Shifen | 十分

Sifen is one of the major tourist hotspot along the Pingxi line. It is an old town with shophouses that are literally built along the side of the railway. It was quite a sight when we alighted at Shifen. The moment the train passed the tracks, tourists started to stream onto the track with their Sky Lantern. Its really a nice little town, if not for the massive tourist crowd. We alighted on the middle platform and we had to cross onto the tracks to get to the station. The roads are very narrow with all the crowd.

We didn’t want to set off the Sky Lantern here in Shifen as it was very crowded, so we decided to take a walk to the Shifen Waterfall.

Shifen Waterfall is actually quite a distance away from the station itself. There are rental of electric bikes that is available along the streets which you could rent to take the journey to the waterfall.

To get to the waterfall, it is quite simple. The directions on the boards are not very obvious. After getting off from the station just have to walk in the direction away from the station. Cross the tracks and walk on the pavement on the right side of the track. From there, you should be start to see directional boards pointing you towards the waterfall. You would have to walk out of the town and along the road before you reach the park itself.

We stopped at the visitors’ park to grab a cup of coffee that is way too hot but certainly a nice companion in the slightly chilly weather as we head towards the waterfall.

The entrance to the waterfall itself is a long broad walk that will lead you towards the waterfall. The waterfall is huge and there is several vantage point where you can see the waterfall.

Shifen waterfall was the only place we visited in Shifen as we wanted to catch the train to head towards Pingxi.