Baxian Caves 八仙洞

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The Baxian Caves (aka Baxiandong) on the east coast in Taitung County have the earliest evidence of humans living in Taiwan, including stone tools dating back to over 30,000 years ago. In recent times the caves were converted into Taiwan folk religion temples, but now all of the 30 caves in the area have been reclaimed by the government to preserve this important archaeological site. The area is now open to the public, and there are trails and a large park in front of the caves.

Background:
The Baxian Caves were originally underwater until geological forces between the Philippine and Eurasian tectonic plates forced the ground upward. 
The first traces of people living here date back to 30,000 years ago during the late Paleolithic age. They were thought to have crossed a land bridge between what is now Fujian Province of China and Taiwan, and created what is known as the Changbin Culture, and stayed here until about 1500 years ago during the late stone age. After that, their culture mysteriously disappeared. 
The people that lived in the caves were mostly hunter-gatherers that used stone tools, and used the caves as shelter. 
Later the area was inhabited by the Amis Aboriginie Tribe (阿美族) who have lived there since at least 1500 BC, and called the area Lohan, which means caves. 
After the area was settled by Han Chinese farmers, there arose a legend that the caves were home to the eight immortals (八仙 Baxian), from where the caves now get their name  and many temples were built in the caves here, as well as to other gods such as the Earth God, Buddha, Guanyin, and others. 

Price:
Free
Parking:
60 NT for cars, 20 NT for scooters. 
You can book a tour to Taitung with Klook here or KKday here. 

Hours:
8:30 AM PM every day. 

How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: We recommend taking Provincial Highway 11 from Taitung north 30km to the caves. Feel free to stop and enjoy the scenery along the way. You can also try to coming south down from Hualien. 
Looking for scooter rental in Taitung? You can search Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here.
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search KKday here or Klook here. You can check out our car rental guide here.
By Bus: You can take bus 8102 or 8103 from Taitung, but according to Google this will take about 3 hours. You can also try to coming south down from Hualien. You can book tickets to travel to Taitung via inter-city bus on Klook here. 
Book tickets via the normal train (TRA)  on Klook here.

Accommodation:
Booking accommodation in the Taitung can be difficult in the summer months and on weekends when rooms can be fully booked for months in advance. We suggest a better quality selection on Agoda.com. 
We have stayed at and recommend the Papago International Resort in Chishang (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), which is a five star hotel with private villas with pools for each room, and Mountain and Ocean B & B in Taimali (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), which is a quiet and affordable B&B right next to the beach. 
You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here.  
Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. 
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Tours:
There are many tours and activities such as snorkeling, diving, SUPing, Surfing, Speed Boating, Glamping, River tracing and more in Taitung. You can find more tours of Taitung on Klook here or KKday here. 

Just to let you know, if you book using the links above, we get some commission at no cost to you, and you can help support our blog. 
You can click here to receive $5 USD on your first Klook purchase. 

Map: Please see the map below:

Our Journey:

I have been to the Baxian Caves twice, once in 2020 and once in 2021 and both times the caves were closed for fear of rock falls. However, the caves are now open for you to explore. 

View of the Baxian cave park from the roadside. 

I'm not sure if the park was closed because of rock falls due to earthquakes or COVID or what, but it was closed when I went. 

Here are some photos of the park that I took. 

The trail then leads to the 30 or so caves inside this cliff. The cliffs reach over 300 feet above sea level. Unfortunately the trail to the caves was closed off when I visited. 

And we were quickly on our way down the east coast. 

There are many tours and activities such as snorkeling, diving, SUPing, Surfing, Speed Boating, Glamping, River tracing and more in Taitung. You can find more tours of Taitung on Klook here or KKday here. ​

Check out our full guide to Taitung here, our guide to Taiwan’s East Rift Valley here, and our guide to  Taiwan’s East Coast here.
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​You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. 

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