wide and beautiful Shifen waterfalls, Taiwan

Shifen town has a waterfall and it is a popular tourist attraction in Taiwan.

Shifen is a medium sized waterfall- about 20 meters in height and 40 meters in wide. The area is well maintained and you can view the waterfall from a multitude of viewpoints.

First one is right above the waterfall. but this spot might often be crowded as it is easiest and first access point for tourists.

If you can walk half a km further, you can view Shifen waterfall from front side. This view is nice.

 Walk further and you can get a wide and nice view of the falls.

It is not allowed to enter Shifen waterfalls. So you can't take bath here.

I visited in April and water levels were fine. June to September is the rainy season in Taiwan, so Shifen waterfalls should be its maximum glory during August - September - October months.

Tour operators give very little time at Shifen waterfalls. We were given about 15-20 minutes, which was just enough to view the waterfalls from 2-3 view points, that too because I walked fast. About 5 mins is needed from parking area to waterfalls as we need to walk about a km crossing a bridge and navigating through few shops. If you stop for rest room, having a coffee or drink etc you will have little time left to view the waterfalls.

Rest room facility is available near Shiften waterfalls, few shops sell juices, snacks, souvenirs etc.

Tender coconut was also on sale, I didn't have time to stop and enjoy one. 

Shifen is apparently named little Niagrara of Taiwan. It is a nice waterfall but having seen dozens of amazing waterfalls in Karnataka Shifen didn't generate any WOW for me.  Maybe it will be 10x more powerful and beautiful in October (post monsoon).

There are some timing limitations to visit Shifen waterfalls- 5 PM or so is the last entry- varies by season, so do not plan to enter too late.

Shifen town, railway station and sky lantern launch area is about 2 kms from Shifen waterfalls. I couldn't find any veg food in Shifen town- ate some bread and coffee at Family Mart, got some mango juice near railway station for 60 TWD. Tender coconut was available but they were asking insane 100 TWD for bottled tender coconut water and 150-200 TWD for the real one. So decided to give it a miss.

Reaching Shifen waterfalls from Taipei:

Most people prefer day tours that cost around 2000-3000 INR. Day tours from Taipei cover several other destinations along with Shifen waterfalls, such as geopark so it is convenient, value for money and lets you visit several spots in one day without having to worry about transportation. However day tours give you very limited time so you will always be on a time bound mission.

There is a train option to Shifen from Taipei via Zufen. The popular Pingxi lineHowever train is very slow and will take several hours. If you have lots of time to spare you can enjoy the slow train ride, spend few hours in Shifen waterfalls area + sky lantern area (railway station) and then return to Taipei (or visit other attractions like Hautong Cat Village)