Nan-ao Trail

We joined the Mountain Climbing Club of my wife’s employer and hiked the first three kilometer portion of the 27 kilometer Nan-ao Trail.  The trail is located in the north east coast region of Taiwan near the town of Yilan.  The group traveled the entire portion of the recently restored trail and then returned, for a total of six kilometers.   The trail is easy to slightly moderate in difficulty and follows the South Nan-ao River.   The overall elevation change is about 400 meters and the trail provides some great views of the river gorge and mountains, including a great diversity of vegetation. 

The area has been inhabited by the Atayal indigenous people for hundreds of years and the trail was a primary route for the movement of salt from the plains along the east coast.  During the Japanese occupation (1895-1945), the trails were enhanced for purposes of controlling the Atayal.   Original Japanese markers can be found along the trail. After the KMT replaced the Japanese, the Atayal people were relocated and the Nan-ao trail fell into disuse. The forest bureau has improved the trail significantly, including the addition of two suspension bridges, and recently opened the section the club hiked.

The most difficult part of the hike is the travel along several very narrow trail sections with steep cliffs falling to the river below.  The Nan-ao trail is best known for the true story of a 17 year old Atayal girl name Sayon, who fell and drowned in 1938, while carrying the luggage of a Japanese officer she loved.  The story has been captivating to both the Japanese and Taiwanese, and the subject of books and movies.  Last year, Taishin Financial Holdings President Lin Keh-hsiao fell to his death hiking a nearby portion of the trail.  Ironically, reports suggest that Lin was intrigued by the story of Sayon since childhood and hiked the trail numerous times as a result.

The trail guide was very knowledgeable of the vegetation and insects found along the trail and provided the group with instructional information.  A picture of a Bird’s Nest Fern is included below. An original suspension bridge constructed by the Japanese about 100 years ago is still visible, but unusable.

After completion of the hike, the group rest at the river basin and then traveled to a nearby restaurant for a dinner of favorite local cuisine, which everyone appeared to enjoy.  Strangely, the highlight of the trip appeared to be a shopping trip to a small tourist town with a famous bakery.  The entire group joined a crowd of hundreds of other people, eager to buy breads and cakes made with local green tea.  I enjoyed the bakery and free tea samples, but it wasn’t a highlight for me.