Siraya National Scenic Area Headquarters

Deion

Have you ever picked a ponkan with your own hands? Have you ever tried to cook a delicious meal for yourself by going into the fields and plucking vegetables? Take a dip in the mud hot springs in the Siraya community, explore the fireflies in the forest, experience the hard work of fruit pickers and prepare your own luncheon on the farm. That''s how fun it is to visit the countryside.

DAY 1
Taste jar-roasted chicken in Guanziling→Walk around Guanziling Hot Spring Area→Pick ponkans/watch fireflies in Nanliao→Stay in Guanziling for a mud bath


The first thing you must try on your arrival at Guanziling is the golden and juicy barrel-roasted chicken, and then stroll along the Guanziling Trail into Guanziling Old Street to imagine its prosperous days a century ago, before getting ready to go firefly watching in the evening!

■Guanziling Barrel-roasted Chicken
Apart from the mud hot springs, another specialty of Guanziling is the barrel-roasted chicken. The crispy skin and juicy meat make many gourmets come back for more. More and more operators have developed different ways to make it, such as teapot chicken, jar-roasted chicken, coffee chicken, etc.

Once you enter the Ciancaopu below the Guanziling hot spring area, you are already in the first-class roast chicken area in the Guanziling Scenic Area, known as the roast chicken street. The street is lined with restaurants and packed with diners during meal times, so don't you want to come and have some?


■Guanziling Old Street
The Guanziling lower hot spring resort has been developed since the Japanese era, and a century-old hot spring hotel has been preserved for tourists to visit. Along the trail, you can see the old hot spring street, the Haohan Slope used by the Japanese army for rehabilitation, the Baoquan Bridge at the exit of Guanziling hot springs, and the Great Fire Wangye of Zhenshan. A visit to the old hot spring street will leave a memory of Guanziling's scenery.

■Picking Ponkans in Nanliao
City Road No. 175 links hot springs, coffee, ponkans, longans and fireflies, and every year from October to November, it is the season for Nanliao's green-skinned ponkans. The green skin of the ponkans is opened to reveal the yellow flesh of the fruit, and the sweet and sour flavor of one bite gives you the taste of your first love!

■Guanziling Mud Hot Spring
Guanziling Hot Springs was among the four major hot spring resorts in Taiwan during Japanese rule, along with Sihchong River, Beitou and Yangmingshan. The mud hot springs in Guanziling are rare in Taiwan, primarily because when the warm water gushes out, the green mudstone deposited in the coral reef layer is brought out, which makes it appear greyish-black. The hot springs at Guanziling are weakly alkaline carbonated and can be used to apply mud to the face or body for beauty and health purposes. Hailed a national treasure, the mud springs contain sulfur and salts that kill germs and soften dead skin after soaking in them. For those who value good looks, be sure to come and take a dip!

DAY 2
Farming experience at Fairy Lake Leisure Farm: Taste of the land (coffee), making longan biscuits by hand, roasting free-range chicken (prepare a lunch for yourself), making turtle-shaped red rice cake by hand

■Fairy Lake Leisure Farm
At the center of Fairy Lake Leisure Farm is a separate hill, which is nicknamed Fairy Lake by local residents because of the sea of clouds in the morning, evening and after rain, which makes the hill look like a small island in a lake. The farm is home to a variety of small animals and a pool, which is a great destination for children to run and play and for parents to relax.

The farm's agricultural area produces seasonal produce, including local fruits such as lychees, longans, ponkans and oranges; coffee; and wild vegetables such as Glebionis coronaria, Amaranthus viridis, Asplenium nidus, Crassocephalum crepidioides, and Solanum nigrum, supplying ingredients for the farm. The agricultural area is a production site and an experience zone, where visitors are invited to experience the life of a farmer for a day as part of an in-depth farming experience tour.

Fairy Lake Leisure Farm admission: NT$150 per person
Farming experience: Taste of the land (coffee) NT$350 per person, making longan biscuits by hand NT$330 per person, roasting free-range chicken (prepare a lunch for yourself) NT$1,400 per person, making turtle-shaped red rice cake by hand NT$250 per person

Advance booking required for firefly viewing and ponkan picking at Nanliao
Advance booking required for farming experience at Fairy Lake Leisure Farm