An epic 1,000km bike ride around Taiwan

Each year, thousands of Taiwanese ring the island as a rite of passage. Now, a growing number of tourists are cycling it, and experiencing a side of Taiwan few outsiders see.

Recently, a Taipei-based cyclist named Ethan pedalled along a lonely road clinging to the side of a cliff along Taiwan's remote eastern coast. After cutting through a lush forest, he eventually reached the top of the Seaboard Mountain Range, where the glassy expanse of the ocean spread out before him and stretched towards the horizon.

"Some people say if you don't do the Huandao at least once in your lifetime, you're not really Taiwanese," the cyclist joked. 

Literally meaning "around the island", the Huandao is a beloved journey for many Taiwanese residents. Each year, thousands of people ring the island on a nearly 1,000km (621-mile) route clockwise from Taipei. Along the way, they pass the north coast's dramatic rock formations and rugged fishing villages, venture down its sparsely inhabited eastern shore, ride through the southern tip's white-sand beaches and pedal up its heavily urban western coast.

While the Huandao can be done by car or motorcycle, many Taiwanese cycle it as a rite of passage while in school or before starting university.

Ethan said he's cycled the Huandao four or five times. "Every time I go a different way, in bigger or smaller circles," he explained. "Taiwan is so beautiful and there's always something new to see."

The birth of a 'national' cycle route

Long-distance biking has been popular in Taiwan for more than 50 years and the island is known as one of the world's great cycling destinations. But the idea of circumnavigating Taiwan by bike entered the national imagination following the release of the 2006 film Island Etude, in which a college student spends seven days cycling around the island.

In the film, the student visits historical sites connected to Taiwan's past Japanese occupation, hears ancient Indigenous folk songs and meets strangers in the countryside who are quick to offer a bed or meal. Ever since, real-life students have followed his path, hoping to similarly discover a different side of their island home.  

As more Taiwanese cyclists set out on the Huandao, the Taiwanese government inaugurated the circular route as Taiwan Cycle Route No 1 in 2015 – creating a sort of "national" network of cycle paths and roads.

Circumnavigating Taiwan on two wheels

While most cyclists begin and end their journey in Taipei, the beauty of the Huandao is that you can start anywhere – or just tackle portions of it, like I did.

On two previous visits to Taiwan, I had largely stayed in the populous north and west. This time, I set out to cycle 500km (311 miles) along the island's lonely eastern coast, from Taipei to Taitung, to see a side of Taiwan few travellers experience.

Leaving the capital, I followed designated bike lanes below the overpasses towards the port city of Keelung, stopping for soup dumplings and braised eel at its famous night market. But the real biking fun began some 30km (18.6 miles) east in the seaside town of Fulong. There, the Old Caoling Tunnel, a historic 2.1km (1.3-mile) railway tunnel, has been converted into a bike path. I cruised through the stone passageway under flickering lights before emerging in the northern edge of Taiwan's eastern coast – and what felt like........

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