How to Spend One Day at Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

If you’ve been following along on our girls trip to Asia, you know we started with 3 packed days in Hong Kong. On our fourth day, we woke up early and headed to the airport for a short flight over to Taiwan via Hong Kong Express. Landing in Taiwan, we had big plans for our first day and no idea how truly magical this country is!

We pre-booked a driver through Go Taiwan with Chun and he met us outside the Taichung International Airport (RMQ). We quickly got on the road bound for Sun Moon Lake. It was a bit out of our way given our final destination for the day was Fenqihu but I really wanted to visit so we made it work!

The below activities are simply in order that we saw them as we drove around the lake, but if you’re not on a time crunch you could go in whatever order you prefer. At the end, I’ve also added some activities worth considering if you have more than one day at Sun Moon Lake! As you can see in the map below, we only got to do one side of the lake with our limited time.

One Day at Sun Moon Lake:

Wenwu Temple (or Wen Wu Temple)

The most popular attraction at Sun Moon Lake is Wenwu Temple. Since we didn’t have a guide, I unfortunately didn’t get to learn a lot about this gorgeous temple. However, I’ve read that it was originally built in 1938. After Taiwan was returned to China (the Republic of China) in 1945, the government decided to rebuild the temple in 1969. It is in the Chinese-style architecture.

Since I was wearing shorts, I decided not to go inside but wandered around the courtyard and snapped photos of the intricate carvings, exterior ceilings, and golden wish bells hanging outside.

Colorful ceiling of Wenwu Temple, Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

Steps of the Year

The Steps of the Year can be found leading down to the water out front of Wenwu Temple. There are 366 steps, one for each day of the year plus leap year. The stairs start at December 31 and work their way down to January as you get closer to Sun Moon Lake.

Of course, I had to stop and take photo on my birthday step (December 6). Each step has an inscription beside it and I had planned to ask our driver to translate but they were a little too faded to show up well in my photos.

The day we visited Sun Moon Lake was April 30 (which is also my brother’s birthday) so that warranted a photo as well!

Once you’ve reached the bottom of the stairs, there’s a platform overlooking the turquoise water.

Closer to Lake Tea Lounge

Just beside Wenwu Temple is the Hotelday. To the left inside the main entrance is their restaurant (Closertolake Tea Lounge) which is open to the public. By the time we finished exploring Wenwu Temple and walking the Steps of the Year, we were getting hungry so we made a stop here. We snagged a spot outside along the balcony overlooking the lake, and it’s the perfect spot to enjoy a meal. I will say this is no Italian pizza, but the tea drinks were unique!

Water Frog Head Trail

After lunch, we drove a couple miles to our next stop: Water Frog Head Trail. The path leads along a wooden walkway surrounded by trees and bamboo. Some signage said to look out for monkeys but we didn’t spot any. Not like we did on our first day hiking Lion Rock in Hong Kong!

At the end of the trail, you come to a platform that overlooks the lake and the Nine Frogs Stack. Depending on the water level, you’ll see fewer than nine frogs. There were seven visible during our visit!

Ci’en Pagoda

Last but certainly not least of the stops we visited on our one day at Sun Moon Lake: Ci’en Pagoda. It’s a bit of a hike (and a good number of steps) from the parking lot to get there, but certainly worth it when you get your first look at the pagoda!

If you have the time, you can climb to the top of the pagoda. We didn’t go all the way up but did wander a couple floors up to check out the view. Scared of heights? You might feel a little better knowing there are nets covering the center of stairs so you can’t fall.

Additional Activities at Sun Moon Lake

After Ci’en Pagoda, we piled back in the car for the 2 1/2 hour drive to Fenqihu Hotel, our home for the night.

Even though we only got to spend about 3 hours at Sun Moon Lake, I think it was totally worth it because it was high on my Taiwan bucket list. Of course, with that timeframe there are a lot of things we missed. If you have more than one day at Sun Moon Lake, you’ll want to consider these other activities:

Cable Car – Riding the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway cable car takes 7 minutes and provides a birds-eye view of the lake.
Temples – There are several other smaller temples to visit: Xuanguang, Xuanzhang, and Longfeng.
Ferry Ride – Sun Moon Lake boat rides depart from several piers and with a full day ticket, you can hop on and off to see the sites.
Sun Moon Lake Bikeway – Biking is a popular way to see the sites at Sun Moon Lake. It seems like most people rent their bikes in Shuishe. There are dedicated bike paths in some areas, and some people choose to also ride on the road as well.
Ita Thao Food Market – The food stalls are generally open from 8 am – 6 pm with vendors selling a range of Taiwanese foods.
Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village – I’ve read mixed reviews about the culture village. While the village gives visitors a look at Taiwan’s indigenous tribes with performances showcasing culture, music, and dance, a lot of reviews say it’s really more like a theme park.

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