Taoyuan Travel: Waterfalls of Sanmin Bat Cave

Travel Date: 2023/06/22

Dragon Boat Festival, so we had a 4-day long holiday. Unfortunately, it seems that the weather wasn't too good. When we arrived at Sanmin Bat Cave, it was already cloudy. We also tried to visit Jiguopai Church, but it wasn't open for visiting.

Afterwards, we planned to go to Daxi Old Street, but the town was packed with people, and we couldn't find any parking space. After driving around the town for half an hour trying to find a spot, we gave up and went to a smaller nearby town to find some food.

Unfortunately, our son got a bit sick afterwards, so we ended up spending the long weekend at home instead of traveling.

Sanmin Bat Cave (三民蝙蝠洞) 

Sanmin Bat Cave (三民蝙蝠洞) is located in the valley in the north of Sanmin Village. It's a huge natural cave and is known as Shuilian Cave because of the spring water above the cave entrance. The cave got its name due to its rough and primitive terrain beside a valley, attracting a large number of bats to inhabit here. In the past, thousands of bats lived here, adding to the mysterious atmosphere.

The trail to the bat cave is about 600 meters long, gently sloped, and paved with stone bricks. It takes around 20 minutes to walk to the Bat Cave. Along the trail, there are many trees providing shade, making the walk cool and comfortable. Rest areas with wooden seats are available along the road for those who need a break. There is also a toilet at the beginning of the path. During our walk, we even encountered a friendly pig!

About 450 meters along the trail, you'll reach the observation deck from which you can see mountains in the distance.

The cave entrance is about 20 meters high, 50 meters wide inside, and around 20 meters deep. The shape of the cave resembles a half-moon, and although the bats have migrated to other places, the cave's landscape still attracts many tourists who come to explore its wonders.

In front of the cave, there are two pools, a large one, and a smaller one. A 15-meter-high waterfall flows down, forming a deep pool with a diameter of about 10 meters. The environment is cool and pleasant, making it a suitable place to escape the summer heat.

Unfortunately, we didn't know that swimming isn't allowed here anymore. Five years ago, it was totally fine to swim, and we even saw a few kids playing in the water during our previous visit. However, it seems that it has become a less popular swimming spot due to the government's increasing restrictions on entering waters following accidents and drownings. Interestingly, despite numerous accidents and deaths on the roads, cars and scooters are still allowed.

We arrived around noon, but there was barely any sunshine, and the water was cold. There is parking space for about 5 cars, while others are parked in front of someone's home (though we're not sure if it's permitted). Public transportation in Taiwan is available, as we noticed a bus station nearby, making it unnecessary to drive.  

See also: Hsinchu Fengxiang Falls

Check out my YouTube video

Jiguopai Church (基國派老教堂)

Afterwards, we also tried to visit Jiguopai Church (基國派老教堂), but unlike in the past, there is now a fence around it, making it impossible to visit.

This Presbyterian Church was built in 1964. The building was reconstructed after 2000, following the collapse of the roof, which caused damage to the building. The church is renowned as the most beautiful stone church in Taiwan.

During Japanese rule, Christianity was restricted in Taiwan. It wasn't until the war ended in 1945 that the first Christian community was established in Sanmin village. In the early years, prayers were held in the homes of church members until the construction of the church could be completed.

This picture is one that I took back in 2018: 

Address:

1. Sanmin Bat Cave: 336桃園市復興區東側五寮溪溪谷內
2. Jiguopai Church: 336桃園市復興區基國產業道路1號

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Taoyuan Travel: Jiaobanshan Park - the Plum Festival

Travel Date: 2019/01/20

Jiaoban Mt. Park (角板山公園)

It's plum blossom season, so this time we visited Jiaobanshan Park (also known as Fuxing Park), which has the largest plantation of plum trees. Plums are the earliest blossoms to be seen and are also the national flower of Taiwan. Currently, only a portion of the trees are in bloom, but many tourists have already come to visit. From the park, you can also walk to see the suspension bridge. Many people park on the other side of the bridge and hike to the park and back.

On the way to the park, near Shimen Reservoir, we could also see many maple trees, some more red than others. In the park, there are a few large trees and some cherry trees as well. You can also find Banyan Trees planted by Chiang Kai-shek and Madame Chiang. Due to the plum blossoms in bloom, the Xikou Suspension Bridge is free of charge this week (Jan 14 - Jan 21). We took advantage of the opportunity to walk on the longest suspension bridge in Taiwan. Since it was a working Saturday for many people, we were hoping for fewer crowds.

The park attracts many tourists, and cars park quite far away, so everyone walks to the park. Even the parking spaces were full everywhere. We arrived around noon and were lucky to find a parking spot as someone was leaving. We had to park 1 km away, which seemed close enough. The mountain view around Shihmen is very beautiful.

Jiaobanshan Park spans 2 hectares and has more than 300 plum trees. Most of the maple trees in the park have already lost their leaves, but if you drive closer to the reservoir, you can still see some. The park also has some cherry trees, but they haven't bloomed yet, except for a few single flowers.

You can follow the road down the park, which leads to Dahan Creek. We attempted to go there, but it wasn't easy with a baby. We gave up before reaching halfway, and I only took pictures of the suspension bridge from that point. It seemed to be quite far away, and we still had to climb back up... There was no shuttle bus available during this week. Suspension bridges scare me, although this time I wanted to see this bridge from a closer view. We decided to drive there after climbing back up and walking to the car, which also wasn't very close.

It took about a 30-minute drive from the park to reach the bridge. The parking area was 1 km away, and we had to walk for a while. This place was quite empty. Typically, people park around here and cross the bridge to hike up and see the park. To me, that sounds really tiring, especially having to walk both ways. The view from the bridge wasn't particularly special, but the view from the park, with the water surrounded by mountains, was beautiful. Xikou Suspension Bridge spans 330 meters, making it the longest bridge in Taiwan. It has been a tourist attraction since its inauguration in January 2018. The bridge is open from 8 am to 4:30 pm.

See also: Plum blossom in Meiling Scenic Area

  

  

Address:

336桃園市復興區中正路2號角板山公園

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Taoyuan Travel: Sanmin's Bat Cave and Jiguopai Church

Sanmin Bat Cave (三民蝙蝠洞)

Travel Date: 2018/07/04

Mountains in Taoyuan, not far from the Shihmen Reservoir, hide a truly beautiful natural place called the Sanmin Bat Cave (三民蝙蝠洞). Just a week ago, we visited an abandoned theme park from which we also noticed the reservoir, but the rainy day prevented us from exploring further.

The Sanmin Bat Cave is a large natural cave located in Sanmin Village. The waterfall there is incredibly picturesque. The water pool near the waterfall can be as deep as 10 meters, attracting many people who enjoy swimming there. During the rainy season, the cave also becomes filled with water.

In the past, the cave was home to a large number of bats. After its discovery in 1931, people started hunting the bats. As the number of visitors increased, the bats were forced to migrate and eventually almost disappeared from the area.

See also newer post about Sanmin Bat Cave: HERE

Tuba Tribe Church (Jiguopai Church (基國派老教堂))

Nearby, you can also visit the Tuba Tribe Church (Jiguopai Church). This Presbyterian church was originally built in 1964. After the roof collapsed and caused damage to the building, it was reconstructed after 2000. The church is renowned as the most beautiful stone church in Taiwan.

During the period of Japanese rule, Christianity was restricted in Taiwan, and it wasn't until the end of the war in 1945 that the first Christian presence was established in Sanmin Village. In the early years, prayers were held in the homes of church members until the construction of the church could be completed.

Unfortunately, it's not allowed to go inside the church. Many people, including myself, were curious to see its interior. I managed to take only one picture through a window.

Address:

1. Sanmin Bat Cave: 336桃園市復興區東側五寮溪溪谷內
2. Jiguopai Church: 336桃園市復興區基國產業道路1號

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