in large numbers in the 1950s.

Patience and luck were required to get this photo. About 2 months ago, this was one of several holes I saw barbets making on the trail where I hike most often. All bar this one were swiftly abandoned. A month later, I heard chicks inside, and now finally I’ve caught sight of one resident.

Beach finds

An unexpected trip to the south has meant I’ve been able to visit a Tainan trail that’s been on my want-to-visit list for a number of years.

Beginning to feel Taiwanese convenience stores are waging a vendetta against the concept of sandwiches.

Ant art 😕

It’s warmed up enough to bring the bats out. There are lots of these hefty fellows chasing moths through the tree tunnels tonight.

Last year, when I had a chunk of free time and a T-pass, I went on a mission to see how far the 北北基桃 （Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung and Taoyuan) pass would take me. tinyurl.com/muy5d389

XIAOWULAI (小烏來)

Towering waterfalls, precarious suspension bridges, hot spring baths, bamboo forests, plentiful bird life, and an Indigenous village — this varied trail in Taoyuan’s Fuxing District has a lot to of…

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Just chaperoned this dozy muppet off the road.

The 2026 census on black-faced spoonbills tallied a global population of 7,746, reflecting an 11.1% increase since last year. 4,719 individuals spend their winters in Taiwan, which translates to 61% of all black-faced spoonbills in existence — made possible by bird-friendly aquaculture practices.

Min Chao@wordsfromtaiwan.bsky.social · 6mo ago

The latest national #census on black kites (黑鳶) shows a steadily growing population of 1,033 — compared to 200 in 1992. Over the past 3 decades, farmers across #Taiwan have embraced co-existence with wildlife by phasing out the use of lethal pesticides and rat poison.

I’ve updated my Keelung coffee shop page to include this wonderful oddity — a store where you can sip your coffee while sat in an old barber’s chair. taiwantrailsandtales.com/keelung-coff...

Beautiful scenery from Lanyu (aka Orchid Island aka 蘭嶼).

Tung season is currently bringing its white, green and blue colour palette to the hills of northern Taiwan. These photos are from Daqiong Trail in Taoyuan — a popular spot with blossom chasers. If you’ve got these trees in your neck of the woods, I’d love to see pictures.

My second snake of the year was this red-banded snake. It slithered quickly into a fallen log as we approached but seemed to think it was invisible once it had got head tucked away. We also saw a couple of fireflies and a hammerhead worm.

Although I’m dreading the return of summer, this time of year is one I look forward to — it brings fireflies and tung blossom. I haven't been out on any firefly-watching expeditions this year, but in anticipation of the season, I've just added a new trail guide to the Taiwan Trails and Tales site.

FIREFLIES and TUNG BLOSSOM in PINGLIN RIVERSIDE PARK

The four weeks spanning the end of April and the start of May is peak season for fireflies in northern Taiwan. What’s more, this time of year also happens to be tung blossom season, and this …

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Some 16x9 aspect ratio shots from a short stroll up to Pingding Street this afternoon, where the second wave of cherry blossoms are very much still in bloom.

Taiwan barbets (五色鳥) announcing the end of winter. 🎵Sound on

I’d never heard of apple star fruit (牛奶果 in Chinese) before seeing them on a market stall yesterday. The English name comes from the obvious starburst pattern and the Chinese from the milky substance released when you cut into it. There mildly pleasant. Slightly lychee-ish in taste and texture.

Despite a poster on the wall proclaiming Tuku (土庫) to be a town that never sleeps, there’s a decidedly soporific small town feeling in this watch shop slash coffee shop.

Tales from the trail no.4(?) Date: March 11, 2026 Location: Jinmian Shan I arrived at a hilltop pavilion at the same as an older guy (60s-70s). Already at the pavilion was a topless guy doing Bulgarian split squats. All were clearly members of Taiwan’s retiree class.