Yang Ming Mountain has remained a first choice getaway for city residents for decades. Fondly referred to be locals as the Imperial Garden of Taipei, Yang Ming Mountain, enclosed in Yangmingshan National Park, offers an entirely different kind of bathing experience from the sulfur hot springs in nearby Beitou. Spring waters in Yangminshan, ranging from 60-70°C, are clear, odorlesss, and are touted to be extremely effective in healing skin diseases, goat, and muscular pains.
Jin Shan, just one of several popular hot spring destinations in the area, is located on the northern side of the mountain. If you can imagine bathing partway up a mountain in an outdoor hot spring that is surrounded by towering mountains on every side, you might have some idea for what you’re in for with a visit to Jin Shan.
The rugged area is known for its scenic hiking trails, and many people come here to get attuned with nature before ending the day with a nice, long soak in the hot springs at Calla Young Garden Hot Spring Resort in Jin Shan Village. The resort offers unlimited soaking in a number of outdoor pools that range in temperature. The most impressive feature of Calla Young Garden Resort is its outdoor public pools, which provide a sweeping panorama of the prolific natural scenery. After you’re done soaking, proceed to the main dining area to enjoy a sumptuous Taiwanese meal that is included in the price of your bathing ticket.
A little further down the mountainside in Jin Shan Village, an inexpensive mountain hot spring experience awaits you at Jin Shan Hot Springs. You can soak for as long as you want in their steaming hot spring waters in either a private hot spring room or the public pool for US$20 and US$5 respectively. Jin Shan Village is a good hour’s drive away from central Taipei, but it’s well worth the journey. You can expect to pay around US$15 each way in cab fares.
When the chill winter weather arrives in Taiwan between the months of October and April, hot springs become packed with enthusiasts in search of the warmth and relief that comes from bathing in Taiwan’s heated groundwater. So don’t forget to sit back and indulge in a heaven-sent natural resource when you visit this green island in the Pacific.
TRAVEL TIPS – Yangmingshan Hot Springs
Jin Shan (Yang Ming Shan)
Calla Young Garden Resort
No. 33-3, Linkou Jhonghe Village, Jinshan Township, Taipei County, 20841 TELEPHONE: [02] 2408-0001
- Rooms from $157US per night
- Outdoor public hot spring pool and private hot spring rooms
- NT$800 includes all day soak and meal
Jin Shan Hot Springs
No.1, Ching Nian Rd, Jin Shan Township, Taipei County. TELEPHONE: [02] 2498-1191, fax: 2498-3621
- Private hot spring rooms US$20 per session and public pool US$5 per person (unlimited).
Canadian expat Carrie Kellenberger has kept a home base with her husband in Asia since 2003. A prolific traveler, Carrie has funded her travels primarily as a writer, editor, travel blogger and photographer, but she has also worked as an educator, voice over artist, model and nightclub singer. She draws upon her 15+ years of travel experience to write about travel-related issues and the countries she has visited on her award-winning web site, My Several Worlds.
Her photography and travel articles have appeared in both print and online publications around the world, including Travel and Leisure Asia, Unearthing Asia and Hip Compass Escapes.
