I can’t believe this is my 3rd time back in beautiful Taiwan in 3 years! 😍 Every year, I make it a point to visit Jiufen and Shifen because they are such iconic and representative places in Taiwan. This time I partnered up with RoundTaiwanRound to review their revolutionary travel planning service, Tripool! 🚗🚙🚕
With RoundTaiwanRound’s Tripool, travelling on a custom itinerary becomes as affordable as Uberpool and Grabshare. Gone are the days you have to fork out over S$200 for a private driver to bring you around – travelers can choose exactly the places they want to visit while enjoying the cost benefits of carpooling! 🔆 No more boring stops where tour guides force you to buy stuff you don’t need 🌚
With RoundTaiwanRound’s Tripool:
💮You pick the spots you want to visit.
💮Their AI system will plan the best schedule for you and other travelers, so you don’t have to wait for others.
💮 You will travel comfortably in a Volkswagen 9-seater van.
💮Every group is less than 9 people.
💮You will only visit the spots you choose!
I always dreamt of an itinerary planner like this, where you have total control over your trip at an affordable price! Especially since I have been to the Jiufen area a few times, this feature was particularly attractive – I can decide to pick only the best spots and places I missed on my previous trips 🏮 This time I was travelling with my mummy who hadn’t been to Jiufen/ Shifen before, so I chose 6 of my favourite locations to bring her to: Jiufen Old Street, Golden Waterfall, Yin Yang Sea, Shifen Old Street, Shifen Waterfall and Pingxi Old Street.
We woke up bright and early at 8 am on the day of our tour and our driver Johnson whisked by our hotel in Ximending to pick us up at 8.30 am. Previously we took the train to Ruifang > Jiufen/ Shifen, which took us about one and a half hour of checking schedules and changing trains. Not to mention, the train from Ruifang to Shifen, Pingxi only runs every hour, so you have to be mindful to catch the correct train or wait an hour for the next one. Getting a driver with Tripool is about 30% to 50% cheaper than a private driver if you are travelling solo or as a couple – so it is definitely worth the money to avoid the hassle from taking public transport!
During our 45 mins drive, our driver Johnson discussed adding on to our itinerary, recommending us a few new places like Nanya Rock Formation and the Gold Mine Museum. He advised us that Shifen and Pingxi are actually quite similar, but we told him we just wanted to see the difference, so he told us he can drop us for a quick look around at Pingxi to save time, and add more stops to our tour 👍🏻
Our first stop was at the gorgeous Nanya Rock Formations, where we discovered Johnson is the best photographer we could have hoped for. He basically forced us to take a photo at every location with his iPhone 10 hahaha which is fantastic cos’ I don’t have to chase down random strangers and beg them to snap a photo for us – or worse, use the dreaded selfie stick. And of course, I don’t have an iPhone 10.
We then drove halfway up the mountains for a bird’s eye view of the Ying Yang Sea, which I only managed to see previously from ground level!
At the viewing point, we also managed to catch a beautiful shot of us with the misty mountaintops.
Continuing up the mountains toward Jiufen, we stopped by the breathtaking Golden Waterfall and subsequent… golden streams along the roadside. It wasn’t as saturated in colour as I previously remembered, but Johnson told us it was probably because the gold colour looks brighter after rain.
By this time, I was already thanking God for our air-conditioned drive up the mountains, because Taiwan’s heat in May was merciless. At each stop, we would pop out for all of 5 minutes before succumbing to the scorching rays and dashing back into the much welcome comfort of Johnson’s cab.
Next up, Johnson stopped us at the Gold Ecological Museum, where he recommended us to try the Miner’s bento and to take a tour inside a real mining tunnel! I had never been there before, not being such a museum person, but my mummy and boyfriend are total history buffs.
As it turns out, IT WAS AMAZING!!! By the time we reached the museum, a light fog had started to settle around us, nullifying the unbearable sun.
I was starving and so we went straight for the bento set, which had the crispiest, yummiest pork cutlet ever!!
After which, we went for a tour in the cold, wet mining tunnel and touched some gold. It was one of the more interactive museums I had been to, which made it a real eye-opener for me! Apparently, we missed out on uncovering our own fool’s gold in one of the exhibitions 🙁 but I think I would be back soon!
Back at the carpark (yes the carpark), Johnson literally brought us behind some dubious looking bushes to reveal this hidden tunnel, which led to the most amazing views on the other end – known as the Romantic Highway.
He also showed us an extremely steep upward sloping rail cart track and an abandoned little house which we wouldn’t have given a second look without him! Our driver totally rocks 🎉
Finally, we headed to Jiufen Old Street, where Johnson surprised me again by leading us to the lower path parallel to the old street which was much less crowded.
We also visited the old movie theatre and went past the iconic A Mei Teahouse, which amazingly I always missed on my trips to Jiufen (too commercialised for me).
After filling our tummies with my favourite snacks at Jiufen, we proceeded to Shifen Waterfall! The first time we took so long travelling via public transport we couldn’t make it in time to see the waterfall, which closes at 4 pm.
I never get sick of this view!!
We headed straight for Shifen Old Street after the waterfall trek to release our sky lanterns! There is also a yummy cheese-filled snack that I always buy at Shifen 😀
Before heading back, we dropped by Pingxi, just to walk through the quiet old town and determine that it is indeed, just a quieter version of Shifen! If you want a sky lantern shot without people, Pingxi is the place to go.
We all fell asleep on the comfy ride back into Taipei, where Johnson dropped us off at Taipei Main Station to do some last-minute shopping.
We snapped a photo with our awesome driver Johnson at Shifen too!
Having explored all 3 possible travel options to Jiufen; namely via private driver, Tripool tour and public transport – I would definitely recommend Tripool tour as the most cost-effective, efficient and hassle-free way of visiting the outskirts of Taipei 🎉 Our driver Johnson was the best too, bringing us to unknown spots with awesome views 👍🏻 This totally beats traditional travel tours where you just have to follow the group ✈
What a fantastic solution for a new generation of millennial globetrotters! 🌎
Do check out Round Taiwan Round’s Tripool services via their website: https://www.rtaiwanr.com/jiufen/jiufen-custom-shared-tour for your next trip to Taiwan!