Things to do in Chiayi

Our guide, Alisia, was excellent, providing a soft-spoken and friendly tour. She guided us in both Chinese and English, with 14 years of experience and a calm demeanor. She even sang for us, creating a wonderful atmosphere. We visited on a Sunday by bus and learned that the Hinoki (cypress) trees are truly massive, and Alishan is an incredibly vast mountain. Since it's an all-day journey, we recommend bringing snacks. Of course, there are food stalls available along the way.

I was drawn by the inclusion of the forest railway, so I booked a 2-day, 1-night Alishan trip (outbound: car, return: car + train). After the reservation was confirmed, I received information about what to bring and precautions via LINE. Closer to the date, I also received detailed information about the meeting point, driver's name, and vehicle number, which was reassuring. (All in Chinese, but translation software helped.) The documents provided when boarding the shuttle car also included Japanese, which was easy to understand. The guide spoke Chinese, so I needed someone to translate for me, but there was plenty of explanation time during the 2-hour hike. The paths were well-maintained with wooden decks and stone pavements, so even with my limited stamina and in the rain, I was able to walk comfortably. One word of caution: if you use a private car transfer, there's a high risk of motion sickness because the winding mountain roads have significant inclines. Even though I don't usually get car sick, I felt quite ill during the return transfer from Alishan to Fenqihu and wished I had brought motion sickness medication.

I wholeheartedly recommend technicians #57 and #13 that I encountered today. The massage process was very comfortable and included a warming eye mask, as well as an electric back massage and heated neck support. After the massage, they also do cupping. The whole experience was just so comfortable.

I was a bit worried after reading the Google reviews, but when I arrived, I was incredibly surprised! The staff were all super nice, and the birthday decorations were much prettier than I imagined! There are activities at the campsite both day and night, so it's never boring. Plus, the BBQ dinner is definitely worth adding on, and the breakfast buffet was also delicious with a good variety of fresh ingredients, which is the most important thing! I genuinely loved it much more than I expected! I definitely want to come back, I loved it so much! 🫶🏼

Our tour guide Jason was really nice and very accommodating. he made sure we are comfortable and well fed. we were able to see a lot of attractions and was able to do different activities. we enjoyed the short trip to alishan #JasonWolf

It was a great 2 days trip and totally worth it to go to Alishan (one day would have been too rush and not having enough time to enjoy Alishan/ Chiayi/ Taichung). Mr B. Tsai was very accommodating and flexible with itinerary, especially with kid. That’s the benefit of having private tour as we were able to change itinerary to suit us. He also dropped us off at Taoyuan airport af the end of the tour as per request. Accommodation was clean, quiet with beautiful view of tea farm. Will definitely book with them for other tours when next visit Taiwan.

Max was an outstanding driver for our Alishan day tour—punctual, professional, and incredibly knowledgeable about the area. He made the entire journey smooth and comfortable, sharing great local insights along the way. Highly recommend Max for a stress-free and enjoyable experience!