Choose your route
We have one master route with three variations that we've personally ridden a few times: Route A, the Northern Loop; Route B, North to South; and Route C, Round-the-Island. Each route has ample options to cut short or extend.
Choosing the best route for you depends first and foremost on how much time you have, and whether you prefer performance or mid-ride chilling and sightseeing. Then it's important to choose your pace: this is our advice for planning your daily distances.
Northern Loop
Mountains, Sun Moon Lake and Taiwan's highest road, back via Jiufen
North to South
From Taipei through Alishan and Meinong all the way down to Kenting
Round-the-Island
The full loop: central mountains, the south, the wild east coast and Taroko
Pick your pace
| Pace | Daily distance | Daily climbing |
|---|---|---|
| Chill paced / less trained | 50–80 km | up to 1,500 m |
| Faster paced / well trained | 80–100+ km | up to 3,000 m |
How many days?
| A Northern Loop | B North to South | C Round-the-Island | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chill paced / less trained | 10 riding days + 2 easier + 2 rest | 12 riding days + 3 easier + 4 rest | 20 riding days + 4–5 easier + 5–6 rest |
| Faster paced / well trained | 7 riding days + 1 easier + 1 rest | 9 riding days + 2 easier + 3 rest | 17 riding days + 4 easier + 3 rest |
| Car / scooter | 7 days + 1 no-ride day | 9 days + 3 no-ride days | 16 days + 3 no-ride days |
These time indications are based on road cycling. If you travel by car or scooter, we advise spending the same number of days as the faster-paced indications; you'll just have much more time to sightsee and stop along the way.
Taiwan has many desolate places, but on almost all of our routes you'll pass mountain villages every now and then, and homestays can be found in even the most remote places. Always check on Google whether there are options where you plan to go, and check availability by calling them. Facebook chat (or LINE, if you have it) also tends to work well.
Where a route includes sections prone to closure after earthquakes, we clearly tell you, so you can look for alternatives. Read more on what forces of nature can influence your trip under Weather & road closures.
For some reason we've always had a counterclockwise preference, but all routes are perfectly fine to ride in reverse. We slightly prefer to climb some passes from the side we describe, but don't let this hold you back.