Ecotourism, not Ecocide in Ilan

Jiaoshi (礁溪) , like so many other tourist attractions around the island, has undergone a thorough face-lift in recent years, and now stands smart and modern (if a little too large — more like a bustling town than a peaceful resort) to welcome the many visitors arriving each weekend.

Apart from the hot spring spas, resort hotels and public bathhouse, Jiaoshi is famous for the waterfalls at nearby Wufengchi (五峰旗). The falls are three in number, each higher than the previous one, although the third (by far the highest and most spectacular) is curiously missed by the majority of visitors: perhaps the steep trail up to its foot has something to do with this.

There are, however, several other waterfalls in the Jiaoshi area, none of which nearly as well known as Wufengchi, including the small but enchanting Shipan Waterfall, secreted away in a wooded glen high above the city and basically inaccessible until a path was built up to it a couple of years ago. It’s now being incorporated into local coach tours as a stop on the “Jiaoshi tour,” but most independent tourists have yet to find the place, and unless you run into a convoy of buses, it’s unlikely you’ll have too much company on the 3 km loop walk.

To get there, leave Jiaoshi town by route five, and look out for the first brown sign (in Chinese only) pointing the way to Linmei Shihpan Trail (林美石盤步道). From here the way to the trailhead is well-signposted, climbing past the huge campuses of Foguangshan and Danhai universities, conspicuously sticking out of the otherwise unspoilt wooded escarpment above the flat coastal Lanyang Plain.

Finally a sign (and, at weekends, a group of cars parked beside the road) marks the trailhead. Resist the urge to head immediately back down to Jiaoshi after seeing the wide, stony track, tall, barbed wire fence and adjacent golf course, and put up with them for a few minutes: it gets much more scenic later! Things start picking up after the fence and golf course are left behind and idyllic Caonan Lake (草湳湖、草灆波) lies to the right of the path.

Shortly after, a gate blocks the way ahead, marking the start of the walk proper. Here, as in several other beautiful spots around Ilan County, protecting the environment is taken refreshingly seriously. A sign here announces that pets are prohibited from entering, and (under the catchphrase “Ecotourism, no Ecocide”) a number of other no-no’s are listed, including no swimming.

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