Essential Endemic Tour:
2-3 Days in Dasyueshan

Overview

Dasyueshan (Daxueshan) is the best birdwatching destination in Taiwan, where you can spot nearly all of the island's 32 endemic bird species, except for the Styan’s Bulbul which has not been recorded here. Birdwatching in Dasyueshan is incredibly accessible; starting from the Dongshi district in Taichung, we drive up the mountain along the Dasyueshan Forest Road, covering a 50-kilometer stretch that takes us from an elevation of 400 meters to 2600 meters. This journey spans a range of climates from subtropical to alpine, allowing us to see a diverse array of endemic species in a short period. Whether you have just a day or up to two weeks, a visit to Dasyueshan is highly recommended. In a 2-3 day tour with overnight stay, we can expect to see up to 20 endemic species or more. Even for tours lasting two weeks, 2-3 days are typically allocated to explore this rich habitat. This itinerary is for a two-day, one-night birdwatching trip in Dasyueshan, which can be extended to a three-day, two-night stay to see more birds.

In this short tour, we will give every endemic species one or two chances. If we are lucky, usually we can see 12-18 endemic species in 2 days. If we have 3 days, we can expect to see 15-25 endemic species or more. We will spend more effort on the Swinhoe’s Pheasant (E), Taiwan Partridge (E) and Mikado Pheasant (E). In the birding tour, it’s better to find the Dasyueshan TRIO: Taiwan Yellow Tit (E), Rusty Laughingthrush (E) and Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush (E) here. These birds are very difficult in other birding sites. The elusive and rare Taiwan Thrush is also more likely to be seen here during late Dec to mid Jan. Also, the stunning Taiwan Yellow Tit can be observed year-round. Other commonly seen beautiful endemics like Morrison's Fulvetta (E), White-eared Sibia (E), Taiwan Yuhina (E), and White-whiskered Laughingthrush (E) are also hard to miss here.

The Huisen Lodge in Hui Lai Snow Peak

The Cabin in Hui Lai Snow Peak

Mikado Pheasant (E)

Swinhoe’s Phesant (E)

Taiwan Yellow Tit (E)

Collared Bush Robin (E)

Rufous-crowed Laughingthrush (E)

Taiwan Yuhina (E)

Taiwan Scimitar Babbler (E)

Taiwan Hwamei (E)

Coal Tit (ES) with special crest

Collared Finchbill (ES)

White-faced Flying Squirrel (E) at night

Taiwan Serow (E) at night

Price and Service

This tour will be operated with a licensed guide and legal tour agent. We will adjust the price in 2026 Jan 1st.

Inclusion: Guide fee, driver’s salary, accommodation of guide, driver and clients, vehicle, gasoline, parking fee, toll fee, domestic transportation (airplane or ferry), entrance ticket, food (breakfast, lunch and dinner), local travel insurance and local tax...etc

Exclusion: Coffee, alcoholic beverages...etc.

High Season: Jan, April to August, November, December & three or more consecutive holidays in Taiwan.

Low Season: February, March, September & October.

2-Day, 1-Night Tour

Group Size	Fixed Itinerary Tour for High/Low Season*	Vehicle Type	# of Twin Rooms
1-2	1620/1440	Small 4-seater	1
3-4	2500/2350	SUV/ 8-seater Van	2
5-6	3290/3090	8-seater Van	3

*all price in USD; single room supplement: 150 USD per extra room

3-Day, 2-Night Tour

Group Size	Fixed Itinerary Tour for High/Low Season*	Vehicle Type	# of Twin Rooms
1-2	2690/2450	Small 4-seater	1
3-4	4150/3850	8-seater Van	2
5-6	5440/4950	8-seater Van	3

*all price in USD; single room supplement: 300 USD per extra room

Notes

Please provide the full name, passport ID, birthday and nationality for the Travel Agency Liability Insurance via the online form or send the photocopy of your passport to confirm the trip.
Payment can be made in advance via bank transfer or credit card.
Pay the full amount 2 weeks before the tour starts. Payment can be made 2 months before the tour.

We strongly recommend arriving in Taichung one day in advance on your own if you want to concentrate on breeding endemic birds in the 2-day tour.
Please prepare your own toiletries.
The hotels provide electrical outlets (110V, type A & B), electronic blanket and WiFi
Please prepare mosquito repellent and sunscreen. We have no malaria in Taiwan.
Kindly inform us of your special food requirement, birdwatching style and physical condition to help us assess the most suitable birdwatching spots and food for you.

eBird Trip Reports

2024.09.04-05 Dasyueshan 2D1N (#55) https://ebird.org/tripreport/275857
2024.06.23-24 Dasyueshan 2 Day for the Family Tour with the late Fairy Pitta (#39) https://ebird.org/tripreport/284541
2024.05.23-24 Dasyueshan 2D (#29) https://ebird.org/tripreport/284550

to be added… (updated on 2024/10/15)

Itineraries

2-Day, 1-Night Tour in Dasyueshan

This is a FIXED itinerary for seeing the breeding endemic birds in Dasyueshan in 2 days. As we have a tight schedule, we highly recommend you to start the 2 day tour from Taichung to save time. Staying in any hotel in downtown Taichung is fine. If you would like to save some time (about 20 mins driving in the morning), the Cuan Fu hotel in Fengyuan is the best option.

D1	Taichung-Dasyueshan (B/L/D)
	06:00	Meet at the hotel in Taichung* and buy breakfast and picnic lunch on the way to Dasyuesan Forest Road.
	07:00-09:00	Look for low elevation birds between 0-15K (300-1000m). Taiwan Hwamei (E), Taiwan Scimitar Babbler (E), Morrision’s Fulvetta (E), Taiwan Barbet (E) and Collared Finchbill (ES) are the main targets. If we are lucky, we can get the Rusty Laughingthrush (E), Taiwan Bamboo Partridge (E), Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler (E) and Chestnut-bellied Tit (E).
	09:00-13:00	Look for mid elevation birds between 23-35K (1700-2000m). Swinhoe’s Pheasant (E), Taiwan Partridge (E), Taiwan Yuhina (E), White-eared Sibia (E), Taiwan Vivid Nelitava (E), Taiwan Liocichla (E), Taiwan Yellow Tit (E), Rufous-crowed Laughingthrush (E), Taiwan Barwing (E) and even the shy Taiwan Cupwing (E). Around Dec, we would have some chance to get the Taiwan Thrush (E). We would have our picnic lunch at 35K or 50K depending on the progess.
	13:00-16:00	Birding around 50K (2600m). In order to get different birds, we will drive up all the way to the top of the road to look for the rare Mikado Pheasant (E) and shy Flamecrest (E). Usually we can get the Collared Bush Robin (E), White-whiskered Laughingthrush (E), Yellow-bellied Bush Warbler (ES) and Southern Nutcracker. The White-browed Bush Robin (E), Taiwan Rosefinch (E), and Taiwan Bullfinch (E) are difficult.
	16:30	Check in at 43K Dasyueshan Visitor Center (2200m).
	17:30-19:00	Dinner at 43K Dasyueshan Visitor Center (2200m).
		Night walk around the visitor center (optional) to look for the mammals: White-faced Flying Squirrel (E), Taiwan Serow (E) and Reeve’s Muntjac (ES).
	19:00-20:00	Night walk around the 43K Dasyueshan Visitor Center (2200m).
D2	Dasyueshan-Taichung by 1800 (B/L)
	06:00-07:00	Early birding walk around the 43K Dasyueshan Visitor Center (2200m). Look for the Taiwan Whistling Thrush (E), Taiwan Liocichla (E) and Green-backed Tit (ES), Eurasian Nuthatch (ES) and Coal Tit (ES).
	07:00-08:00	Breakfast and check-out.
	08:00-11:00	Going back to 50K (2600m) to try all the alpine birds again.
	11:00-12:00	Lunch at 43K Dasyueshan Visitor Center (2200m).
	13:00-1500	Birding in Dasyueshan Forest Road 43-0K (2200m-400m).
	16:00-18:00	Leave the Dasyueshan Forest Road by 1600 and return to Taichung* by 18:00

*If you're starting from Taipei or TPE airport, please note that it will take an additional 2 to 2.5 hours to drive to the Dasyueshan area. Not recommended in the 2 day tour.

Hotel List (DSS 2D1N)

We'll try our hardest to get you rooms at all the hotels you want for your tour. But if some of those hotels are booked, we might have to put you up in a different hotel nearby that's just as good.

Date	Hotel	Address	Phone number	WiFi	Website
D1	惠來大雪山Hui Lai Snow Peak	No. 18 Xueshan Rd, Heping District, 424, Taichung City	886-4-25876698	Yes	https://www.hlsp.com.tw/index_tw.php
D1 alternative	景雅民宿 Jinya Hotel (Home Stay)	No. 15, Izuyun Lane, Xueshan Road,Heping District,Taichung City,	N/A	Lobby only	https://jingya.ego.tw/

3-Day, 2-Night Tour Starting from Taichung

This is a FIXED itinerary tour for seeing the breeding endemic birds in Dasyueshan in 3 days. In this itinerary, we can spend more time looking for all the breeding endemic birds along Dasyueshan Forest Road.

Day	Activity Description
D1	Taichung-Dasyueshan (B/L/D). We will go birding in the Dasyueshan area all day. In the morning we will buy breakfast and picnic lunch before we drive to the forest road. At the same time, we will stay overnight at the Hui Lai Snow Peak at 43K (2200m). In the morning, we will look for low elevation birds between 0-15K (300-1000m). Taiwan Hwamei (E), Taiwan Scimitar Babbler (E), Morrision’s Fulvetta (E), Taiwan Barbet (E) and Collared Finchbill (ES) are the main targets. If we are lucky, we can get the Rusty Laughingthrush (E), Taiwan Bamboo Partridge (E), Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler (E) and Chestnut-bellied Tit (E). After lunch , we will drive up and spend more time at 23K (1700m) to look for Swinhoe’s Pheasant (E), Taiwan Partridge (E), Taiwan Yellow Tit (E) and some of the common birds in mid elevation Then we will drive up slowly to check the birds between 23-35K (1700-2000m). The main targets are Taiwan Yuhina (E), White-eared Sibia (E), Taiwan Vivid Nelitava (E), Taiwan Liocichla (E), Taiwan Yellow Tit (E), Rufous-crowed Laughingthrush (E), Taiwan Barwing (E) and even the shy Taiwan Cupwing (E). We would have some chance to get the Taiwan Thrush (E) in winter. Then we will have a break at the 35K toll station (2000m), and try to look for Swinhoe’s Pheasant (E) and Taiwan Partridge (E) there if we still miss them. In the afternoon, depending on the progress, we may check in at the 43k visitor center/hotel area early, or we will have a glimpse at 50K (2600m) to look for the Mikado Pheasant (E). We have to check in at the 43k before 17:00. Dinner can start from 17:30 or 18:00. After dinner we will have a night walk around the visitor center (optional) to look for the mammals: White-faced Flying Squirrel (E), Taiwan Serow (E) and Reeve’s Muntjac (ES).
D2	Birding in Dasyueshan all day (B/L/D). We will continue our stay at the Hui Lai Snow Peak at 43K. In the morning, we will walk around the 43K visitor center before breakfast (starts from 07:00), in order to get different birds, we will drive up all the way to the top of the road around 50K (2600m) to look for the rare Mikado Pheasant (E) and shy Flamecrest (E). Usually we can get the Collared Bush Robin (E), White-whiskered Laughingthrush (E), Yellow-bellied Bush Warbler (ES) and Southern Nutcracker. The White-browed Bush Robin (E), Taiwan Rosefinch (E), and Taiwan Bullfinch (E) are difficult. There are three different areas we can look for different birds. We will go back to the 43k visitor center to have lunch around 12:00. After lunch we can either drive up to the 50K again or go down to lower elevation to make up the birds we miss. We will go back to the 43K for dinner and rest.
D3	Dasyueshan-Taichung, TPE airport or Taipei (B/L). On the last day, we'll enjoy birdwatching in Dasyueshan and make our way back down, birdwatching along the way in the afternoon. We aim to return to either Taichung, TPE airport or Taipei by 18:00 (please note that returning to TPE airport or Taipei will add 2-2.5 extra hours of driving).

Hotel List (DSS 3D2N from Taichung)

We'll try our hardest to get you rooms at all the hotels you want for your tour. But if some of those hotels are booked, we might have to put you up in a different hotel nearby that's just as good.

Date	Hotel	Address	Phone number	WiFi	Website
D1-2	惠來大雪山Hui Lai Snow Peak	No. 18 Xueshan Rd, Heping District, 424, Taichung City	886-4-25876698	Yes	https://www.hlsp.com.tw/index_tw.php
D1-2 alternative	景雅民宿 Jinya Hotel (Home Stay)	No. 15, Izuyun Lane, Xueshan Road,Heping District,Taichung City,	N/A	Lobby only	https://jingya.ego.tw/

3-Day, 2-Night Tour Starting from Taipei/TPE airport

This is a FIXED itinerary tour for seeing the breeding endemic birds in Dasyueshan in 3 days.

Day	Activity Description
D1	Taipei/TPE-Optional birding site-Taichung (L/D) In the morning usually we will get the Taiwan Blue Magpie (E) and some low elevation endemic birds around Taipei or in Shihmen Reservoir. Some of the lower elevation birds such as Taiwan Barbet (E), Taiwan Scimitar Babbler (E), Morrion’s Fulvetta (E) are also the targets. We will have lunch around Taipei or Taoyuan. If we need some waterbirds we can try to see them on the way southward. Then we have to check in the hotel in Fengyuan downtown by 18:00 and have dinner later. No night activities.
D2	Birding in Dasyueshan all day (B/L/D). We will go birding in the Dasyueshan area all day. In the morning we will buy breakfast and picnic lunch before we drive to the forest road. In the morning we will look for low elevation birds between 0-15K (300-1000m). Taiwan Hwamei (E), Taiwan Scimitar Babbler (E), Morrision’s Fulvetta (E), Taiwan Barbet (E) and Collared Finchbill (ES) are the main targets. If we are lucky, we can get the Rusty Laughingthrush (E), Taiwan Bamboo Partridge (E), Black-necklaced Scimitar Babbler (E) and Chestnut-bellied Tit (E). Later in the morning, we will look for mid elevation birds between 23-35K (1700-2000m). Swinhoe’s Pheasant (E), Taiwan Partridge (E), Taiwan Yuhina (E), White-eared Sibia (E), Taiwan Vivid Nelitava (E), Taiwan Liocichla (E), Taiwan Yellow Tit (E), Rufous-crowed Laughingthrush (E), Taiwan Barwing (E) and even the shy Taiwan Cupwing (E). We would have some chance to get the Taiwan Thrush (E) in winter. We would have our picnic lunch at 35K or 50K depending on the progress. In order to get different birds, we will drive up all the way to the top (the 50K) of the road to look for the rare Mikado Pheasant (E) and shy Flamecrest (E). Usually we can get the Collared Bush Robin (E), White-whiskered Laughingthrush (E), Yellow-bellied Bush Warbler (ES) and Southern Nutcracker. The White-browed Bush Robin (E), Taiwan Rosefinch (E), and Taiwan Bullfinch (E) are difficult. We have to check in at the 43k before 17:00. Dinner can start from 17:30 or 18:00. After dinner we will have a night walk around the visitor center (optional) to look for the mammals: White-faced Flying Squirrel (E), Taiwan Serow (E) and Reeve’s Muntjac (ES).
D3	Dasyueshan-Taichung, TPE airport or Taipei (B/L). On the last day, we'll enjoy birdwatching in Dasyueshan and make our way back down, birdwatching along the way in the afternoon. We aim to return to either Taichung, TPE airport or Taipei by 18:00 (please note that returning to TPE airport or Taipei will add 2-2.5 extra hours of driving).

Hotel List (DSS 3D2N from Taipei/TPE airport)

We'll try our hardest to get you rooms at all the hotels you want for your tour. But if some of those hotels are booked, we might have to put you up in a different hotel nearby that's just as good.

Date	Hotel	Address	Phone number	WiFi	Website
D1	川賦商旅 ChuanFu Hotel	No. 77, Xiangyang Road, Fengyuan Dist, Taichung City	886-4-2528-8777	Yes	https://www.chuanfuhotel.com.tw/tw/index.html
D1 alternative	景雅民宿 Jinya Hotel (Home Stay)	No. 15, Izuyun Lane, Xueshan Road,Heping District,Taichung City,	N/A	Lobby only	https://jingya.ego.tw/
D2	惠來大雪山Hui Lai Snow Peak	No. 18 Xueshan Rd, Heping District, 424, Taichung City	886-4-25876698	Yes	https://www.hlsp.com.tw/index_tw.php

Hotels We Use in Dasyueshan

The Dasyueshan Forest Road is a 50km driving road starting from 300m in elevation and goes to 2600m. There are only two areas that have hotels: around 13K Dasyueshan community and 43K.

Hui Lai Snow Peak 惠來大雪山 at 43K (2200m)

The Hui Lai Snow Peak 惠來大雪山 (former Anmanshan Lodge 前鞍馬山莊) is located at 43K of the road and the elevation is 2200m. After the refurbishment is finished in 2025 Q3, the hotel offers towels and WiFi in the room. At night, we can walk along the hotel to look for the mammals (White-faced Flying Squirrels, Reeve’s Muntjac & sometimes Taiwan Serow). We will try to get the room there on every birding tours.

Usually we will use the Huisen Lodge for safety concerns. The lodge is flat, we don’t have to take any stairs. The Cabin is located on the steep slope and we have to take stairs along the uneven trails. Sometimes if we can’t get the lodge tight, we will use the Dasyue Shan Hotel. The only downside is we don’t have lifters in the hotel. If you are fine with the stairs, please let us know and we can book the Cabins for you.

Cuanfu Hotel in Fengyuan, Taichung (Downtown)

We can save 20 mins in the morning if we stay in Cuan Fu Hotel in Fengyuan. You can book this hotel through an online tour agent such as booking.com . The facility and food are better here. If you would like to have more birding, we will stay in Dayueshan 13K home stay in the 1st night of the 3D2N tour.

Dasyueshan Community Home stay (Usually Jingya) at 13K (900m)

The hotels around 13K are home stay type, and the elevation is around 900m. It’s the replacement if we can’t get the room of the hotel at 43K. We have 3 options but usually the Jingya is the best one.

Additional Information about Traveling & Accommodations in Taichung

How to take the first High Speed Rail to Taichung

Train #0203 is the first southbound train as below. You can start from Taipei (Nangang, Taipei and Banqiao stations). Then we can start the tour at 0730 in Taichung HSR station. For the train #0208, even though it depart earlier but as it stops in every station, the arrival time is 0732 in Taichung HSR station.

Train #0300 is the first northbound train as below. You can start from Kaohsiung (Zuoying station), Tainan, Chiayi, Yunlin and Changhua. Then we can start the tour at 0700 in Taichung HSR station.

How to Reach Taichung by Public Transportation

For the Dasyueshan 1D-3D tour, we highly recommend visiting Taichung independently via the High Speed Rail to save your time.

With the High-Speed Rail (HSR):

You can utilize the High-Speed Rail service to reach Taichung. Once you arrive at the Taichung HSR station, it's the same location as the ordinal train Taiwan Railways Xinwuri station (新烏日站). From there, you can transfer to the Taiwan Railways trains to reach either Taichung Railway Station (台中火車站) or Fengyuan Railway Station (豐原火車站) .

With the ordinal (Taiwan Railways).

Ordinal train Taiwan Railways also works if you would like to save the time and budget. You can take the express train to Taichung Railway Station (台中火車站) or Fengyuan Railway Station (豐原火車站).

Where to Stay before the Tour in Taichung

Accommodation booking: You can use any booking service such as Booking.com to book your accommodation, which is a convenient and reputable booking platform. Please note that in Taiwan, we recommend not using the Agoda booking website.

Accommodation areas in Taichung:

Near Taichung HSR station: Although this area requires a taxi ride, it is closer to the HSR station and the highway, making it convenient for traveling to Dasyueshan via the highway the next morning.
Near Taichung Railway Station: You can easily reach this area after transferring from the Taiwan Railways, and it offers the most accommodation options nearby. However, taxi rides can be quite expensive.
At Fengyuan Railway Station: You can also consider taking the Taiwan Railways to Fengyuan and stay at Chuan Fu Hotel, which is just next to the station and its' even closer to Dasyueshan for the next morning. If you decide to stay at Chuan Fu, the guide will stay in the same place with you. It saves 20 mins travelling time to Dasyueshan compared with Taichung downtown.

If You Need our Assistance

We hope this information helps you arrive in Taichung and arrange accommodation smoothly. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.If you need our assistance with booking anything, please let us know your budget, and we will charge an extra 15% handling fee on top of the hotel and ticket costs for the clients to pay for our tour. If you only need the booking service, we will charge a 30% handling fee based on the room price.

Species We Might See

Here we listed the birds we might see mainly in the Dasyueshan area.

Endemic Species

Swinhoe's Pheasant
Taiwan Barbet
Taiwan Yuhina
Taiwan Scimitar-Babbler
Morrison's Fulvetta
White-whiskered Laughingthrush
White-eared Sibia
Steere's Liocichla
Collared Bush-Robin
Flamecrest
Taiwan Vivid Niltava
Taiwan Whistling-Thrush

Taiwan Partridge
Mikado Pheasant
Taiwan Bamboo-Partridge
Taiwan Yellow Tit
Taiwan Bush Warbler (Apr-Aug)
Rufous-crowned Laughingthrush
Rusty Laughingthrush
Black-necklaced Scimitar-Babbler
Taiwan Cupwing
Taiwan Fulvetta
Taiwan Barwing
Taiwan Hwamei
Taiwan Bullfinch

<Rare>

Taiwan Thrush
Taiwan Shortwing
Taiwan Bush-Robin
Taiwan Rosefinch

Chestnut-bellied Tit
Taiwan Blue-Magpie

Styan's Bulbul

Key Endemic Subspecies

*: possible split in the future

Oriental Turtle-Dove
Collared Owlet
White-backed Woodpecker
Black Drongo
Bronzed Drongo
Eurasian Jay
Gray Treepie
Eurasian Nutcracker
Coal Tit*
Green-backed Tit
Striped Prinia
Collared Finchbill

Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler
Yellowish-bellied Bush Warbler*
Golden Parrotbill
Rufous-capped Babbler
Dusky Fulvetta
Eurasian Nuthatch
Little Forktail
White-tailed Robin
Snowy-browed Flycatcher
Plumbeous Redstart
Fire-breasted Flowerpecker
Brown Bullfinch*

Key Non-endemic Birds & Wintering Birds

Malayan Night Heron
Brown Dipper
Rufous-faced Warbler
Gray-chinned Minivet
Black Eagle (rare)
Mountain Hawk Eagle (rare)

Daurian Redstart (winter)
Pale Thrush (winter)
Brown-headed Thrush (winter)
Eyebrowed Thrush (winter)
White’s Thrush (winter)
Scaly Thrush (rare breeding)

Mammals

Daytime

Formosan Rock Macaque (endemic)
Palla’s / Red-bellied Tree Squirrel (endemic subspecies thaiwanensis)
Maritime Striped Squirrel (endemic subspecies formosanus)
Reeve’s Muntjac (endemic subspecies micrurus and easier at night)
Perny's Long-nosed Squirrel (rare, endemic subspecies owstoni)
Yellow-throated Marten (rare, endemic subspecies chrysospila)
Great Himalayan Leaf-nosed Bat (rare, endemic subspecies terasensis)

At night will be easier

Taiwan Serow (endemic)
Formosan Red-and-white Giant / White-faced Flying Squirrel (endemic)
Taiwan Giant Flying Squirrel (endemic)