Taiwan Discovery — Self-Launched
10 days · Taiwan
G Adventures charges £1,850
No-markup version: ~£620 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A 10-day independent loop of Taiwan following the same route as G Adventures' "Taiwan Discovery": Taipei's night markets and the north coast (Yehliu, Jiufen, Shifen), the old capital Tainan, Sun Moon Lake by bike and foot, the Taroko Gorge, and the east coast down to Yilan before returning to Taipei. Instead of a private vehicle and a tour leader you use Taiwan's superb high-speed rail, local trains, and intercity buses, staying in hostels and guesthouses and booking the few guided extras (Taroko shuttle, tea farm visit) directly. Costs are approximate backpacker rates in GBP.
Day-by-day
Arrive Taipei — ease in at Ximending
Taipei
Land at Taoyuan Airport and take the Airport MRT into Taipei Main Station (approx NT$150 / £3.70, 35-40 min) then the MRT to your hostel near Ximending or Taipei Main. Settle in, pick up an EasyCard (悠遊卡) from any convenience store or MRT machine and top it up with NT$500 — it covers MRT, buses and even many shops. In the evening walk to Ningxia Night Market for oyster omelettes, stinky tofu and bubble tea, or explore the bars around Ximending. Get an early night: tomorrow is a long day out.
🚌Airport MRT from Taoyuan + EasyCard top-up — ~£5
🛏Hostel dorm in Ximending/Taipei Main (e.g. Star Hostel, Meander, or similar) — £15-20
- →Ningxia Night Market food crawl
- →Ximending street wander
North coast day trip: Yehliu, Jiufen and Shifen
Taipei / North Coast
This mirrors the tour's full-day north coast excursion but on public transport. Take bus 1815 from Taipei West Bus Station to Yehliu (approx 1h15, NT$100-130) to see the Queen's Head rock formations — arrive early. From Yehliu, bus 790/862 or a taxi to Jiufen (NT$50-300) for teahouses, taro balls and the A-Mei Teahouse steps; walk the Old Street and Shuqi Road. Then bus 1062 or the Keelung–Ruifang route to Shifen for the waterfall walk (20 min each way) and the lantern-lined railway street. Back to Taipei by TRA train Ruifang→Taipei (NT$50-80). If you'd rather not manage the connections, a GetYourGuide/Klook north coast day tour covering Yehliu–Jiufen–Shifen runs roughly £30-40.
🚌Buses + TRA train, or a booked day tour (~£35) — ~£12
🛏Same Taipei hostel — £15-20
- →Yehliu Geopark (NT$120)
- →Jiufen Old Street & teahouses
- →Shifen Waterfall walk
- →Shifen Old Street lantern street
High-speed rail south to Tainan — old city and night market
Tainan
Ride the HSR from Taipei to Tainan (approx 1h45, NT$1,350 / £33 booked in advance; slightly less with an early-bird fare). Drop bags at your guesthouse in the West Central District and walk the old city: Chikan Tower (NT$50), the Confucius Temple (NT$25), and Anping Fort if you have energy. Lunch on danzai noodles and coffin bread. In the evening hit the Garden Night Market (open Thu/Sat/Sun) or Dadong for Tainan's legendary snacks — milkfish soup, shrimp rolls, beef soup. Tainan is Taiwan's food capital; pace yourself.
🚌HSR Taipei→Tainan — ~£33
🛏Guesthouse/hostel in West Central District — £15-18
- →Chikan Tower
- →Confucius Temple
- →Garden Night Market
Anping lanes, then on to Sun Moon Lake
Tainan → Sun Moon Lake
Morning walking tour of the Anping historic district at your own pace: the crooked lanes around Xiaozhong Street, the Anping Tree House (NT$50) and Anping Fort (NT$50), plus stopped-clock snacks at Anping Old Street. Midday take the TRA from Tainan to Taichung (approx 40 min, NT$100-200) then the Nantou Bus 6670 from Taichung HSR/Gancheng to Sun Moon Lake (approx 1h40, NT$190). Check into your lakeside hostel in Shueishe and walk to Wen Wu Temple for sunset over the lake.
🚌TRA Tainan→Taichung + Nantou Bus 6670 — ~£9
🛏Hostel or small guesthouse in Shueishe — £18-25
- →Anping Tree House
- →Anping Old Street
- →Wen Wu Temple
Sun Moon Lake by bike, boat and trail
Sun Moon Lake
Rent a bike (NT$200-300/day) and ride the celebrated Shueishe–Xuanguang section of the lakeside loop, the prettiest stretch with boardwalks over the water. Climb (or take the shuttle/boat) to Xuanzang Temple and Tse En Pagoda for the classic lake view, then hike the Mt. Maolan trail (about 2-3h, moderate, great ridge views). Finish with a boat hop between Shueishe, Xuanguang and Ita Thao wharves (day pass ~NT$300) for street food and the ropeway if you fancy it.
🚌Bike rental + lake boat day pass — ~£13
🛏Same Sun Moon Lake hostel — £18-25
- →Lakeside bike loop
- →Xuanzang Temple & Tse En Pagoda
- →Mt. Maolan trail hike
- →Shueishe Wharf boat hop
Across the Central Cross-Island Highway to Hualien
Sun Moon Lake → Hualien
Direct public transport across the mountains is patchy, so the reliable independent route is: Nantou Bus to Taichung, HSR/express train Taichung→Taipei, then the TRA Taroko Puyuma train Taipei→Hualien (approx 2h, NT$440). It's a longer day than the tour's private drive but costs about the same and the east coast train ride is scenic in its own right. Alternatively check with your hostel about shared vans doing the Central Cross-Island Highway via Wuling (best for the "Taiwan Alps" views, but seasonal and weather-dependent — book a day ahead). Arrive Hualien in the late afternoon and walk the Dongdamen Night Market and old railway cultural park.
🚌Bus + TRA/HSR combination — ~£25
🛏Hostel near Hualien station/city centre — £12-18
- →East coast train journey
- →Dongdamen Night Market
Taroko National Park: gorge, shrines and Baiyang Trail
Taroko National Park
Catch the 302 Taroko Shuttle Bus from Hualien station (day pass NT$250, hop-on-hop-off) or bus 1133. Stop at Taroko Gorge Gateway (the arch), Shakadang Trail, Yanzikou (Swallow Grotto) and Jiuqudong (Tunnel of Nine Turns) for the classic marble cliff views, then Lianhua Pond for the Eternal Spring Shrine. Walk the Baiyang Trail — a 2h round trip through tunnels with a spectacular waterfall at the end (bring a rain jacket and torch). Entry to the park is free; some trails close after rockfall, so check the park's English site or the shuttle driver on the day. Return to Hualien by early evening.
🚌Taroko Shuttle day pass — ~£6
🛏Same Hualien hostel — £12-18
- →Swallow Grotto
- →Eternal Spring Shrine
- →Baiyang Trail hike
- →Qingshui Cliff viewpoint
Qingshui Cliff, then local train to Yilan
Hualien → Yilan
Morning bus or shared taxi north along the Qingshui Cliff stretch (bus 1133, or hop off the shuttle route) for the sheer coastal drop into the Pacific — the tour's scenic drive section, done from a local bus window. Back in Hualien, visit Qixing Lake (Qixingtan Beach) and the Hualien Railway Cultural Park with its old depot and gardens. Afternoon TRA local train Hualien→Yilan (approx 1h-1h30, NT$250) and check into a hostel near Yilan/Jiaoxi station. Evening free for Yilan's night market, hot-spring village option at Jiaoxi (public baths ~NT$100-300) and a proper feed.
🚌Local bus + TRA Hualien→Yilan — ~£8
🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Yilan or Jiaoxi — £15-20
- →Qingshui Cliff viewpoint
- →Qixingtan Beach
- →Hualien Railway Cultural Park
- →Jiaoxi hot springs (optional)
Wufenchi Waterfall, a tea farm and back to Taipei
Yilan → Taipei
Take a local bus or taxi from Yilan to the Wufenchi Waterfall trailhead (Taiwan's widest curtain waterfall, 30-40 min walk in, free). On the way back stop at a small Dongshan-area tea farm for an oolong tasting — book direct or ask your hostel to arrange (roughly NT$200-400); the tour's tea farm visit is easy to replicate independently. Lunch and a wander at the National Center for Traditional Arts in Wujie (NT$150 entry, craft workshops and snacks). Evening bus back to Taipei (Kamalan or Capital Star, approx 1h15, NT$130) and a farewell dinner at one of the beef noodle shops near Yongkang Street.
🚌Local buses + highway bus Yilan→Taipei — ~£9
🛏Taipei hostel — £15-20
- →Wufenchi Waterfall hike
- →Tea farm tasting
- →National Center for Traditional Arts
- →Yongkang Street farewell dinner
Depart Taipei
Taipei
Morning free for last-day errands: pick up pineapple cakes and tea to take home, a quick look at Longshan Temple or Dihua Street, then Airport MRT back to Taoyuan for your flight. If you have a late departure, Taipei 101's observation deck or the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial are easy final stops.
🚌MRT + Airport MRT — ~£5
🛏—
- →Dihua Street shopping
- →Longshan Temple
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£620 | £1,850 |
| Duration | 10 days | 10 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,230 per person (66%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£620
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Taiwan Discovery — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £620 per person for 10 days in Taiwan. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,850 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £620 — a saving of roughly £1,230 (66%) per person.
How long is the Taiwan trip?+
This itinerary runs 10 days, covering 10 day-by-day stops through Taiwan.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, foodie, hiking trip through Taiwan, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
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