Walking Wulai. New Taipei City. April 2025.
A hot bath in a cold river.
Wulai, a small district within New Taipei municipality surrounding Taipei City, is a hot spring retreat made of five villages with a total population of around 6,000 people. It can make a nice half day or a day trip out of Taipei.
The main reason I went there was to experience hot springs located inside the river, which somehow has been my long-time affection. I knew they were there but could not find any detailed information on the net, so decided to give it a go anyway.
But let’s unfold this step by step.
Getting there. Take the train to Xindian MRT station, the terminal station on green line. There is one exit, on your left you will see the main bus terminal, but you need to turn right and find the sign with the bus number 849.
I got off the bus at the stop called Tourist Bridge (names appear on electronic screen above the driver’s head). Nice view of Nanshi River and surrounding mountains here.
I then crossed the bridge towards Fude Temple. Walked a bit around enjoying the quietness and a silent grace of the temple.
On the opposite side I could see a line of old buildings, some with the names of different hot spring hotels, a landscape very similar to onsen villages of Japan.
Smaller township than I thought, but already liking it, especially in the morning when the main Old Street is nearly empty, not so in the afternoon. You can see the difference on the pictures below.
It was interesting to see the small stand owners setting up their stalls selling wild boar sausages, mulled wine and other local “famousities”.
Below is a colorful map of Wulai I found on the wall of one old building.
At the end of the Old Street, I turned right to Laka street. Here two rivers, Nanxi and Tonghou, shake hands and connect. I walked along trying to find a path down to the Tonghou but could not. So, probably those mysterious river hot springs are not here.
Turned back, passed the Old Street again and entered Wenquan street leading to Wulai Waterfall (there are a few of them around Wulai).
Here many onsen options (also on the Old Street), you can book a room facing the river with hot spring or just enjoy public bath or private bath for a couple of hours.
I was about to visit a spa called Full Moon, at the beginning of Laka Street, but found a better option while walking Wenquan street. A couple of people looking local and apparently knowing what they are doing were not following everyone’s route along the main street but started to descend towards the river using inconspicuous steps down. Smelling something right I got curious and followed them. A kind of improvised walkway along the river lay ahead.
Voila! Now I am right on the riverbank, some parts of which are encircled with sandbags. I nod to a few locals, apparently a volunteering house keepers and jump into the river. Couple of men are already there. The water is pleasantly cool, but not cold.
After the swim I try the mini bath. The sand below my feet is hot and the water is warm - magic! I am inside the river onsen!!!
In the nearby “bath” a young guy submerged in the water is going through his Kindle. River murmurs, occasional people and birds talk - I spent here a good couple of hours.
Happy and armed with a purpose achieved I return to my previous route. Green green walk.
No popular tourist area in Taiwan goes without little trams and cable cars. Both are available in Wulai.
The Scenic Car (another name of the Trolley) stops in front of the waterfall.
The area around is another commercial cluster of the town, similar to the Old Street. Eating, drinking, shopping. We humans are so easy to please…
I decided to try wild boar skewers. Not sure if it was really a wild boar meat, but I found it delicious and went back to buy another one and enjoyed a small chat with an owner.
I then decided to walk towards XinXian Suspension Bridge, a couple of km away. As it was beyond the well-publicized attractions, there were no people on the walking path running parallel to equally empty drive road.
Ahead I saw a tunnel (you can see it on the picture above), then after checking the map I realized that there are plenty of them ahead. Well, the walking is nice here, but the tunnels are my pet hate. So, I turned back. Time to go home…
To sum it up Wulai is a well-established tourist area, I found it less crowded with a very basic tourist “infostructure” compared to the similar hot spring area of Beito near Taipei. Well, to be fair Wulai is much smaller than Beito, which I visited many times and stayed occasionally. But I would choose Wulai now, just for the river baths and swim experience. I am sure I will come again whenever I am in Taipei for a read-and-bath break.
N.B. My other posts on Taiwan are here.
Walai—a paradise crafted by hand, where hot springs flow, bamboo rice nourishes, and indigenous spirits celebrate tradition.