Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area (奧萬大國家森林遊樂區) is located in southeastern Ren’ai Township (仁愛鄉) in Nantou County at the center of Taiwan. It is also in the mountain area near the famous Cingjing Farm (清境農場). This 2,787 ha (6,889 acre) Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area is situated 1,100 to 2,600 m (3,609 to 8,530 ft) above sea level. The year-round mean temperature is 19ºC (66.2º F) due to its unique location. It officially opened to public in the 1994.
My personal preference to visit Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area is during the autumn because of the changing leaf colors. It is a famous location to enjoy the changing color of the trees. Of course, Aowanda in any season has its own exceptional beauty. The area also has at least 120 recorded species of birds, including the unique Taiwan blue magpie. Cherry blossoms in mid-January to February, fireflies glowing the forest from April to May and Fiery red Formosa gum trees in the winter make Aowanda a popular destination for nature lovers. We visited in the early November when the leaves just started changing color. Although it was just the beginning of the amazing season, we did spot some early signs of autumn. Situated in the remote area without the light pollution, Aowanda is a perfect place to enjoy twinkling stars, constellations and the Milky Way. Aowanda embraces a vast area that requires spending few hours or even a day here to visit all the POIs. Once we passed the toll station, we parked our car in the nearby parking lots. We followed maple-watching trail to the watching platform and had a panoramic view of the maple trees. On the other side of the trail, we saw the Double Waterfalls (雙瀑) and Galloping Waterfalls (飛瀑). Not so far from the parking lot is the 1959 built Adjustment Pond (調整池, no longer in operation today), which is owned by the Taiwan Power Co. and was used to store water by pumping water from rivers during electric power off-peak time and generate power when necessary. We drove to the Parking Lot 1 near the Visitor Center and got the map of Aowanda in order to determine which sites we wanted to see in about 3.5 hours. There are some trails such as cherry blossom garden trail, maple tree trails and the famous Hao Han Hall Trail (好漢坡). Hao Han Hall Trail is a steep trail leading you to the forest park, which is a popular bird watching area, and the Aowanda suspension bridge that crosses the river to the pine tree zone.
If you really like to enjoy the nature and see the twinkling stars, then you can stay overnight at the lodge on-site. There are only 29 rooms and are very difficult to book. I believe you need to reserve at least half a day to enjoy the nature in Aowanda. You need to wear comfortable shoes, bring water with you and follow your mood to embrace the beauty of nature.
My personal preference to visit Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area is during the autumn because of the changing leaf colors. It is a famous location to enjoy the changing color of the trees. Of course, Aowanda in any season has its own exceptional beauty. The area also has at least 120 recorded species of birds, including the unique Taiwan blue magpie. Cherry blossoms in mid-January to February, fireflies glowing the forest from April to May and Fiery red Formosa gum trees in the winter make Aowanda a popular destination for nature lovers. We visited in the early November when the leaves just started changing color. Although it was just the beginning of the amazing season, we did spot some early signs of autumn. Situated in the remote area without the light pollution, Aowanda is a perfect place to enjoy twinkling stars, constellations and the Milky Way. Aowanda embraces a vast area that requires spending few hours or even a day here to visit all the POIs. Once we passed the toll station, we parked our car in the nearby parking lots. We followed maple-watching trail to the watching platform and had a panoramic view of the maple trees. On the other side of the trail, we saw the Double Waterfalls (雙瀑) and Galloping Waterfalls (飛瀑). Not so far from the parking lot is the 1959 built Adjustment Pond (調整池, no longer in operation today), which is owned by the Taiwan Power Co. and was used to store water by pumping water from rivers during electric power off-peak time and generate power when necessary. We drove to the Parking Lot 1 near the Visitor Center and got the map of Aowanda in order to determine which sites we wanted to see in about 3.5 hours. There are some trails such as cherry blossom garden trail, maple tree trails and the famous Hao Han Hall Trail (好漢坡). Hao Han Hall Trail is a steep trail leading you to the forest park, which is a popular bird watching area, and the Aowanda suspension bridge that crosses the river to the pine tree zone.
If you really like to enjoy the nature and see the twinkling stars, then you can stay overnight at the lodge on-site. There are only 29 rooms and are very difficult to book. I believe you need to reserve at least half a day to enjoy the nature in Aowanda. You need to wear comfortable shoes, bring water with you and follow your mood to embrace the beauty of nature.
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James Huang - All rights reserved.
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