Taiwan Night Wonders: Jiufen Lanterns & Shifen Falls

Evelyn was absolutely wonderful, she made the experience so fun & educational. I would recommend Evelyn and this tour to anyone, thank you! :-)

Suni was very friendly & kind. Entertaining & informative. Great venues. Especially enjoyed Houtong. Would recommend the tour to anyone looking to get out of the city.

Joseph was a great guide. Very efficient and great planning. Provided good recommendation to visit the tea house and for places to visit in Taiwan

Jerry was the absolute best tour guide—hilarious, kind, and totally gave off fun dad energy. He somehow spoke like four languages during our tour (??) which was wild to witness. Even though it was a 7-hour tour, it never felt rushed—we got to see everything and still enjoy every moment. The scenery was unreal. If you're planning to do the lantern experience, I’d recommend asking to wait until there’s no one behind you before releasing it—mine turned out super crowded in the pics, which was my only regret. Other than that, this tour is a solid 10/10. And Jerry? He’s a 20/10. You won’t regret booking!

This experience was a mix of breathtaking beauty and less-than-ideal conditions. The waterfall itself was absolutely amazing—powerful, mesmerizing, and worth the visit. It was one of those moments where nature truly takes your breath away. One of the most magical parts of the trip was the lantern release. Even though the sky was cloudy, the lanterns still floated effortlessly, creating a surreal and peaceful moment. Watching them rise into the mist was something special, almost dreamlike. However, what was supposed to be a scenic, picturesque area ended up being completely obscured by rain and fog. Instead of panoramic views, we saw only gray mist. The charm of the place was definitely there, but with zero visibility, it was hard to appreciate it fully. The climb—300 steps up and down—was another challenge. Normally, I wouldn’t mind a good workout, but add in the cold, wet conditions and a massive crowd of people wielding umbrellas, and it became more uncomfortable than enjoyable. Navigating through tight spaces while avoiding getting poked by umbrellas made it a little frustrating. Due to the continuing rain and it being cold and wet I ended up bypassing the night market which I had really been looking forward to Overall, the experience had its highs and lows. The waterfall and lanterns were absolutely worth it, but the weather and crowd made parts of the trip more exhausting than expected. If I had the chance to go again, I’d definitely aim for a clearer, drier day.

Jeffrey Wu is the best tour guide! Super knowledgeable, personable, and funny! We thoroughly enjoyed how varied the experiences were in this tour, from the waterfall, to the Geopark, to the lanterns—everything was beautiful, memorable, and so worth the trip. We were never once bored. Communication is via WhatsApp so make sure at least one person in your group has that downloaded—instructions and pictures were very clear so we were never lost or confused.

James was amazing guide, keeping track of so many people with different languages and giving special attention to everybody.

We absolutely loved our tour. We felt it was great value and had plenty of time to explore each of the stops in the itinerary. Taiwan’s own train street at Shifen, the waterfall and Jiufen were a great way to spend a day exploring outside of Taipei. The day was made so much better by Vince and his commentary throughout the day. Informative and hilarious at times! He was great for a chat and would check-in with us throughout the entire day to make sure we were enjoying ourselves. Bus was spacious and comfortable and the bottled water and USB charging was greatly appreciated.

Joanna our guide was very knowledgeable and the amount of time at each stop was perfect. The shifen Falls were magnificent including the suspension bridges to get to the falls. Customizing and releasing the lantern was fun and the views from Jiufen were nice including a visit to a tea house.

The waterfall was beautiful, launching the lanterns was fun and a different experience. I was very disappointed with Jiufen, not because of the tour but because it was extremely overcrowded, so much that you were crammed in with throngs of people ( reminds me of the pictures I’ve seen lately of Rome and Venice) and this was off season January!! Never made it to the top.