A simple Google search for Alishan will give you return results of ‘The 5 Wonders of Alishan’ – one of which includes the popular sunrise scene.
Witnessing the first sunrise of the year holds great significance to many and for that, it is taken very seriously. We found the special spot that locals have prepared to celebrate the coming of the new year!
A 15-minute walk from the Zhushan Station 祝山車站 will get you away from the massive crowd and to this hidden gem.
Overview
- Getting your tickets
- On the train
- Highest train station in Taiwan
- Walking towards the best sunrise spot
- Waiting for Sunrise
- Getting back to Alishan Station
Getting your tickets
The best way is by taking the morning railway train and get off at Zhushan Station 祝山車站.
You have to get your tickets a day before at level 2 of Alishan Station 阿里山火車站. Otherwise, you need to purchase at least half an hour before the train sets off which is around 4.30 am on that day itself.
Price: 150 TWD
The morning departure time is announced at Alishan Station everyday after 4.30 pm – so you need to take note of your timing when you are purchasing the tickets since it is different for each time of the year.
On the train
There will be a queue to board the first train, a long one but it moves very quickly since every train will be packed. The train is heading towards Zhushan Station but will also stop at Chaoping Station to pick up other passengers before proceeding. Don’t get off, just continue the journey as Zhushan is the last station.
Arriving at the highest train station in Taiwan
Zhushan Station is the highest train station in Taiwan at an elevation of 2,451 meters (8,041 feet).
Once you debark the train, you’ll see a signboard that shows the sunrise timing and the timing of the last train back to Alishan Station. The signboard is prominent so it is hard to miss it.
At that time, you are also likely to be freezing and hungry but don’t forget, you’re in Taiwan – that means food vendors will always be at wherever you are at. Once you exit the station, you’ll see rows of stalls selling steaming hot sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, hot coffee plus whatever you name it, they got it.
Most people will stay at Zhushan Station and wait for the sunrise but not you and me – so read on to find out how you can head to the locals’ spot.
Walking towards the best sunrise spot
Seeing the crowd at Zhushan observation deck, we knew we can’t fully enjoy our sunrise moment for sure. Not even a minute before we decided to try out the next nearest spot on the Google Maps so here we are.
If you walk straight out from the station exit, that’s where all the people are heading to. So take a left turn and pass by the last food vendor, there is another path.
Follow the trail until you reach a split path, one with a wooden platform – takes about 10 minutes to reach here. Prepare to on your torch since it’s still dark.
You should be able to see the signage that points you in the right direction. Continue on the wooden platform and in about 5 minutes, you’ll reach Duigaoyue Sunrise Platform 對高岳觀日坪.
Follow Google Maps for the exact location.
Waiting for Sunrise
It was definitely freezing for us tropical beings so if you’re too, a reminder to wear a few more layers or buy some heat packs from the 7-eleven and bring it with you.
While we were there very close to the new year, tentages and decorations were set-up at the platform getting ready to welcome the first sunrise of 2019.
Depending on what time of the year you are there, the sun rises from a different direction and they do have a board with specific indication you can refer to and we thought that it was accurate for us!
While waiting, we enjoyed the breathtaking mountains sight, thick layers of clouds and ridiculously fresh air. We waited for almost an hour for the sunrise and the actual rise only took a few seconds but was definitely one of the most glaring sunrise I have ever seen.
Getting back to Alishan Station
You could head back to Zhushan Station and buy a ticket back to Alishan Station or you can walk about 40 minutes, mostly downslope but a little bit of upslope towards the end.
By taking the walking route, we naturally ticked off a few major attractions such as:
- Sister Lakes 姊妹潭
- Magnolia Garden 木蘭園
- Shouzhen Temple 阿里山受鎮宮
- Three Generation Tree 三代木
- Sacred Tree Station 神木車站
Basically, almost all that is to cover within the scenic area!
Tip! If you’re with elderly or children, you can stop at Sacred Tree station and get a ticket back to Alishan so you can skip the upslope towards the end.
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