Dulan → Yuli 都蘭 → 玉里

From Taitung/Dulan, we advise staying on the east coast road for another session of dramatic views of cliffs and rocks. Take a left onto mountain road no. 23 and head over to the other side. If you feel attracted to the popular arch bridges of Sanxiantai 三仙台, take road no. 30 a little further north.

You'll arrive in the East Rift Valley 花東縱谷, a quiet, lush and mostly flat plain formed where the Eurasian and Philippine Sea tectonic plates meet. From Fuli, take the main road north, and from Dongli 東里 try to hop onto the parallel cycle path, a former railway line leading all the way to your final destination, Yuli 玉里. The bikeway passes the bridge where the tectonic plates split.

We liked staying downtown at the easygoing 910 Hostel, but if you manage, book a night at Wisdom Garden, a few kilometres north of town and the most popular pick for almost everyone passing through the East Rift Valley.