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A British Traveler from Australia Discovers Taiwan by Campervan

A British traveler based in Australia takes a Taiwan campervan road trip from Taoyuan Airport to Yehliu, Yilan, Qingshui Cliff, Chongde, Taroko Gorge, the Central Cross-Island Highway, Wuling and Sun Moon Lake, then visits Taipei 101.

12 min read British traveler, Australia, Taiwan campervan rental, Taiwan road trip, Yehliu, Qingshui Cliff, Hualien Chongde, Taroko Gorge, Central Cross-Island Highway, Wuling, Sun Moon Lake, Taipei 101
中文
A British traveler based in Australia camping with a Taiwan campervan at sunset in the Hualien mountains

When a Transit Stop Became the First Chapter | His first real visit to Taiwan

Some travelers pass through Taiwan many times without ever leaving the airport. Daniel (a pseudonym) is a British traveler who works in Australia and moves between Australia and the United Kingdom. He had often transited through Taiwan; this time, he and his travel companion Sophie (also a pseudonym) decided to stop merely passing through and experience the island for the first time.

Their choice was wonderfully different: collect a campervan at Taoyuan International Airport, travel first to Yehliu on Taiwan's North Coast, then continue through Yilan, Qingshui Cliff and Chongde to Taroko Gorge. From there they crossed the Central Mountains by the Central Cross-Island Highway, Hehuanshan and Wuling before reaching Sun Moon Lake. A first visit to Taiwan does not have to mean staying only in Taipei. With their room, table and luggage traveling with them, they crossed half the island through Pacific coastline, marble gorges, mountain roads, lakes and generous people.

A blue and white Taiwan campervan waiting at Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1 for a British traveler arriving from Australia
The story began at the airportThe flight landed, the bags went aboard, and this time Taiwan was more than a transit stop.
The Joyforest host and British traveler Daniel, a pseudonym, smiling beside the campervan after meeting at Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1
Our first meeting, and the first mileWeeks of English messages and route planning became a real road at the airport.

The seven-day route | Taoyuan, Yehliu, Hualien and Sun Moon Lake

This route is reconstructed from our planning messages, the photographs shared during the trip and Daniel's email afterward. Exact stops can move with weather, road access and driving conditions, but the outline shows how first-time campervan guests can follow Taiwan's east coast and then cross the Central Mountains to Sun Moon Lake.

  • Day 1 | Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1 → nearby coast: After a late flight and campervan handover, they avoided a long night drive and rested at an appropriate seaside stop about 20 minutes from the airport.
  • Day 2 | Taoyuan → North Coast → Yehliu Geopark: They followed Taiwan's North Coast to Yehliu Geopark, home of the Queen's Head rock formation, and enjoyed seafood around Wanli.
  • Day 3 | Northeast Coast → Yilan → Suhua Highway: The route continued through Taiwan's Northeast Coast and Yilan, then south through elevated roads, bridges and tunnels with the Pacific beside the mountains.
  • Day 4 | Qingshui Cliff → Chongde, Hualien: At Qingshui Cliff, turquoise water met enormous rock walls. They continued to Chongde in Hualien and a mountain-foot campsite north of Taroko Gorge.
  • Day 5 | Taroko Gorge → eastern Central Cross-Island Highway: River, cliffs, tunnels and bridges introduced the dramatic eastern section of the Central Cross-Island Highway and prepared them for the next day's mountain crossing.
  • Day 6 | Central Cross-Island Highway (Highway 8) → Hehuanshan/Wuling (Highway 14A) → Sun Moon Lake: Leaving Hualien, they traveled west into the Central Mountains, passed Hehuanshan and Wuling at about 3,275 metres, and completed a roughly seven-hour mountain drive. They descended to Sun Moon Lake, a beautiful mountain lake in central Taiwan, in time for sunset.
  • Day 7 | Sun Moon Lake bicycle and cable car → Taoyuan: They cycled beside the lake, took the Sun Moon Lake cable car for an aerial view, then returned to the Taoyuan airport area in about three hours by freeway and handed back the campervan.
  • After the return | Taipei Main Station → Taipei 101: They took the Taoyuan Airport MRT to Taipei Main Station, stored their luggage and changed to Taipei's Red Line for the Taipei 101 Observatory. Din Tai Fung had a 45-minute wait, so they ate elsewhere before collecting their bags and returning to the airport.
Route note: Mountain-road access, timed controls and closures change with weather and maintenance. Before attempting Taroko, the Central Cross-Island Highway, Hehuanshan or Wuling, always check current official information and make sure the route matches the vehicle height, brake condition and driver's mountain experience.
Taiwan's real main-island coastline with a dotted route from Taoyuan Airport to Yehliu, Yilan, Qingshui Cliff, Hualien Chongde, Taroko Gorge, the Central Cross-Island Highway, Wuling, Sun Moon Lake and Taipei 101
Taiwan campervan road trip routeFrom Taoyuan Airport along the North Coast and Pacific, then across the Central Mountains through Taroko, the Central Cross-Island Highway and Wuling to Sun Moon Lake—with a final half-day at Taipei 101.

Setting Out | One campervan connected the coast, mountains and lake

Before arrival, we spent a great deal of time discussing the campervan, transport, route, equipment and camping rhythm in English. For international guests searching for a Taiwan camper van rental and driving here for the first time, renting the van is only one part of the journey. It also matters to know that someone can help when local information is difficult to read, a campsite cannot be reached, or an arrival time suddenly changes.

For this trip, I contacted and booked three campsites and shared ideas for coastal stops, food and routes. Campsite owners used translation software to chat with the guests. Language did not keep people apart; it became part of a warm and memorable exchange.

Our campervan plan includes unlimited mileage, so guests do not need to abandon a meaningful destination simply because it is farther away. You can plan a Taiwan round-island journey or spend several days exploring only the east coast, mountains or lakes. Weather, road access, legal overnight locations and driving experience must always guide the final plan—but the radius of the adventure can remain wonderfully open.

A blue and white campervan resting under a large tree during an international guest's Taiwan road trip
An everyday moment on a Taiwan campervan road tripBetween the North Coast and Hualien, a patch of shade can become the living room for a quiet drink.
A Taiwanese temple beneath green mountains on the coastal route, showing the blend of nature and culture seen by international campervan guests
Temple and mountains on Taiwan's Northeast CoastFrom Yehliu through the Northeast Coast to Yilan, nature and culture kept meeting along the same road.

Astonishment Along the Pacific | Taiwan's northeast coast and Hualien

After leaving Taoyuan, they first followed Taiwan's North Coast to Yehliu Geopark, where the Queen's Head stands among wind- and sea-carved rocks, and enjoyed seafood around Wanli. They continued through the Northeast Coast, Yilan and the Suhua Highway toward Hualien, driving over elevated roads and bridges and through tunnel after tunnel. At Qingshui Cliff, enormous rock walls fell toward turquoise water; the road disappeared into the mountain, then emerged to reveal the Pacific again.

By the time they reached Chongde in Hualien, Taroko's entrance, a broad beach and the Central Mountains all felt remarkably close. In his review, Daniel remembered the roads, temples, inexpensive seafood and consistently friendly people as part of an extraordinary journey from the North Coast and Yilan to Hualien.

Layered turquoise water beneath Taiwan's Qingshui Cliff, photographed by a British traveler based in Australia on his first Taiwan road trip
Qingshui Cliff and the Pacific OceanNorth of Hualien, enormous mountains fall into turquoise water—a first view that explains why Taiwan's east coast stays in the memory.
A view from the campervan toward the Qingshui Cliff highway, tunnel and Pacific Ocean during an international guest's Taiwan self-drive holiday
Suhua Highway through Qingshui CliffTunnels, rock walls and the Pacific alternated along the route; after every mountain, the coast opened again.
A broad Hualien beach between the blue Pacific and misty mountains on a Taiwan campervan road trip
Chongde, Hualien—where mountains meet the seaChongde Beach was wide, Taroko and the Central Mountains close, and time began to slow.
A blue and white campervan at a mountain-foot campsite in Chongde, Hualien, just north of Taroko Gorge at twilight
A mountain campsite in Chongde, HualienAfter Qingshui Cliff and the Pacific, evening settled beneath the mountains north of Taroko Gorge.
A Taiwan campervan at a campsite in Chongde north of Taroko Gorge as golden sunset lights the Central Mountains
Chongde, Hualien | A campervan inside the mountain sunsetThere was no hotel to hurry back to; after Qingshui Cliff, the destination was already here beneath Taroko's mountains.

Central Cross-Island Highway and Wuling | Seven hours across Taiwan's Central Mountains

The most demanding—and most memorable—part of Daniel's journey was the seven-hour mountain route from Taroko Gorge in Hualien, west along the Central Cross-Island Highway (Highway 8), then toward Hehuanshan and Wuling on Highway 14A. This route links the east and west sides of Taiwan: it begins among Taroko's river, marble cliffs and tunnels, rises to Wuling at about 3,275 metres, then descends toward Puli and Sun Moon Lake.

Before departure, everyone was watching a typhoon warning and changing road conditions. The route required attention to timed access, falling rocks, altitude, vehicle height and braking on long descents. Once underway, Taroko Gorge, Central Cross-Island Highway tunnels, deep-valley bridges, Hehuanshan ridges and Wuling cloudscapes unfolded one after another. These are more than names on a map; together, they reveal Taiwan's geography from the Pacific coast to one of its highest mountain roads.

That day he messaged, “We made it over the pass—an incredible journey.” At Sun Moon Lake, they ate outdoors with the water before them. The weather that had worried us became remarkably kind, and their photographs of sea, mountains and sunset allowed me to see Taiwan again through their eyes.

A green river and steep walls in Taroko Gorge beside the Central Cross-Island Highway as it enters Taiwan's Central Mountains
Taroko Gorge | Valley, river and road become oneThe Central Cross-Island Highway follows Taroko Gorge from Hualien into the Central Mountains; the farther they traveled, the larger Taiwan seemed.
The Central Cross-Island Highway passes through a tunnel and along a cliff in Taroko Gorge on Highway 8
Through central Taiwan on the Central Cross-Island HighwayHighway 8 tunnels through Taroko's cliffs; its beauty deserves careful respect for weather and current access.
A red bridge crosses a deep Taroko Gorge on the Central Cross-Island Highway between Hualien and Taiwan's high mountains
Taroko's red bridge | Across the gorge and into the mountainsThe bridge connected Hualien's gorge with the Central Mountains—and turned movement into the most dramatic chapter of the trip.
Clouds and Central Mountain ridges around Hehuanshan and Wuling, the highest point of the British guest's seven-hour Taiwan mountain drive
Hehuanshan and Wuling | About 3,275 metres above sea levelFrom Taroko and the Central Cross-Island Highway to the height of the clouds, this was the campervan journey's unforgettable high point.
A blue and white campervan on a narrow mountain road around the Central Cross-Island Highway and Hehuanshan, with forest and steep rock
Central Cross-Island and Hehuanshan roads | Freedom also means careThis route is not right for every guest; current access, controls, vehicle height, brakes and mountain-driving experience must come first.

Sun Moon Lake | A mountain lake in central Taiwan after the great crossing

After descending from Hehuanshan through Puli, they reached Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan's best-known mountain lake in the centre of the island. The next morning they hired bicycles, took the Sun Moon Lake cable car and watched light move across the water. Daniel called the seven hours from Taroko, along the Central Cross-Island Highway and over Wuling the highlight of the trip. When the campervan was parked, the table and chairs were outside and dinner was served beside Sun Moon Lake, the sunset felt like a quiet seal on the long journey.

Golden sunset over a Sun Moon Lake campsite after the British traveler's long Taiwan mountain drive
Sun Moon Lake | The first sunset after crossing the Central MountainsFrom Taroko, the Central Cross-Island Highway and Wuling to central Taiwan, the best dinner view after the long drive was already outside.
A high view from the Sun Moon Lake cable car across blue water and green mountain ridges during an international campervan holiday
Sun Moon Lake cable car | Central Taiwan from aboveThey cycled beside the water, then crossed the forest by cable car; the lake offered a different memory from each height.
A blue and white campervan in a green Taiwan forest campsite, showing how guests can combine coast, mountain and lake stays
A different view from the window each nightCoast, forest or lake—the moving room stayed close to nature.
International campervan guests preparing an outdoor dinner with the provided table and chair during their Taiwan road trip
Moving the dining table into the viewMost meals were cooked outside, with local restaurants adding another taste of Taiwan.

A Gentle Epilogue | After returning the campervan, half a day still belonged to Taipei

We completed the vehicle return near the airport, but their flight was not leaving immediately. I did not want luggage and backtracking to consume their final hours, so I suggested checking out first, taking the Taoyuan Airport MRT to Taipei Main Station, leaving the bags in a locker and changing to the Taipei MRT Red Line for Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station.

The half-day idea included the Taipei 101 Observatory and xiaolongbao at Din Tai Fung, followed—if time allowed—by YouBike rides to Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. In reality, Din Tai Fung had a 45-minute wait and they were too hungry to queue, but they did visit the observatory and see Taipei from above. They then returned to Taipei Main Station, collected their bags and took the Airport MRT to the terminal.

That is part of the help we enjoy providing: not only campervan explanations and campsite contact, but also thinking through how the complete Taiwan itinerary can flow. Even after the vehicle is returned, a few well-planned hours can become one more Taipei memory.

The Road Is Still Calling | Tainan, Kenting and a promise to return

Back in Australia, Daniel sent a long email. He described the week as “a huge success and a wonderful experience,” said the three campsites were excellent choices and wrote, “It was all so perfect.” His closing promise was simple: “I'll be back!” It was more than a polite farewell—he genuinely wants to return and leave southern Taiwan for the next journey.

This time they followed the northeast coast, crossed the mountains and reached Sun Moon Lake: a road trip across half of Taiwan. Tainan and Kenting remain on the next page of the map. A future route can linger among Tainan's old streets, temples, food and deep cultural history, then continue south to Kenting's tropical sunshine, blue water and beaches. Perhaps not seeing everything in one visit is exactly what gives a traveler a reason to come back.

Looking through their photographs of the coast, gorges, Sun Moon Lake and the campervan, I felt as though they had taken me around Taiwan again. We had worried about the typhoon at first, but the weather stayed remarkably kind. The light and happiness in the pictures made their joy easy to feel. Being able to offer help across unfamiliar language and roads—and later receiving the words “I'll be back”—is one of the warmest parts of this work.

Recently, several international guests have first discovered Joyforest while using ChatGPT to plan a Taiwan trip. Whether you are arriving from the UK, Australia or elsewhere, tell us what you hope to see and how you like to travel. We can explain the campervan in English, discuss camper van route ideas and contact campsites, so a first Taiwan road trip can begin with less uncertainty and more anticipation.

British traveler Daniel, a pseudonym, beside the campervan that carried his first Taiwan road trip from the Pacific coast to Sun Moon Lake
“I'll be back.”Next time, the culture of Tainan and Kenting's tropical coast will be waiting.
Planning a Taiwan campervan road trip as an international guest?
Joyforest offers an unlimited-mileage campervan plan and, where practical, English support for vehicle explanations, route discussions and campsite contact. Mountain access, weather, timed controls, vehicle height and legal overnight locations can change; always check current conditions and choose routes that match your driving experience.

Want to plan a trip like this?

Tell us your dates, group size, direction and whether you need delivery—we’ll help confirm rental options and pacing.

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