Thousand Island Lake and Pinglin Tea Plantation Day Trip

Thousand Island Lake in Shiding

Thousand Island Lake lies in Shiding, a rural district of New Taipei City about 40 minutes from the centre. The lake is part of the catchment of the Feitsui Reservoir, which supplies drinking water to Taipei, and when the valley was flooded the tops of the surrounding hills became dozens of small islands covered in forest. Seen from above, the winding arms of green water and the wooded islands create one of the most peaceful landscapes near the capital.

The tour stops for about 20 minutes at a viewpoint above the lake, the best spot for photos. Because the area protects the city's water, boating is restricted, which keeps the scenery quiet and natural. If you are wondering how to get to Thousand Island Lake, public transport is limited and the mountain roads are narrow, so a guided tour with transport is by far the easiest option.

Bagua Tea Garden

A short drive from the viewpoint, Bagua Tea Garden is a hillside plantation whose curving rows of tea bushes follow the contours of the slope. From the top, the neat bands of green resemble the lines of the Eight Trigrams, the ancient symbols of Chinese philosophy, which gives the garden its name. The pattern changes with the light, and mist often drifts across the terraces in the cooler months.

You spend about 25 minutes here, enough to walk to the lookout and photograph the terraces with the lake behind them. The mild, humid climate and the slopes around the reservoir make this area ideal for growing tea, and your guide explains how the leaves are picked by hand, usually several times a year, and why altitude and mist affect the flavour.

Pinglin Tea Museum

About 15 minutes from Shiding, the town of Pinglin is the heart of Wenshan Pouchong tea production. The Pinglin Tea Museum, built in the style of a traditional southern Fujian courtyard house, is one of the largest museums dedicated to tea in the world. Its exhibitions trace the history of tea in Taiwan, from the first plants brought across the strait to the modern tea industry, with old tools for picking, rolling and roasting leaves.

You also learn about the different families of Taiwanese tea, from lightly oxidised pouchong to the honey-scented Oriental Beauty, and the rituals of tea preparation. The museum grounds include a pond and gardens that are pleasant to stroll through. Plan about an hour here. Pinglin Tea Museum opening hours are usually daytime only and it closes on some weekdays, which is why the visit is built into the afternoon schedule.

Pinglin Old Street and the tea shop

The last stop is Pinglin Old Street, a short lane of shops by the river selling tea leaves, tea-flavoured snacks and local produce. Here you enter a family tea shop where your guide and a tea instructor introduce Taiwanese tea and show you how to brew it properly: warming the pot, measuring the leaves, timing each infusion and pouring into small cups so everyone receives the same strength.

You then sip several teas and compare their aromas and colours, a relaxed and very sociable moment. Packets of tea are available if you wish to take some with you. The best time to visit Pinglin is in spring, when the new season's tea is picked, or in autumn, when the weather is mild and clear. At the end, the vehicle returns to Taipei, with drop-off in the Xinyi district or at MRT Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station.