20240103_141707Hoodoos at Yehliu Geopark (January 2024)

There is so much more to Taiwan than just the Taipei capital. While visitors might opt to spend some time in Taichung more south of the country, I’ve found many travelers tend to stick to Taipei and nothing else. True, there are plenty of things to see and do in the city, but if you have extra time, it’s worth getting out and seeing what the rest of the country has to offer.

One such destination is Yehliu (野柳). Located just 20 miles (33 kilometers) north Taipei, it’s a cape that hugs the country’s northern coast and is known for its eponymous geopark that’s home to tons of hoodoo rocks, many of which are fascinatingly-shaped. It’s a well-known day trip for Taipei locals, but not so much for foreigners. Heck, I didn’t visit Yehliu until my return trip to Taipei last winter!

My uncle drove my aunt and I to Yehliu during the first afternoon I was in town. It took about an hour to reach the site, and we paid the $120 NT ($4 USD) entrance fee to access the small, but densely hoodoo-populated geopark. As it’d just rained earlier that day, much of the trails were wet and the sea in the distance was stormy, but it made for a somber and beautiful view. As Taipei is more inland, it was refreshing to see another, more natural part of the country!

20240103_141147Yehliu Geopark

The three of us made our way along the sedimentary rocks, which were filled with tons of small holes due to years of erosion. Again, it’d rained earlier, so lots of water pooled inside the holes. We first headed to see the most-famous hoodoo formation, called the Queen’s Head, which vaguely resembles the bust of Queen Nefertiti. It’d been forming for over 4,000 years and unfortunately is eroding away today, especially at the neck. At its weathering rate of 0.3 centimeters per year, there will come a time that this hoodoo wonder will break! Until then, I was very fortunate to have seen it intact.

20240103_135248The Queen’s Head

Besides the Queen’s Head, there’s also the smaller Princess’s Head, which isn’t as compromised with its neck (fortunately). There were tons of other hoodoos at the geopark that we checked out, with creative names like Mushroom Rocks, Fairy Shoe, even Ice Cream Rock! There were a good number of visitors when we visited, but I imagine the crowds would be inundating on the weekend and on a sunnier day.

20240103_141953Princess’s Head


20240103_141707Mushroom Rocks

Next was a drive to Jiufen (九份), located east of both Taipei and Yehliu. This small mountain town is actually an incredibly popular day trip destination, as its architecture is reminiscent of the setting for the 2001 anime film, Spirited Away, by Hayao Miyazaki. I’ve been to Jiufen before, and given that the town would be busy with people (and impossible to find parking), the three of us decided to enjoy some homemade taro balls (a local specialty) at a small shop just a bit outside of the center and just drive through town without stopping.

20240103_152428Homemade taro balls with red bean

Our last stop was at the Golden Waterfall (黃金瀑布), located just outside of Jiufen. It’s a small cascade of falls that has a golden tinge to it, due to the metal deposits in the riverbed. In fact, the area near and around Jiufen used to be a gold mining town and while all the gold is gone now, there still remains its legacy and other minerals in the mountains. While pretty to look at, it’s known that the fall’s water is unsafe to drink, so don’t you dare!

20240103_155156Golden Waterfall

It was then an hour’s drive back to Taipei, where my aunt and uncle dropped me off at the apartment by 17h30. Overall, it was a long, but adventurous afternoon spent with my relatives, whom I hadn’t seen in years. I had a fun time hanging out with them, catching up while also exploring Yehliu for the first time and seeing more of Taiwan outside of the city.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the last part of my time in Taiwan soon! 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

57 thoughts on “Destination: Yehliu & Jiufen, Taiwan”

  4. Cool rock formations. I can definitely see Nefertiti’s profile. Sometimes queens get their heads chopped off – someday that will happen to that rock, too! The waterfalls are screaming at me to climb them, but since I don’t see anyone climbing them in the photo, I’m guessing it’s prohibited for the protection of the natural area, which is good. I may WANT to climb them, but I would respect a sign telling me not to.

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      1. I know I learned the word on a documentary-type show but don’t recall where those ones were located. I apply it, inappropriately, to Haystack Rock in Morro Bay because I was there at night with friends and it threw (the big rock) threw a massive boulder at us. Pitch black rocky area and all we could do was freeze while hearing it hit as it fell from the top, literally throwing sparks. It landed about 10′ from us. I think the spirits were after my boyfriend as it was the 3rd time he’d nearly been killed there. I told him he was never allowed to go back!!

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    1. Absolutely! It was pretty cold and drizzly when we visited, and although there were still quite a handful of people, I can’t imagine just how overwhelming it would be on sunnier days! Thanks for reading, Tricia 🙂

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  10. Aw the Golden Waterfall is really beautiful, and the hoodoos are such strange shapes. Beautiful! It’s always good to see a few ‘off the beaten track’ destinations offered in places that many don’t even know exist 🙂

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  11. Wow, these mushroom-like mounds are such beautiful geological treasures offering an unforgettable experience for nature enthusiasts and travellers alike – this landscape looks like it could belong on another planet. It’s amazing to see how over time, the constant drumming of the ocean against the shore, erosion from the wind and exposure to the atmosphere, have chiselled the land away into a series of protrusions​ and unique formations 🥰 Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. Yes! Yehliu is an otherworldly site not too far from the big city, and it’s incredible I hadn’t explored it until recently. Definitely a unique, geological wonder, and it’s worth an easy day trip from Taipei! Thanks for reading, Aiva 🙂

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  16. Now I really want to see the Queen’s Head myself before Mother Nature further erodes it. Thanks for the warning about the water of the Golden Waterfall! Nevertheless, it looks quite beautiful.

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    1. Nice! Jiufen is a gorgeous little town, and I can see why it’s been inspiration for Spirited Away and for many tourists who visit. Hope you can go some day 🙂

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  19. Mm, what a fabulous location Yehliu is, with its setting, landscape and of course rock formations. One would almost be mad to fly long distance to Taipei and not take the one hour tip to see something as unique looking as this. Very moody shots with the sky and colour of the earth and rocks. The Golden Waterfall is handsome too, nicely framed and with a pleasing mix of green and brown. Great stuff Rebecca.

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    1. Absolutely! Yehliu is a gorgeous and doable day trip from Taipei; it’s unbelievable I hadn’t gone until my recent visit. I do hope you get around to visiting Taiwan some day– since you’ve already traveled extensively in China, I don’t see why you can’t head over to Taiwan soon! Thanks for reading, Leighton 🙂

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      1. How cool are the hoodoo rocks, and the Queen’s Head definitely looks like how it’s called. When we were in Taipei last year I came across tours for Jiufen but we were short of time. I read it does get crowded, so hopefully next time we get a chance to go back we should stay a night there.

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