Tai'an Waterfall 泰安瀑布

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Tai'an Waterfall is a tall waterfall in Qidu District in Keelung City, Taiwan. It is easily accessible via a flat hiking path that takes about 10 minutes to complete, and includes amazing natural scenery. It's spectacular cascading falls are definitely worth a stop for anyone in Taiwan. 

Background:
Tai'an Waterfall is roughly 20 meters high and 2 meters wide (64 x 13 ft.). It is located on Cayan Mountain in Qidu. 
The rock formations that form the Waterfall formed as sediment under the ocean millions of years ago and were then uplifted thanks to the collision of the Eurasian and Phillipine plates. The rocks are mainly sedimentary and are part of the same formation that forms the special rock formations on the northern coast around Keelung.
The area also has some coal deposits, and there is an abandoned mine on the trail. 
The rocks here easily erode, making for odd shapes in the riverbed. 

Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free

When to go:
Go in the spring time when there is more rain. If you go during the dry season, the waterfall will be quite small. 
​
Difficulty:
​Easy

Activities:
Don't forget that there are many activities available in northern Taiwan such as Wakeboarding, Surfing, Speedboat Surfing, SUP / Paddle Boarding, Diving, Snorkeling Kayaking, Canoeing, Water Biking,  River Tracing / Canyoneering, ATVing, Horse Riding, Archery, Tree Climbing, Glamping, Motorcycling, Motorbike Tour, Dragon Boat Racing, Shen'ao Rail Bike, and more on Tripadvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here. 

​Hotels in Keelung:
We recommend Just Live Inn-Keelung and Yung Feng Hotel, which are two great quality hotels for a reasonable price in Keelung's City Center.
You can book Just Live Inn-Keelung on Booking.com here, Agoda here, Klook here, Hotels.com here, Trip.com here, or Kayak here. 
You can book Yung Feng Hotel on Booking.com here, Agoda here, Hotels.com here, Trip.com here, Klook here, or Kayak here.

How to get there:
By Train: Take the TRA to Ruifang Station, and then switch to the Pingxi Railway line. Get off at Shifen Station, then walk along the main road south until you reach the Shifen Waterfall trail. It will be hard to miss; there are signs along the way. You can purchase a discount easy card to use on the MRT and buses from Klook here or KKday here. ​You can also book an MRT travel pass on Klook here.
By Car/Scooter: Take provincial highway 2 east toward Pinglin, then get off the main highway once you reach Shifen. The waterfall is to the left of the main bridge across the valley, and parking is plentiful. Scooter parking is free at the entrance.  If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or  KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.  
Looking for scooter rental in northern Taiwan? You can search on Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can use Taiwan's many Youbike sharing stations, or search for rentals on KKday here, and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. You can also book a cycling tour on TripAdvisor here. 
For more information, check out our Taiwan transportation guide here. 
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Map:
Please see below

Our Journey:

I have only been to Tai'an Waterfall once. It is a bit out of the way even for me who lives in east Taipei. But it is one of the largest waterfalls in the Taipei Basin, if you can consider Qidu still part of the Taipei Basin. 

Traditional Qing dynasty era house along the way up the mountain. 

Appearently you can also see lots of butterflies along the trail here. 

There is plenty of parking here. There is a parking lot and you can also park along the side of the road. 

The first thing that will catch your eye is this man made waterfall along the trail. 

Map of the Tai'an waterfall trail area. 

You can walk dogs here, but not smoking or barbequing allowed. 

The trail up to the waterfall. There are some picnic tables here. 

First view of the falls. 

There is also a pavilion here and a stone building which was under renovation when I was there. 

This place seems to be a place to hide from the rain mostly. 

Rock that says "Tai'an Waterfall."

View of the waterfall from the bridge. 

People playing in the shallow river. It's way to shallow to swim in. 

There is also an old mine here that is blocked off.

A family of bats was hanging out back there. 

Closer view of the waterfall. 

You can see more photos of the waterfall in the gallery above. 

Looking back down the trail. 

On this trail, you can also hike to the top of the waterfall and look down. It is kind of scary. 

The trail goes beyond the waterfall a bit and leads to a pavilion in the woods. 

Small view of Keelung from the pavilion. 

Don't forget that there are many activities available in northern Taiwan such as Rock Climbing, Hiking, Wakeboarding, Surfing, Speedboat Surfing, SUP / Paddle Boarding, Diving, Snorkeling Kayaking, Canoeing, Water Biking,  River Tracing / Canyoneering, ATVing, Horse Riding, Cooking Class, Archery, Ice Skating, Roller Skating, Tree Climbing, Urban Camping, Glamping, Motorcycling, Motorbike Tour, and more on Tripadvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here. 

Check out our guide to Keelung here. 

Check out our guide to Taipei’s Waterfalls here. 

Check out our Taipei hiking and trails guide here. 

Check out our full guide to Taiwan’s Northern Coast here.

You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. 

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