Yinhedong Waterfall 銀河洞瀑布

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Yinhedong Waterfall (aka Yinhe Cave Waterfall) is an easily accessible sight in Xindian District of New Taipei, and perhaps the most picturesque in all of Taiwan. It is easily accessible by public transportation, and the hike takes less than ten minutes to get there from the trailhead. The waterfall includes a cave and temple that are great for taking phots. It's spectacular cascading falls are definitely worth a stop for anyone in Taiwan. 

Background:
Yinhedong Waterfall is about 30 meters high and is separated into two parts by a cave in the middle of the waterfall. It is located near the town of Xindian, and it's name literally means "Silver River Cave" or "Milky Way Cave."
The waterfall lies a tributary of the Qingtan River which runs down tho the Xindian River, which runs into the Tamsui River. The rocks here easily erode, making for odd shapes in the riverbed. 
The earliest known discovery of the waterfall is by Chen Qiuju, who led a rebellion against the Japanese and used the cave as his hideout. The Japanese later discovered the cave and in 1914 a temple was built in the cave. The temple was renovated in 1958, and now the main god worshipped is Guanyin Bodhisattva. 
Now the waterfall is a popular attraction in the mountains of New Taipei with many other popular trails nearby. ​

Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free

How to get there:
By Gondola: From Xindian MRT station, you can take the green 12 bus to Yinhedong Station. According the Google the fastest way to get to Yinhe Cave from central Taipei is by taking the Maokong Gondla to Maokong Station, then taking the trail down to Yinhe Road and the waterfall trail entrance. I't about a hal hour or 2KM walk from the Maokong Gondola to the trail entrance. 
By Car/Scooter: Take provincial highway 9 east from Xindian toward Pinglin, then turn left off the main highway once you reach Yinhe Road. The waterfall is to the right of the first switchback in the road, and car and scooter parking are free on the side of the road near the entrance.
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Map:
Please see below

Our Journey:

I admit that I ahve been to Yinhe cave only once. It was on a busy Saturday and I was lucky enough to see some sunshine light up the waterfall breifly. 

​Check out our drone video above for an overview of the area.

On highway 9, the turnoff to Yinhe Cave may be hard to find. Just follow the statue of Guanyin up the mountain on Yinhe Road. 

Once you reach the first switchback and this temple, you know you have arrived at the right place. 

From here you can see the prominent Chunghua Telecom tower which is still in service, even though there are usually no employees there, and a hiking trail also goes to the top of it. 

View of the trailhead. People park their scooters here. 

The trail leading up from the entrance. 

First mini waterfall on the trail. 

Be careful of falling rocks. 

The trail up to where you can see the waterfall only takes about 10 minutes and is just a few hundred meters. Because it is so easy to climb, lots of people come to visit especially on weekends. 

Map of the trail. 

Another view of the temple and trail. 

I took a lot of photos of the waterfall, so click on the gallery above to see all the different views. There are two little balconies to take photos on. Usually you will see people waiting in line for their friend to take a picture of them on the balcony in front of the waterfall.  

Shrine inside the temple cave. 

View outside the eight sided window. 

If you climb further, you can get behind the waterfall. 

View from the top of the waterfall. 

Water pouring down on the rocks in front of the cave. 

Looking back down the trail through the waterfall. 

Another God statue in the cave. 

Incence basin in front of the waterfall. 

See above for more photos behind the waterfall. 

I also visited the waterfall with my drone. 

Closer view of the waterfall via drone. 

View over Taipei from Yinhedog via drone.

For other great blogs on this hike, check out this blog by Spectral Codex, or this blog by Over the City. 

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more of our blogs on northern Taiwan to come!

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