If you’re researching Thousand Island Lake, you’ve probably seen tons of beautiful pictures of it. I’m here to tell you it really is beautiful!
THOUSAND ISLAND LAKE (千島湖)
Thousand Island Lake is also known as “Crocodile Island” because it looks like a crocodile. Do you see it? Despite the name, it doesn’t actually have “a thousand islands” and it actually isn’t a “lake”.
The water comes from Beishi River (北勢溪), which flows between New Taipei and Yilan. In 1987, Taiwan created a dam that submerged the mountains in the area, making “islands”.
The resulting landscape looked similar to one in China (also man-made) and so they gave it the same name.
LOCATION: This beautiful view is located in Shiding District of New Taipei, which is just outside of Taipei.
READ MORE: Taipei Travel Guide
HOW TO GET THERE:
By Car: The most convenient way to get there is by car. A car will give you more flexibility and you will be able to visit more viewpoints in the area.
Be very careful though. Thousand Island Lake is situated on Taipei’s notorious Number Nine Highway (北宜公路). It is a narrow and winding mountain road. Tons of Fast and Furious wannabes like to drive fast cars and scooters down this road.
Address: 223, New Taipei City, Shiding District
Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/ncawEgaSuykcfCmeA
By Public Transportation: This is the method we used to get there.
- Take the MRT to Xindian Station.
- Take bus G12 (Green #12 – towards Pinglin 坪林)
- Get off at Xiaogetou bus stop.
- Follow the white signs for “Crocodile Island (鱷魚島)”. It’s about a 20-30 minute walk to the viewpoint from the bus stop.
Google Maps said it would take 3-4 hours to get there, but it actually only took us about an hour and a half from Xindian Station.
There are other viewpoints, tea plantations, and Pinglin Village (坪林), which you can also consider visiting. However, we were tied to a bus schedule and we felt the view was sufficient for our visit. If you do visit with a car, I highly recommend exploring more of the area.
TRAVEL TIPS:
- If you are prone to motion sickness, take note that you are riding a bus up a winding mountain road. The bus ride should be about 40 minutes.
- Check the bus schedule. This is not a bus that runs often. We got on the 12:24pm bus and the one after that was 2:22pm. On the way back, we caught the 4:35pm bus.
- There is a queue for the bus. We sat on the side and waited, not knowing there was a queue. When we finally got in line and got on the bus, all the seats were taken. We just stood for a bit at the beginning of the ride, but we got seats as people got off.
- Bring lots of water. My friend and I regretted not bringing more than one bottle of water. There’s a 7 eleven right in front where you board the bus.
- If you go during summer months, like we did, wear sunscreen or bring an umbrella. The Taiwan sun is not to be messed with.
- Bring tissues. There is a public restroom right off the highway when you get off the bus, but there’s no toilet paper. I forgot to bring tissues. Luckily, the small dessert shop next store, let me have some.
- While we were waiting to take pictures, there were a lot of flies and bees flying around us.
- After you get to the viewing platform, a little further up, there are a set of stairs going down. The stairs are a short hike, but be careful. They’re not even so it’s very easy to lose your balance or trip. The dirt on the sides are also very loose so be very careful. There was one spot in the picture taking area that everyone kept slipping on.
I hope this was helpful and you enjoy your visit!
Tina xoxo
