Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, with its forest railways, Sacred Trees, sea of clouds, sunrise, and cherry blossoms, is the most famous and popular forest recreational area in Taiwan. It is a brilliant jadeite shinning on the Alishan Mountain Range.
You may take the renowned mountain touring forest railway at TRA Chiayi Station, slowly make your way to the terminal station Alishan Station (the forest railway’s main line currently operates between Chiayi and Fenqihu only, not fully operational yet) while enjoying the marvelous landscape of forest. You can also drive via the Provincial Highway No. 18, which will take you to Alishan National Forest Recreational Area at the 88.2k marker with an elevation of 2216 meters in less than two hours.

The Alishan Mountain Range is one of the Top Five Mountain Ranges in Taiwan. Alishan (Ali Mountain) is not just a mountain, but the name for the entire mountain area. Rich in Taiwan Red Cypress and Taiwan Yellow Cypress ever since the ancient times, Alishan became the largest forest area in 1912 until the end of 1960s. The primitive cypress forests almost die out after the logging by the Japanese and the nationalist government. Only some 40 Giant Red Cypress beside the Giant-tree Plant Walk-1 and -2 survived to date for us to remember the majestic forest of Sacred Trees back in the day. “Alishan Sianglin Sacred Tree”, with a height of 45 meters and a circumference of 12.3 meters, approximately 2300 years old, is the tallest of all and a stop visitors to Alishan should never miss.
There is a rich ecology in Alishan National Forest Recreational Area. In particular, the most unique species among the flora are the rare Oleandra wallichii, Huperzia somae, Alishan Mahonia, and Taiwan Pleione. As for those of fauna, there are Taiwan macaque, Mikado Pheasant as well as the little stars like Steere's Liocichla, Collared Bush Robin, and Alisan's Salamander. A vibrant ecosystem it is.
Aside from the Sacred Tree, there are lots of attractions worthy of visiting: Alishan Forest Railways, the ethereal Sister Ponds, the magnificent sea of clouds, the splendid Chushan Sunrise, Shouzhen Temple, Hundred-year-old Ciyun Temple, the historical sites of forestry, the various flowers such as cherry blossoms and rhododendron in the spring time, and so on and so forth. Alishan National Forest Recreational Area is an international-level tourist attraction that represents the cloud forest belt in Taiwan, welcoming tourists around the world to come to learn about the rich and beautiful mountains and forests in Taiwan.