Wulai is a beautiful town located in the mountains, just 1 hour from Taipei. It is very famous for its hot springs, the turquoise blue color of its river and its Old Street. We recommend you go in the morning, take a short walk to the waterfalls, go up by cable car to the YunShien amusement park (only if you go with children, otherwise it is not worth it), eat in the Old Street and swim in the river or bath in the hot springs in the afternoon.
How to get to Wulai: getting to Wulai is easy from Taipei and can even be done by public transport. To do this, you have to go to the Xindian MRT station (last on the green line) and there take bus 849 that takes you to Wulai (40min, 15 NTD). But we warn you that there are many curves, the bus is very full on the weekend and you may have to go standing. If you get easily sick, better go in your own car, or if you don't have one, take a taxi from Xindian station to Wulai (30min, 680 NTD). Also in Xindian you can take one of WeMo's shared motorcycles if you are registered, but remember that it must be fully charged (it must have more than 30km available) and that you have to buy the pass for at least 6 hours (250 NTD). Once in Wulai, you can move around easily on foot.
What to do in Wulai:
This is the route that we propose to you through Wulai:
The bus will leave you at the beginning of Old Street (there you also have a parking lot in case you go by private transport). Cross the Old Street (if it is time to eat, grab things here for a picnic, see more information below) and then cross the Lansheng Bridge . The views from here are beautiful, and the part with the glass floor is very cool for children.
At the end of the bridge, turn left and start walking along the path along the Nanshi River. It is about 20min of a simple and very scenic walk to the waterfalls. If you don't want to walk, at the end of the bridge there is a small train ( Wulai Log Cart ) that can take you there for 50 NTD pp (30 NTD children). Children tend to like it a lot, so if it is not on the way in, we recommend taking it on the way back.
On the way to the waterfall, when you finish the hotel area, you will see that there is a parking on the left, here there is a descent to the river and on weekends locals come to barbecue and bathe in the river, since there are hot springs. You can try to see if you find them.
Once in the waterfall observation area, there is a viewpoint where the public toilets are located, this is the one with the best views of the Wulai Falls and you can have a small picnic here.
The next thing you can do is take the cable car (gondola) that goes to the YunShien amusement park (220 NTD round trip, 150 NTD children). It is a bit expensive for what it is, but the views are beautiful and it goes right above the waterfall, it is quite original.
The YunShien Amusement Park is a bit abandoned, and it only has a couple of little things that younger children will like, but if you have arrived early and have all day ahead, it is intresting to see (50 NTD pp). There is a lake where you can rent boats (150 NTD for 4 people), swings, a pond with swans, a kind of buggy (50 NTD), and countless bridges to cross.
Take the cable car down again and return to Old Street either on foot or on the little train. Here you can eat aboriginal food (Wulai is well known because the Tayal tribe lives here, which has some culinary specialties). Aboriginal sausages made from wild boar meat are super famous (the best stalls are at the end of Old Street, where the Lansheng Bridge, keep in mind that they are on the sweet side). Also very popular are bamboo tubes filled with rice. And for dessert you will find some very good mochis, our favorites are sesame and peanut (we are not very fans of taro or red beans). If you prefer to sit in a restaurant, they are all very similar. Then you have to try the prawns and the fried fish, and the stir fired vegetables.
If it's summer and it's a good day, the locals go to swim in the river, in the area in front of the Elementary School. To get there, you have to go back to the beginning of the Old Street, and before crossing the bridge to the parking lot, turn right. Soon you will see slopes towards the river. There are signs that say that swimming is prohibited, but this is because there is no watchman, you will see that the locals bathe here. Of course, be careful with the current and small children, only get in if you are good swimmers.
But what is truly authentic in Wulai is the Hot Springs. In the old days, there were some public baths next to Lansheng Bridge (across from Old Street on the right hand side), but they were so popular that things started to deteriorate and they have finally been banned. Nowadays, it is still possible to bathe in another place but it is wilder and you have to try to find the hot water. It is a section of the river that is on the way to the waterfalls, when the hotels are finished and there is a parking lot in front of the river. Around here there are usually locals on weekends making barbecues, and it is possible to find hot water streams.
But if you want to be sure to shoot and have a more private experience, then the best thing to do is rent a private room with a bathtub in one of the many hotels. The center of town is full of these hotels, but the truth is that they are a bit seedy. The best hotels are on the road into town, and some have lovely views of the part where the river has turquoise water. We loved the Volando Urai (1300-1600 NTD per hour, kids under 130cm free, see prices). It is better to book in advance by sending them an email. Ask them for a Grand View Bathhouse for the day and time you want. (The big hotels also have public baths that are somewhat cheaper, but they are separated by men and women, swimwear cannot be worn and children are not allowed). To get to the hotel, you can walk 1km from the Old Street (10min), take a taxi (5min) or take the bus and get off at the second stop.