- The Alishan Forest Railway is one of the most unique ways to see Taiwan, and offers a scenic, nostalgic ride through misty mountains.
- Originally built in 1912 during Japanese colonial rule, the train now serves as both a heritage experience and a fun way to experience the island’s outdoor spaces.
- Spanning 44 miles and reaching nearly 13,000 feet in elevation, the railway has 77 tunnels, 50 bridges, and the world’s longest spiral rail line.
In the mountainous heart of Taiwan, you’ll find Alishan, a misty, dreamlike haven. Considered to be one of Taiwan’s most beautiful mountain ranges, it’s said to be home to five wonders: a sea of clouds, sunrise, sunset glows, a sacred tree, and the railway—the latter offers one of the best ways to see the area.
Taiwan does have lightning-fast, high-speed rail lines that can zip passengers from Taipei to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, at speeds of up to 186 miles per hour. But, while most of the island’s train technology feels like it was ripped from the future, you’ll want to hop on the slow train to take in the area properly, specifically, the Alishan Forest Railway, one of the world’s most underrated scenic trains. After closing for a few years due to earthquakes, typhoons, and landslides, the narrow-gauge railway reopened to travelers in the summer 2024—and it’s back better than ever.
The red train with cream-colored highlights departs from the city of Chiayi, and travels nearly 44 miles through the townships of Zhuqi and Meishan, to Alishan National Forest Recreational Area.
Most of Taiwan is considered a subtropical climate, but the Alishan Forest Railway takes passengers through some of the most diverse terrain on the island. The ride begins at just 131 feet of elevation and travels through a myriad of climate belts—tropical, subtropical, temperate, and frigid—to reach 12,965 feet. During the ride, you’ll be able to see a variety of verdant coniferous forests dominated by fresh, fragrant cedar trees, Chinese fir, incense cedar, and oak.
But the Forest Train isn’t just a journey through Taiwan’s outdoors—it’s also a living monument to Taiwanese history. The railway was built during the Japanese colonial period, in 1912, and was initially used as a way to transport lumber to and from the coast for export. However, Indigenous communities have lived in the Alishan region for thousands of years. When the train was built, it became deeply important to the people who lived in remote areas of the mountain.
However, the Forest Train is no quick out-and-back journey, and snakes through some of the island’s most challenging terrain. To navigate it, the railway required 50 bridges and 77 tunnels, including spirals and switchbacks, earning its Dulishan Spiral a Guinness World Record title as the world’s longest spiral railway, a title it still holds today.
Today, the five-hour rail route is one of the most popular train rides in Taiwan, and locals especially love it for the nostalgia. When it reopened in 2024, 68-year-old factory worker Peng Hsiao-chi, who grew up near Chiayi, Taiwan, told The New York Times, she woke up at 4 a.m. and drove two hours to experience the revamped ride. “This railway is one of the reasons that brings me home,” she said in the 2024 interview.
