How Those Hiking Trips Are Selected
This page has many free or paid guided hiking trips here in Taipei, Taiwan. If you are looking for more challenging hikes like 100 peaks, you can find them, too. I only list the 100 Peaks trips with qualified and experienced hiking guides to minimize the potential risks.
Please note that I'm not affiliated with any of those groups. I'm a member of LOHAS and THMA, and I pay my membership fees every year. Why I share their trips is because I can trust them. That's all.
However, please bear in mind that every outdoor activity is involved dangers. You should be fully aware of the risks before you participate. Any information provided on Taiwan Hikes should not be held accountable for injuries or even death.
I used to put many guided hiking trips on this page, but now I've decided to have a significant haul. You'll only see hiking trips by
THMA 新北市山岳協會 and
Taiwan Mountain LOHAS Association 台灣山野樂活協會. It's not because other groups aren't good (some are really not good), but for the following reasons.
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It takes too much time to sort out those trips and use translation tools to put them in English. This is the primary reason.
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I've been hiking with both groups for several years, and I know how they work. Most importantly, both groups have strict training processes (like WFA, Wilderness First Aid, and AWFA Advanced Wilderness First Aid training), and they require guides to check out and clean up the trails before they take hikers to the trails (except 100 Peaks). You can check out the How Guides Are Trained for details. Both groups also have different pieces of training for guides who take 100 Peaks hikes.
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Some hiking guides from both groups speak fluent English. Many hikers speak good English, too. If you don't speak Chinese, you can still understand what's happening during the hikes.
If you prefer more challenging hikes, I strongly recommend you go with hiking groups The vegetation, weather, and terrains might be beyond your imagination and put you at risk. Please check
Things You Need to Know before You Hit The Trails in Taiwan.
About LOHAS and THMA
About LOHAS
LOHAS was established in January 2010 and has trained hundreds of excellent hiking guides over the decade. Their guides are relatively younger than other hiking groups.
The ratio of guides to hikers is around 1:5, and they send a guide to keep company with the slowest hiker(s). If any hiker wants to retreat, one of the guides will go with them to return to the trailhead.
LOHAS updates their trips when new ones are available, and you must sign up first. This is good because their guides can make sure they can take care of every hiker properly. They even took care of hikers from other hiking groups.
Why? Because some for-profit hiking groups only have one guide. If this only guide must take care of one of the hikers, the others will be on their own. Unfortunately, this happens often in Taiwan. This might be a story for another day…
For 100 Peaks hikes, it's better to attend the meeting before departures. Guides will brief what to expect on the trails and answer questions regarding gear and clothing. It's also good to see whom you will hike with in advance. The guides will also decide whether this hike is for you.
I've been to several meetings before the departures, and I think the presentations from LOHAS are the best among them. Very detailed and informative.
About THMA
THMA was established in 1973 and has a massive base of fans and trained many hiking guides over the decades.
If you check THMA's website, you will find they have many free and paid guided trips. If you want to explore 100 Peaks hikes, THMA provides many trips. Like LOHAS, THMA holds meetings before the 100 Peaks hikes. Their guides also preserve the right to decide whether you can join certain challenging hikes depending on your hiking experience.
One thing to note is the pace of most THMA one-day hikes can be very fast. If you just want to wander, their hiking trips may not be for you.
Both LOHAS and THMA are non-profit organizations.
Or, do A Quick Quiz to Find the Trails for You!
If you are looking for hiking trails in different cities in Taiwan but need help figuring out where to start, you can do this short quiz to get some inspiration.
If you are considering hiring a guide, please also do this quiz so I can help you to find the one you need.
Free hiking tour at Mt. Jiantan with HolaTaipei!
If you are looking for a short hiking tour with English/Spanish/Mandarin guides, my friend Cris from
HolaTaipei has a free guided tour to take you to Mt. Jiantan, right next to MRT Jiantan Station.
- 🗻Hike Mt. Jiantan, the No. 9 of Minor 100 Peaks in Taiwan
- 🗻History and stories about Taipei and hiking in Taiwan
- 🗻Last but not least, the beautiful views of Taipei and more (airplanes taking off and landing)
Find out more on
HolaTaipei.
Disclaimer
All content provided is for inspirational and informational purposes only. Creating, using, hiking, or traveling with Taiwan Hikes' suggested services, or itineraries is at your own risk. Please use your best judgment and follow all safety precautions as Taiwan Hikes and Anusha Lee are not liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the use of this information.
Please also note that Taiwanese government agencies tend to change their URLs without bothering to redirect to the new ones. All content provided is for inspirational and informational purposes only. Creating, using, hiking, or traveling with Taiwan Hikes' suggested services or itineraries is at your own risk. Please use your best judgment and follow all safety precautions, as Taiwan Hikes and Anusha Lee are not liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from using this information.
Please also note that Taiwanese government agencies tend to change their URLs without bothering to redirect to the new ones. As a result, you will find some external sites on the Taiwan Hikes website are not working from time to time. Taiwan Hikes will try to update those URLs if possible.
Taiwan Hikes is not responsible for the content of external sites., you will find some external sites on Taiwan Hikes website are not working from time to time. Taiwan Hikes will try to update those URLs if possible.
Taiwan Hikes is not responsible for the content of external sites.
If you have any questions about the guided hikes, please contact the guides for more details.
Date format: Year/Month/Date