Tamsui-Kavalan Historical and Cultural Trails

Tamsui-Kavalan Trail
淡蘭古道 (pronunciation: dan lan gu dao)

  • Distance: 274 km

  • Duration: 8-10 days

In northeastern Taiwan, mountain ridges span from Taipei all the way to the Pacific Coast, posing as a natural barrier between Taipei Basin on the west, and Yilan Plain on the east. These lush mountains are the backdrop where the long history of the Tamsui-Kavalan Trails is set. As visitors embark on these ancient paths, they will find themselves amidst a rainy forest at one moment, then looking out a sweeping view of the ocean the next.

The Tamsui-Kavalan Trail, or simply known as "Danlan", is a dense network of trails left behind by pioneers, military, missionaries, gold miners, tea merchants and explorers traversing the mountains over the past hundred years. The route setters today divided the Trails into three routes (with two more still in development), passing through urban areas and villages, abandoned mines and military posts, welcoming visitors to pick up pieces of history as they go about the mountains.

The routes that make up the Tamsui-Kavalan Trail network currently include:

  1. Danlan Cultural Path (TK0): The northern start/end point, starts in Taipei, it is a city route.

  2. Northern Path (TK1): Mountain path, the oldest route of the Danlan network, or so called "the official's path", it is rich with historical documentation.

  3. Centrail Path (TK2): Mountain path, it is a path well traveled by ordinary people for daily purposes, also called the "commoners' path".

  4. Southern Path (TK3): Mountain path, it used to be traveld by tea merchants in the Qing Dynasty, thus "the merchants' path" or "the tea path".

  5. Yilan Plain Line (TK4): Located all in Yilan, the route is mapped out but the surrounding is still in development.





 

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