Day Trip: Longdong Bay Cape Trail, Bitou Cape Trail and Golden Waterfall

We’ve taken several day trips to the north coast and this one has the best views by far. You’ll see the steep cliffs of Longdong Bay Cape Trail, then follow up with the Snow Mountain Range along Bitou Cape Trail and end your day with a hidden waterfall under Jiufen.

Start your day with the Longdong Bay Cape Trail. It’s not a challenging hike, more like a casual stroll, but the views are spectacular. As the name suggests, the trail traverses Longdong Cape, leading up to a viewing platform so you can admire the turmoil below. This is Taiwan’s northern most point. Consequently, you’ve got wind coming in from the east and west, creating wild waves below and a soundtrack for the day.

Continue following the Longdong trail, eventually you will come to a paved road. Walk down this until you see a stairway leading down into some trees. Take these stairs; you should see some signs for Longdong village. Truth be told, it’s not much of a village, just a few buildings strung together along the road. Don’t expect much in the way of refreshment.



From Longdong village, walk toward the tunnel. I promise this will all make sense when you’re there. There is a tunnel, you can’t miss it and you can see it from the village. This tunnel is your next destination, because the Bitou trail head is located just on the other side of it. Yes, you do have to go through the tunnel to get to the trail. It sounds intense, but the walk isn’t bad. From Longdong village, the tunnel is probably less than 30 minutes away.

Between Longdong village and the tunnel, you’ll pass through Londong Bay Ocean Park. This is a great spot to eat some lunch and take a break. During the summer months, you can even go swimming in one of the park’s many ocean fed pools. You’ll have to bring your own towel though, the facilities look pretty sparse.



After you get to the tunnel and walk through, you will be right next to the Bitou trail head. It is literally right there. Despite being so close, the views are different from Longdong, but just as beautiful. Instead of sweeping cliffs, you’ll see Taiwan’s northern most mountain range pressed right up against the Pacific Ocean. The terrain is also different. With its inclines and declines, this is definitely the more thrilling trail. That said, it’s still easy and short. You’ll be able to do both trails in one day with no problem.

Early on, the Bitou trail passes by an elementary school. Don’t be confused, this is supposed to happen. I’d hate to have that walk every morning, but at least the students have a pretty cool view. There’s even a really pretty cemetery that you can check out. Other things to look out for include an old army fort, a miniature great wall and bathrooms. (The trail is littered with them.)



The trail is a loop and you’ll end up exactly where you started. From here, hop a bus or hail a cab to the Golden Waterfall. It’s not far and you will not be disappointed. While it isn’t one large falls, like Shifen, Golden Waterfall is beautiful and definitely unique (even if it does look more orange than gold).The waterfall is made up of several tiny falls all clumped together in one place and it’s not small. Honestly, we were expecting it to be a little lackluster and almost skipped it, but are glad we didn’t. They were one of the highlights of the day.

With its beautiful views and hidden waterfalls, this is an amazing trip. Be warned there’s a lot of walking and not much food along the way, so come prepared. There are plenty of great spots for a picnic. We even ran into a few people who had brought little stoves with them and were cooking. Actually, we also ran into someone who was hiking with a rabbit… on a leash… that happened. While I question the sanity of this, I must admit that is was a cute rabbit. It was so happy that it tried to hop right off the mountain while its owners weren’t looking.

Before I forget, you also need to bring sunscreen and toilet paper. Learn from our mistakes and wear sunscreen. I don’t care if it’s a cloudy day in November, you will BURN. Also, bathrooms aren’t a problem, just use them as you see them. There’s one at the beginning of Longdong trail, one at the ocean park and then several along the Bitou Cape Trail. There are even some porta potties set up at the Golden Waterfall. Apparently, the sound of running water really does have that effect on people. That’s it. Remember to bring your camera.

Getting Around

Take bus 1811 from Taipei Bus Station, located just outside of Taipei Main Station. There’s a bus at eight o’clock in the morning and then another one that leaves at nine. Show up a little early so that you can buy bus tickets at the counter and reserve a seat in advance. This will save you so much headache as most people don’t think to do it and then end up without a seat or having to wait for the next bus. Take the bus all the way to the Longdong Bay Cape Trail and from there get started on your day. It’s a comfortable ride that doesn’t break the bank. The one-way trip will cost you just over $100 NTD ($3 USD).

Stay on the bus until after you pass through Nanya village. Once you pass through the village, start counting tunnels. The bus will go through one tunnel and then a second tunnel. You want to get off directly after this second tunnel. In fact, hit the “let me off” button while the bus is going through the SECOND tunnel. From the bus stop, walk back up toward the temple. You’ll see it. This is where the Longdong Bay Cape Trail begins.

To get back to Taipei, I recommend just grabbing a taxi from Golden Waterfall. You might be able to find one that will bring you all the way home for $1,000 NTD ($30 USD). This price split between two to four people is excellent and well worth it. If you don’t want to splurge on a taxi, you can catch the Golden Fulong scenic bus up to Jiufen and from there cue up for the highway bus 1062 back to Taipei. I have friends who swear by this bus. It comes frequently and will get you home for around $100 NTD per person.