Touring the Park
After passing the ticket booth, follow the trail next to the retention pond toward the most accessible waterfall area in Aowanda. After a 10-minute walk, you will reach the viewing platform of the Double Waterfalls. The Double Waterfall has distinct levels like the welcoming smile of a young girl. Stroll along leisurely and enjoy the negative ions generated by the Plunging Waterfall. Inhale the fresh air and phytoncide, air vitamins produced by the photosynthesis of the trees. This majestic waterfall has the second highest negative ion content in Taiwan. Standing on the wooden platform before the waterfall, you can feel the caressing mist, the magnificence and the freshness of the waterfall, and take in deep healthy breaths.
To get to the Bird Watching Platform, the Aowanda Suspension Bridge, the Pine Forest Area and the beautiful scenery of the distant Maple Forest Area, there are two routes from the Visitor Center. One path is in the direction of the Cherry Blossom Garden, which is filled with colorful cherry blossoms in spring. The path takes you along the Haohanpo Trail and through the Maple Forest Trail, the Forest Park Trail, the Bird Watching Trail, the Bird Watching Platform and the Aowanda Suspension Bridge to arrive at the Pine Forest Area. The Haohanpo Trail has 456 steps. It is an easy walk toward the destinations but on the return journey, it will test your strength and stamina, So perhaps you want to try the Maple Forest Trail instead. The Forest Park is a mixed forest of needle-leaved and broad-leaved trees. In the Forest Park, you can enjoy the phytoncide filled air and ecological landscape.
The other route takes you from the parking lot along the Maple Forest Trail and through the Forest Park Trail, the Bird Watching Trail, the Bird Watching Platform and the Aowanda Suspension Bridge to arrive at the Pine Forest Area. Bird watching is another natural resource that is the pride of Aowanda. From each fall to the following spring, a large number of migratory and alpine resident birds winter in Aowanda, making the Aowanda valley vibrant with life. Come visit Aowanda from November to June of the following year. Early mornings and evenings are the best times to watch birds! Artificial nesting boxes are installed in the park. If you are lucky, you may see green-backed tits, rufous-faced warblers, yellow tits and Eurasian nuthatches busy building their nests and feeding their nestlings.
To get to the Bird Watching Platform, the Aowanda Suspension Bridge, the Pine Forest Area and the beautiful scenery of the distant Maple Forest Area, there are two routes from the Visitor Center. One path is in the direction of the Cherry Blossom Garden, which is filled with colorful cherry blossoms in spring. The path takes you along the Haohanpo Trail and through the Maple Forest Trail, the Forest Park Trail, the Bird Watching Trail, the Bird Watching Platform and the Aowanda Suspension Bridge to arrive at the Pine Forest Area. The Haohanpo Trail has 456 steps. It is an easy walk toward the destinations but on the return journey, it will test your strength and stamina, So perhaps you want to try the Maple Forest Trail instead. The Forest Park is a mixed forest of needle-leaved and broad-leaved trees. In the Forest Park, you can enjoy the phytoncide filled air and ecological landscape.
The other route takes you from the parking lot along the Maple Forest Trail and through the Forest Park Trail, the Bird Watching Trail, the Bird Watching Platform and the Aowanda Suspension Bridge to arrive at the Pine Forest Area. Bird watching is another natural resource that is the pride of Aowanda. From each fall to the following spring, a large number of migratory and alpine resident birds winter in Aowanda, making the Aowanda valley vibrant with life. Come visit Aowanda from November to June of the following year. Early mornings and evenings are the best times to watch birds! Artificial nesting boxes are installed in the park. If you are lucky, you may see green-backed tits, rufous-faced warblers, yellow tits and Eurasian nuthatches busy building their nests and feeding their nestlings.
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Ecology Pond
With an area of about 0.5 hectares, the pond is a rich ecological home. The water environment is an easy place for animals and plants to gather. When the plants grow lush, they attract insects and amphibians to forage and make their home. Look around, and you will see Morse tree frogs, Central formosan toads, olive frogs and Latouche's frogs. Surrounding the pond are avariety of plants such as joyweed, tropical chickweed and shell ginger.
Waterfall Area
Due to its geological structure, Aowanda has different types of waterfall such as plunge falls, tiered falls and horsetail falls. The double tier waterfall has distinct layers and the wooden platform is a great place to watch the double waterfalls and stream birds. The plunge waterfall is majestic, and the area has the second highest negative ions content in Taiwan. The wooden platform in front of the waterfall allows you to be close to the beauty of the plunging fall.
Accommodation Area
The accommodation in Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area includes elegant cabins secluded in the woods, the Maple Villa nestled in the rolling mountains, and the Meadow Villa. The scattering of their red and green roofs is very picturesque, and their interiors are clean, bright, tranquil and comfortable.
Retention Basin
Situated in the service facility area, the pond was manually excavated by the Taiwan Power Company in 1959. It can be regarded as the earliest prototype of pumped storage hydroelectricity. The pond is currently idle and unused. From here, you can watch the sunrise and sunset and enjoy the different faces of seasonal changes!
Bird Watching Platform
To protect the trees the forest, the platform area was built according to the existing land condition. Plants such as cork oak, Japanese blue oak, fragrant maple and Taiwan red pine can be found here. In addition to laying wooden planks on elevated ground, nesting boxes are also installed at different heights on trees to provide birds with more nesting space.
Prairie
The lush and vast green prairie is located next to the Visitor Center and the Cherry Blossom Garden. You can stroll, run freely here, or explure the outdoors. Take in the expansive view and count the stars on summer nights. Create beautiful memories on this stretch of grassland!
Aowanda Suspension Bridge
The bridge is the only path to the Pine Forest Area. Spanning a total length of 180 meters and at a drop height of about 90 meters, the bridge offers a panoramic view of the confluence of the Wanda South River and the Wanda North River, the valleys and rock faces on both banks. In winter, visitors can enjoy the distant snowy scenery of the Central Mountain Range. It is also a great place for a bird's eye view of the red maple.
Maple Forest Area
The fragrant maple forest in this area is a natural pristine forest. When winter arrives, it becomes a fascinating red fairyland, and each spring, summer, autumn and winter brings its own unique seasonal scenery. Due to the destruction wrought by a typhoon in 2008, the Wanda North River invaded the Maple Forest Area, making it completely inaccessible to visitors. However, from the Bird Watching Platform and the Aowanda Suspension Bridge, visitors can still have a panoramic view of the red maple.
Forest Classroom
From the classroom, visitors have a panoramic view of the Pine Forest and Maple Forest areas, enjoy a picnic, rest, or conduct group activities.
With an area of about 0.5 hectares, the pond is a rich ecological home. The water environment is an easy place for animals and plants to gather. When the plants grow lush, they attract insects and amphibians to forage and make their home. Look around, and you will see Morse tree frogs, Central formosan toads, olive frogs and Latouche's frogs. Surrounding the pond are avariety of plants such as joyweed, tropical chickweed and shell ginger.
Waterfall Area
Due to its geological structure, Aowanda has different types of waterfall such as plunge falls, tiered falls and horsetail falls. The double tier waterfall has distinct layers and the wooden platform is a great place to watch the double waterfalls and stream birds. The plunge waterfall is majestic, and the area has the second highest negative ions content in Taiwan. The wooden platform in front of the waterfall allows you to be close to the beauty of the plunging fall.
Accommodation Area
The accommodation in Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area includes elegant cabins secluded in the woods, the Maple Villa nestled in the rolling mountains, and the Meadow Villa. The scattering of their red and green roofs is very picturesque, and their interiors are clean, bright, tranquil and comfortable.
Retention Basin
Situated in the service facility area, the pond was manually excavated by the Taiwan Power Company in 1959. It can be regarded as the earliest prototype of pumped storage hydroelectricity. The pond is currently idle and unused. From here, you can watch the sunrise and sunset and enjoy the different faces of seasonal changes!
Bird Watching Platform
To protect the trees the forest, the platform area was built according to the existing land condition. Plants such as cork oak, Japanese blue oak, fragrant maple and Taiwan red pine can be found here. In addition to laying wooden planks on elevated ground, nesting boxes are also installed at different heights on trees to provide birds with more nesting space.
Prairie
The lush and vast green prairie is located next to the Visitor Center and the Cherry Blossom Garden. You can stroll, run freely here, or explure the outdoors. Take in the expansive view and count the stars on summer nights. Create beautiful memories on this stretch of grassland!
Aowanda Suspension Bridge
The bridge is the only path to the Pine Forest Area. Spanning a total length of 180 meters and at a drop height of about 90 meters, the bridge offers a panoramic view of the confluence of the Wanda South River and the Wanda North River, the valleys and rock faces on both banks. In winter, visitors can enjoy the distant snowy scenery of the Central Mountain Range. It is also a great place for a bird's eye view of the red maple.
Maple Forest Area
The fragrant maple forest in this area is a natural pristine forest. When winter arrives, it becomes a fascinating red fairyland, and each spring, summer, autumn and winter brings its own unique seasonal scenery. Due to the destruction wrought by a typhoon in 2008, the Wanda North River invaded the Maple Forest Area, making it completely inaccessible to visitors. However, from the Bird Watching Platform and the Aowanda Suspension Bridge, visitors can still have a panoramic view of the red maple.
Forest Classroom
From the classroom, visitors have a panoramic view of the Pine Forest and Maple Forest areas, enjoy a picnic, rest, or conduct group activities.
