In Motion Asia: Outdoor Adventures in Taiwan and Asia

Weekend Trips

Get out of the office and into the gorgeous outdoors with a customized In Motion Asia weekend mountain biking trip.  With 5 excellent itineraries to choose from you will soon be zipping along a hand-picked collection of scintillating trails and experiencing firsthand the captivating scenery Taiwan is famous for.  What’s more each itinerary has been carefully chosen to include scenic accommodation settings, intriguing local culture, excellent local restaurants, and lots of soothing hot springs!

With most of our weekend trips being accessible from Taiwan’s International Airports, a weekend of top class mountain biking is just a short flight from most Asian cities meaning you can leave the office on Friday and still be back by Monday morning.

As with all In Motion Asia trips our itineraries are fully customized and provide you with the perfect logistics to match your schedule and needs and ensure you have a brilliant trip through the ‘Beautiful Island’!

• The Tea Lined Valleys of Pinglin
• The Lost World Tour
• The Southern Mango Plantations
• The Paiwan Tribal Route
• Tropical Paradise in Kenting

The Tea Lined Valleys of Pinglin

Pinglin which means ‘forest on level ground’ is known throughout Taiwan for its locally grown fragrant tea along with its awesome terrain which includes steep emerald mountains, picture perfect tea fields and clear, swimmable rivers.  It is also home to an intrinsic network of trails, forest paths, farm tracks, and scenic back mountain roads which provides the keen adventurer with a solid mountain biking playground.  If the thought of biking through undeveloped mountain valleys interlaced with crystal clear mountain rivers appeals then Pinglin, which is location just 30min from Taipei, is well worth checking out. 
Grading: Beginner to Intermediate

The Lost World Tour

A highly recommend tour that takes your through the wonders of Hualien County on Taiwan’s magnificent east coast.  An area of immense beauty with its pristine environment and huge array of geological wonders, the Lost World Tour is one of our most popular mountain biking itineraries and sure to impress!  We start the tour in the northern quadrant of the East Rift Valley with lakeside accommodation and a mountain bike ride that takes you on an undulating tour of the surrounding area.  Lakeside trails, old Japanese-era bat filled ammunition storage caves, gravel gorge-side roads, betel nut plantations along with a number of local Aboriginal villages.  From the rift valley we move north into the world-class Taroko Gorge and experience some of the best scenery and riding available on the island.  The gorge itself is magnificent and provides some of the best riding scenery you will find anywhere in the world.  Combine this with the more 30km of single-and-double track in the area and you have one of our best mountain biking itineraries and a superb weekend of fun and adventure!
Grading: Intermediate

The Southern Mango Plantations

Another mountain biking paradise located at the foot of the mighty Yushan Mountain Range.  Conveniently located out of Kaohsiung the Southern Mango Plantations itinerary is a classic immersion into the real Formosa.  With huge local culture, delicious cuisine, rugged terrain and an abundance of natural hot springs this is one of In Motion Asia’s favorite areas!  The area boasts a number of different rides depending on your level of fitness and includes rugged mountain roads, gravel tracks, massive suspension bridge crossings, farm trials, and a good amount of single track.  The terrain here is mountainous and includes some challenging climbs, sweet downhill’s and lots of undulating topography in-between.  Post ride get ready to feast on a smorgasbord of fresh local fruit, including the mouth-watering local mangos, and sooth away any aches and pains in the fantastic hot springs while gazing over a delightful mountains vista!
Grading: Intermediate

The Paiwan Tribal Route

Get set for a unique adventure into the heartland of the mighty Paiwan Aboriginal Tribe as we take you off the beaten track and into the mountainous interior of the Southern Jungyang Mountain Range.  Another rugged area in close proximity to Kaohsiung that possesses striking landscapes, verdant mountains and is home to some of Taiwan’s most undiluted indigenous culture.  We start our adventure on the western plains and work our way up through some truly amazing scenery, with steep roadside drop-offs framed by rushing waterfalls at almost every turn.  Passing through a mixture of mountain roads and off-road terrain we enter into a remote mountain village of the Rukai Tribe.  This area offers a rare opportunity to delve into the history of the Aboriginal tribes, observe traditional stone-slab houses, stone implements, and wood carvings.  We also get to enjoy an authentic Aboriginal bbq which traditionally includes roast boar, mountain sago, and maize dishes, and a local specialty called ‘Jinabuwan’.  We continue our fantastic adventure with a 30km off-road trail that takes you deep into Taiwan’s mountainous interior among the forested peaks of Mt Dawu.  The area is pleasantly cool and is frequently shrouded in swirling white mist, which adds an air of mystery to its already enchanting scene.  Of course what goes up must come down and we enjoy a roaring 1500m plus descent down the mountain back to the western plains and civilization! 
Grading: Intermediate to Advanced

Tropical Paradise in Kenting

Situated at the southern most point of Taiwan, Kenting is a tropical paradise and home to arguably the best cross-country mountain biking in Taiwan!  Sitting at a confluence of fault lines and tectonic plates the surrounding peninsula has been pushed, pulled, and twisted into a complex network of low–lying mountains.  This provides an outstanding supply of grassy meadows, buffalo pastures, endless rolling hills of open single-track and superb coastal trails.  The scenery is also spectacular with the distinctive ‘sharp peak’ at the center of most of the riding while the ocean is never far away.  Put this together with the magnificent white-sand beaches, rolling surf, excellent accommodation, and fun mardi-gras style local town and you have all the ingredients for a wicked time!  With its warm tropical climate, Kenting is the perfect winter retreat and is less than 2hrs from Kaohsiung International Airport and the High Speed Rail making it the perfect weekend escape!
Grading: Intermediate

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