QILAI SOUTH PEAK and NANHUA SHAN

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Taiwan Trails and Tales (Hiking Blog)
(奇萊南峰/南華山)
Qilai South Peak and Nanhua Shan are two of Taiwan's famed '100 Peaks'. If you have no experience of high mountains, these two are a pretty good place to start.
difficult
Distance 33 km
You can read my description of this walk here (day 1) and here (day 2).
The hike to Qilai South Peak and Nanhua Shan was a special one for me for a number of reasons. It is only the second group hike that Teresa and I had done (the first was Ba Xian Shan where the group seemed to get up Teresa’s nose somewhat), and the first time for me to meet – in the flesh – a handful of people that I’d met on Twitter as a result of us sharing a deep love for Taiwan’s mountains. Our group leader for the trip was Anusha, a local woman who writes an English language website about Taiwan’s trails, and who possesses the superpower of being able to disappear into the background of any group photo. Also with us was Glenn, who is perhaps best described as the mad mountain man of the south. He also writes about his exploits in Taiwan hills over on Out Recording, although his idea of what constitutes a fun hike falls a little outside of what most people would consider fun. The third person that I’d met online was Cris, a Taipei based (ex?) software engineer. Taking the numbers up to eight were Teresa, Cris’s partner Fanyi, and two of Anusha’s friends, Walt and Sky.
The hike to Qilai South Peak and Nanhua Shan was a special one for me for a number of reasons. It is only the second group hike that Teresa and I had done (the first was Ba Xian Shan where the group seemed to get up Teresa’s nose somewhat), and the first time for me to meet – in the flesh – a handful of people that I’d met on Twitter as a result of us sharing a deep love for Taiwan’s mountains. Our group leader for the trip was Anusha, a local woman who writes an English language website about Taiwan’s trails, and who possesses the superpower of being able to disappear into the background of any group photo. Also with us was Glenn, who is perhaps best described as the mad mountain man of the south. He also writes about his exploits in Taiwan hills over on Out Recording, although his idea of what constitutes a fun hike falls a little outside of what most people would consider fun. The third person that I’d met online was Cris, a Taipei based (ex?) software engineer. Taking the numbers up to eight were Teresa, Cris’s partner Fanyi, and two of Anusha’s friends, Walt and Sky.
Difficulty
difficult
Technique
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Highest point
3,340 m
Lowest point
2,161 m
Best time of year
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Track types
Show elevation profileSafety information
The majority of hikers take altitude sickness medication with them when hiking this type of high trail.Tips and hints
You'll meed a permit to hike this route, and you'll also need to book a space in Tianchi Hostel.
Some people prefer to stay two nights at the hostel and enjoy a more leisurely hike.
Start
N24 03.033 E121 12.895 (2,161 m)
Coordinates:
DD
24.053794, 121.210696
DMS
24°03'13.7"N 121°12'38.5"E
UTM
51R 318063 2661340
w3w
///flattered.coughing.units
Public transport
First you’ll need to take a bus to Puli (the 1832A Kuo-kuang service runs from Taipei to Puli, and a couple of services connect the closer city of Taichung). From there you can catch the 6660 from Puli to Lushan and stay the night in a B&B. 譜瓦崙馬蘭民宿 is a good choice (and perhaps the only choice), since it is used to serving hikers and offers to shuttle guests to and from the trail head (otherwise you’ll be facing an extra 9km and several hours of walking). Google maps has it located in two places, but I believe it is a little ways out of the village, so it’s worth checking with the staff about how to get there if you’re relying on public transport.By road
Most people hire a car and driver or drive themselves to the trailhead.Coordinates
DD
24.053794, 121.210696
DMS
24°03'13.7"N 121°12'38.5"E
UTM
51R 318063 2661340
w3w
///flattered.coughing.units
Arrival by train, car, foot or bike
Equipment
This is as overnight hike, so make sure you're prepared to spend the night.Difficulty
difficult
Distance
33 km
Duration
36:00 h
Ascent
2,432 m
Descent
2,430 m
Highest point
3,340 m
Lowest point
2,161 m
Statistics
2D
3D
Maps and trails
- Waypoints
- Waypoints
Distance
km
Duration
: h
Ascent
m
Descent
m
Highest point
m
Lowest point
m
Questions and answers
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Rating
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