New Taipei City Travel

Tamsui Kavalan Trails refer generally to the major traffic route from Tamsui Sub-Prefecture to Kavalan Sub-Prefecture of the Qing Dynasty. “Liulanglu Sightseeing Hiking Trail” was previously a push car railway from Ruifang to Jiufen with a total distance of approximately 1.6km, making it suitable for hiking beginners’ debut route to experience Tamsui Kavalan Trails. After leaving Ruifang Train Station, go straight for approximately 100m and you will spot Ruifang Food Court, which offers historic pork thick soup, Taiwanese pork chop rice… It is a gourmet center with 25 years of history! After renovation, the dining environment has become more comfortable; with the air conditioning, you won’t get all sweaty while you eat. There is such an amazing selection of tasty food in Ruifang; before leaving the Trail, it is recommended to visit on your way home the famous dessert shop in the area – Misty Cake, and bring home a golden puff made of sweet potato, a local specialty, as a reward for your workout! There are cooling and refreshing lush greens along Liulanglu Sightseeing Hiking Trail. Once reaching Liulangtou Observation Deck at the top, visitors can have a bird’s eye view of the splendid sceneries in Badouzi, Keelung and Ruifang. Stepping outside the Trail and you will be in Jiufen! Many people may not know that there is actually a Jiufen Gold Ore Museum, which is different from the widely known Gold Museum. It was founded by an old miner Mr. Tseng Shui-chih and has a display of various kinds of mining tools; visitors will also have the opportunity to experience gold panning here! Let us bring you the mountain town’s night view of Jiufen Old Street as the ending of your journey – enjoy the mountain town sceneries that grow more and more strikingly beautiful at night!

Rumor has it that the name “Canguangliao” (“canguang” means shining light in Chinese) comes from the scenery when mountains, full of yellowish and white silver grass in fall, give spectacular light rays formed under the sun beams, making Canguangliao Historic Trail a “golden shining” scenic route! From Mudan Train station, take a bus to Shisanceng Old Tree Stop and walk for 10 minutes, and you will arrive at “Canguangliao Historic Trail Entrance”. Along the Trail, visitors will pass by the historic site of Jinguashi Water Pumping Station, small waterfalls, historic site of old grocery store, Jinshan Fude Temple, and more, and they will ultimately arrive at Shumeiping Observation Deck. The total distance is nearly 5km with a walking time of approximately 3 hours; the level portions of the Trail are constructed with stairs of relatively lower difficulty level for walking. Moreover, Canguangliao Mountain is the highest amongst Keelung Volcano Group, so visitors can even look over to Taipei City and Northeast Coast when there is nice weather with an expansive view. After exiting the Trail, follow County Route 102 to Jinguashi Geological Park, where was previously Benshan Mine. Visitors here will have the opportunity to observe traces of the most original mining sights. Then continue traveling to the nearby Jinguashi Shinto Shrine, which was built during the period of Japanese rule in response to the mining development. Even though it is all abandoned now, visitors can still have a glimpse of the sacred and solemn ambiance from the remains of the historic site. If you are interested in having more in-depth experiences of Jinguashi’s golden age, you can continue walking down to the Gold Museum, which is a museum campus transformed from the gold mining areas in the old days. Activities here will include learning about the mining history, the gold culture, and experiencing gold panning; spending a whole afternoon here will be no problem at all. At the end of the journey, visitors will connect to Jiufen Old Street, where they are recommended to order a bowl of cold or hot taro balls or to find a tea place and enjoy a cup of good tea, taking some time to savor this “golden” journey as they take a rest.