First-time visitors to southern Taiwan often split their time between Tainan and Alishan. Tainan, which served as the island’s administrative capital until 1887, last year celebrated the 400th anniversary of its founding as a Dutch trading post. Thanks to an abundance of temples, historic architecture, and charming alleyways, it’s regarded as one of East Asia’s most characterful cities. Alishan, by contrast, offers sublime mountain vistas and lush forests.

Driving from one to the other seldom takes more than three hours, but there are dozens of reasons to make it an all-day journey. Between the coastal plain and the uplands, travelers can find natural, cultural, and culinary treasures.

Some of these attractions fall within the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area. Tainan’s Qigu District is both the southernmost part of the scenic area and, as many ornithologists know, is a key wintering ground for the black-faced spoonbill, a waterbird species that in recent years has bounced back from near extinction. Even closer to the lagoons and mudflats of Qigu is Sicao Green Tunnel, where sightseeing rafts glide beneath a gorgeous canopy. For photo enthusiasts, it’s a great spot to capture dense, vibrant greenery.

Those who head east from the former capital will soon find themselves in the vicinity of Tainan Shan-Shang Garden and Old Waterworks Museum. A monument to the transformation of Taiwan during the 1895-1945 period of Japanese colonial rule, this site preserves century-old water-purification infrastructure in a zone that encompasses art and ecology as well as heritage buildings.

Visitors who want to go even further back in time should set aside half a day for Yanshui, one of Tainan’s most northerly districts. Today it is a town of just 24,000 people, but it once ranked among Taiwan’s four most important hubs of commerce. In days past, moving goods from one part of the island to another required boats, but even the flat-bottomed vessels used in that era could no longer access Yanshui once the waterways that linked it to the sea began filling with silt.

Its subsequent backwater status has left it noticeably unmodernized. Even though its most distinctive structure, the 178-year-old, stone-and-wood Bajiao (Octagon) Building, is being repaired following damage by a recent typhoon, Yanshui remains a place with the kind of intense character that rewards visitors who are curious about what lies around the next corner and willing to explore slowly on foot.

Like many places in Greater Tainan, Yanshui is easily reached by bus. Yet private vehicles and buses aren’t the only options when it comes to getting around the region. Much of the Mountains to Sea National Greenway, Taiwan (MSTW) — a 177-km-long trail connecting Tainan’s coast with Taiwan’s loftiest point, the 3,952-meter-high main peak of Mount Jade (Yushan) — is designed for walkers and cyclists.

The MSTW’s 31 routes are divided into four thematic sections. From west to east, the first of these is the Inner Sea Trail, named for the lagoons which define the landscape. En route, travelers can break their journey at the National Museum of Taiwan History, the Museum of Archaeology (Tainan Branch of the National Museum of Prehistory), or the Asia-Pacific International Baseball Stadium. The last of these recently served as the principal venue for the WBSC Under-12s Baseball World Cup.

The second is the Canal Trail, which incorporates parts of the Jianan Irrigation System, constructed during the Japanese era to transform the Tainan-Chiayi plain from a drought-prone hinterland into a highly productive farmland. Inland of Zengwen Dam, the biggest reservoir in Taiwan by volume, the route is designated the Indigenous Trail, as it traverses the homeland of the Tsou people, one of Taiwan’s 16 Austronesian tribes.

The Sacred Mountain Trail completes the epic journey. To protect the mountain’s ecosystems, access to Mount Jade is strictly controlled, so those hoping to hike to the highest peak in Northeast Asia must first obtain the proper permits.

To foster tourism throughout the region, Taiwan’s Tourism Administration (TA) has facilitated the creation of the Southwest Coast Tourism Union. This destination marketing organization is energetically promoting the area by simplifying planning for tourists and itinerary designers alike. Like the country’s other tourism unions — there are now 18 — it brings together businesses, nonprofits, government units, and other stakeholders committed to amplifying the efforts of the TA’s Southwest Coast National Scenic Area while developing sustainable tourism for the benefit of both visitors and locals.

Attractions highlighted on the Southwest Coast Tourism Union’s website range from the Qigu Visitor Center in Tainan to an eel farm in Yunlin County. The former is located just east of Qigu’s landmark “salt mountain” and just west of the Taiwan Salt Museum, which is currently undergoing a complete renovation. The latter cultivates high-quality eels for restaurants and home consumption while educating visitors about eel farming.

Agriculture, aquaculture, and ocean fishing continue to play major roles in the local economy. Proponents of “slow food” and “slow travel” should find a lot they like here, and those who hope to minimize their food miles will be pleased to learn that much of what they’re eating is locally sourced. Whether it’s mullet roe (a delicacy known in Japan as karasumi), washed and then dried under the sun in Yunlin’s Kouhu Township, or milkfish and shrimp raised side-by-side in a pond in Qigu (a feed-efficient and eco-friendly practice known as polyculture), the southwest is eternally bountiful.

With a busy international airport not far away in Kaohsiung, and high-speed railway stations in Tainan and Chiayi, Taiwan’s southwest is an appealing location for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) travel.

TOURIST INFORMATION
Travelers considering a visit to Taiwan’s southwest can gather additional information from the following websites:
Siraya National Scenic Area (multi-language)
Southwest Coast National Scenic Area (multi-language)
Southwest Coast Tourism Union (multi-language)
Tainan City Government Tourism Bureau (multi-language)
Tourism Administration (Ministry of Transportation and Communications) (multi-language)
Meet Taiwan (MICE) (bilingual)
The 24-hour tourist information hotline (0800-011-765) is toll-free within Taiwan and staffed by speakers of English, Japanese, and Chinese.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Tourism Administration and the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ International Trade Administration are collaborating to encourage international travelers attending MICE events in Taiwan to explore the country through its Travel Incentive Program. In 2025, the Program offers travel incentives of up to NT$2,000 per person per visit, and a maximum of NT$600,000 per proposal. The goal is to boost the development of both MICE and tourism industries, thereby promoting economic growth.