Yushan — Local services in Xinyi Township

I feel so blessed with the perfect weather—sunny and warm! I tackled the main peak, front peak, and north peak that day. Initially, I was torn between starting with the main or north peak, but to avoid the crowds, I chose the north peak, which offered a view of the Golden Triangle—just like the iconic 1000NTD view. There were moments when I almost gave up, but the amazing Taiwanese uncles and aunties kept encouraging me to push a little further. It’s unbelievable that I made it! They even shared their snacks and food to fuel me up. I never realized hiking alone could be so enjoyable until I met these kind people along the way. Their warmth made the whole experience unforgettable. No wonder people say Taiwanese are even more stunning than the views themselves! I LOVE TAIWAN!

As for the logistics, the food from the catering service was decent, and they even provide sleeping bags if you order from them. You can choose your preferred breakfast time (between 1:30–3:00 AM). The Paiyun Lodge was fantastic—complete with a dry room where you can hang your raincoat and store your belongings if you don’t make it there before 10 AM. There's also a small corner for stretching your legs. Plus, they offer 24/7 hot water, so be sure to bring your tumbler along! These thoughtful details made the experience even more enjoyable.

A huge shoutout to all the staff up there and the porters who carry all the food and supplies up to the lodge. Thank you so much for making everything run so smoothly and for all...

Made a 2-day trek to Yushan Main Peak. On the first day, we started from the Tataka parking lot and hiked to the Paiyun Lodge. Originally I wasn't planning on getting up the next morning to summit at sunrise but my hubby convinced me it would be worth it. So we left the lodge the next day at 2:30 am and made it to the top by 4:10 am - a little more than an hour before sunrise at 5:17 am. Even then, the clouds were incredible given the little bit of light. The sunrise show started around 4:30 am and my hubby was right - definitely worth getting up early. We stayed on the peak to await the rest of our crew who slept in and trickled in from 8:30- 9:00 am. We took lots of group pics and the latter group did a little exploring of the top before heading down at around 9:15 am. So my hubby and I ended up spending 5+ hours at the top. I think I had at least 2-3 naps in that time. Got super lucky with the weather. No rain and just a bit of fog in the afternoons when we needed it to keep the sun from...

Difficulty: 6/10 4 star: cos unlucky with the weather, I didn’t see the sunrise.

Climbing Yushan was no mean feat, but much easier than Kilimanjaro and Rinjani for me. Strong winds at the top, so please be careful. Dress warmly, bring gloves, beanie and thick jacket.

Day 1 - I walked about 9.5km from the start point Tataka mountaineering information centre to Paiyun lodge.

Day 2- we woke up early for breakfast, around 2am, then we departed one hour later to hike to the peak. I had my reservations as it was raining, but still decided to go ahead. I met some other travelers who also braved the rain to hike to the peak, only to be disappointed by a lack of a sunrise. Nevertheless the experience was great. We then headed back to the lodge for a short rest, before hiking back down to the original start point, in order to leave the national park. Some of the more adventurous people even went to hike the northern and eastern...