Siraya National Scenic Area Headquarters

With a history of 60 years, Dongshan, in Tainan City, has become known as a haven for local coffee. Dongshan's farmers growing Arabica coffee—regarded as the world's best variety—with organic fertilizer, and at present the township is home to almost 150 hectares of coffee plantations. At around October and November each year, the mountains are brimming with coffee trees and orange trees, their reds and greens respectively mingling to create a scene of unrivaled beauty. It is at this time that the Dongshan Coffee Festival opens, dedicated not only to promoting the locally produced coffee, but also the sweet, green-skinned ponkan tangerines Dongshan is rich with. In Dongshan, you can sample the distinctive coffee and the fun of picking fruit, as well as taking part in a guided tour of the local coffee plantations, or take a symbolic, fashionable trip through Dongshan's 175 coffee trails. Taiwan's "home of coffee" has a unique attraction to coffee lovers, and this has led to a profusion of high quality farming operations providing coffee that rivals, if not beats, any imported beans. In recent years, Dongshan's coffee industry has taken to working together with the hot-springs festival in Guanzihling, as well as providing engaging mountain hikes, all creating a wonderful cooperation between the agricultural and tourism industries, giving visitors the chance to fully experience the myriad wonders of Tainan City, from the camphor trees to the Jianan Plains, the coffee to the tangerines, and the mountains to the glorious cherry blossoms. The sight of coffee beans drying in the sun is one rarely found in Taiwan, and makes for part of a truly high quality recreational experience.