Rift Valley Rice Waves · 2 Days

The Rift Valley is Taitung's first kiss to the city dweller.

It isn't as dramatic as the coast, nor as majestic as the Southern Cross-Island route. It simply, quietly, lays a field of rice in front of you and reminds you that the horizon can stretch this far.

On this 2-day itinerary we set out from Chishang (池上) and follow the valley that runs between the Coastal Mountain Range and the Central Mountain Range, passing through Guanshan (關山) and Luye (鹿野) along the way. At each stop we do just one thing — a meal, a trail, a cup of tea. This isn't the valley of the photo checklist; this is the valley you actually settle into.

From summer into early autumn, the Rift Valley Land Art Festival makes this stretch all the more worth slowing down for. Heading south from Chishang to Guanshan and Luye, along County Road 197 and the rice fields, one large land-art piece after another stands quietly in the middle of the paddies — the season when the valley turns its whole landscape into a gallery.

Day 1 — Chishang (池上)

• 11:00 Arrive at Chishang Station, pick up a Chishang lunchbox for brunch, and picnic by Dapo Pond (大坡池)
• 13:30 Cycle an e-bike into Brown Boulevard (伯朗大道) and sip tea beneath the Takeshi Kaneshiro Tree (金城武樹)
• 15:30 Step into Chishang Bookstore (池上書局), a local independent shop, and chat with the owner about the valley's books and people
• 17:00 Tuoli Rice Story House (多力米故事館), to learn the story behind the valley's rice
• 18:30 Dinner at a local eatery — Chishang country cooking, paired with Hualien-Taitung rice wine
• 20:00 Check in to a local Chishang guesthouse. With no streetlights out in the countryside, the stars shine especially bright

Day 2 — Guanshan (關山) → Luye (鹿野)

• 07:00 Breakfast at the guesthouse, made with local ingredients
• 08:30 The Guanshan Old Railway Bike Path, pedaling gently along the ribs of the valley
• 11:00 A guided tour of the Guanshan Rice Mill, following a single grain's journey from paddy to lunchbox
• 12:30 Lunch at the rice mill cooperative — seasonal ingredients, made fresh that day
• 14:30 Luye Highland (鹿野高台), where the full panorama of the valley opens up before you
• 15:30 A Luye Red Oolong tea house, learning a simple brewing method — Red Oolong and Fulu tea are both Luye's signatures, honey-sweet and lingering, perfect as the valley's afternoon tea. Take a pack home with you
• 17:30 Head back, with a drop-off at Taitung Station

What's Included

• A private 8-seat van with a local driver-guide for the whole trip
• 1 night at a Chishang guesthouse (double room, breakfast included)
• 2 lunches + 1 dinner (local restaurants, seasonal ingredients)
• 1 hand-picked book from Chishang Bookstore
• A 50g Luye Red Oolong tea gift
• Travel liability insurance

What's Not Included

• Personal expenses and souvenirs
• Optional paid attractions (your guide can help arrange these on the spot if you'd like to add any)

Things to Note

• The itinerary depends on natural conditions; routes will be adjusted in rain or during the busy farming season (for example, when a field is being harvested and can't be entered).
• Temperatures in the valley swing widely between day and night, so we recommend bringing a light jacket.
• For the cycling sections, bring your own sun protection; the road surface is flat and easy to ride.
• If the rice mill, bookstore, or tea house falls on a closing day, it will be swapped for an attraction of similar character, with your guide letting you know the day before.

The valley's slowness isn't put on. Here, please take off your watch.

This itinerary is illustrative. The actual partner guesthouses, restaurants, guides, and tribal experiences will be aligned with you item by item before your trip is confirmed. We don't sell what you can't see.