Geography Taiwan Trip

A group of iGCSE students embarked on a trip to Taiwan last week. This location was picked due to all of its geographical features and wonderfully friendly people.

Day one

We had a 6am meet at the airport, this meant a lot of tired but excited faces. The flight was just over three hours, enough time to get some rest before the week ahead. After we had checked in to the hotel it was time for some sightseeing, this started off at Shilin Night Market, this is one of Taipei largest markets, here students got to try local food, drinks and games. After this we made our way to the local bowling alley, after all no school trip is ever complete without bowling!

Day 2

This started with an early breakfast and then a bus ride to the trailhead of Mount Cising, part of the Tatun volcano group, where students got to see bubbling mud pools and fumaroles. We hiked for around 2 hours to the top which gave us stunning views over the northern point of Taiwan. Once at the top we stopped for pictures and snacks before we headed off to the east peak and then down the historic Tianmu trail.

That evening we headed off to the famous Taipei 101 building, one of the most earthquake and typhoon proof buildings in the world, it is one of the only places you can see a mass-tuned damper. After this students have some free time to get some food and explore.

Day 3

The sun was very much shining on us this day, it was hot! In the morning we made our way to the south of Taipei to the tea plantations, where students learnt a little about how to make Taiwanese tea and some decided to stop off at a cat cafe. After this we made our way to Chiang Kai Shek memorial hall and Longshan temple to take in some culture. That evening we caught a train down to Hualien where students enjoyed some free time roaming the city and eating food.

Day 4

We started the day with a river trace, this was so much fun. Here the students scrabble up the upper course of a river, naviating waterfalls and boulders along the way. Once at our location the students had the opportunity to jump into some plunge pools and swim around. That afternoon we visited Taroko Gorge, the world’s largest marble gorge, the views were spectacular and the students got an appreciation of how violent typhoons can be. That evening we sang songs and played games by the ocean.

Day 5

This was an ocean day and the waves were just the right height. This stretch of water can get enormous waves seeing as the next land mass is Central America some 13,000 km away! Here the students tried some bodyboarding and ocean kayaking, students got battered by the waves and enjoyed trying to pass the breaking waves. That evening we travelled back up to Taipei and the night markets.

Day 6

Unfortunately it was time to leave. We had a 6am meeting for our flight back to Bangkok.