SHIFEN WATERFALL 十分大瀑布 – THE LITTLE NIAGARA OF TAIWAN

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As I look back at my week in Taiwan, Shifen waterfall 十分大瀑布 easily stands out as one of the highlights. This was part of my full day trip to Jiufen, Shifen and Yehliu so its no surprise that this beautiful natural wonder stole the show for me and comes up as my very first blog from Taiwan 🙂

Located in the quaint Pingxi district of new Taipei city and just 34 kms from the main Taipei city, it makes for a top attraction close to city. Its usually the perfect add-on to your weekend Jiufen itinerary.

This stunning cascading waterfall is aptly nick named as the Little Niagara of Taiwan and if you visit, you can clearly see why. Even though much smaller than its intimidating counterpart, it has the similar 40 metre wide horseshoe shape and an extremely powerful water flow.

Best Shifen Waterfall Tours in Taiwan

Are you looking for tours that include Shifen waterfall? It is not really a standalone activity and can easily be clubbed with other cool Taipei attractions.

Here’s a handpicked selection of top rated and highly recommended tours you can book for less than $30 and enjoy so many cool activities –

Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, Shifen, and Golden Waterfall Day Tour
Yehliu, Jiufen, Shifen One-day Tour with Hotel-pick up
Yeliou, Jinguashih, Juifen and Shihfen Join Day Tour
Thousand-Island Lake, Shifen, and Juifen Day Tour with Pick-up

It is one of the largest, most scenic waterfalls in Taiwan, which adds to its popularity quotient.

This Shifen waterfall video snippet pretty much explains it all –

Why Add Shifen Waterfall Taiwan to your Taiwan Itinerary

Its not just a waterfall but a full fledged tourist attraction with parks, food court, photo opps, stunning bridge and tons to do for families with kids – feed the ducks if you like.

Feed the ducks — Who wants the feed the ducks?

As soon as you enter, its a nice 15 min walk to the main waterfall, at leisurely pace. Lots of steps and lovely sights on the way, then you need to cross a huge bridge (more photo opps there) , the multitude of play areas and food stalls to reach the final attraction in Shifen waterfall park.

The lovely bridge you cross to reach Shifen waterfall

Plus there’s a pretty temple too!

shifen waterfall park — Lovely temple inside Shifen waterfall park

You will see several view points and I would suggest taking pictures from each of these to get different angles. These pics were taken from the highest viewpoint –

Plus, the mist covered area on the right side is just as pretty. So, I would recommend carrying a wide angle lens to get the entire view of Shifen falls in one frame. This is what I mean by taking the right Shifen waterfall photos –

The mist covered side of the shifen falls — The mist covered side of the falls

shifen waterfalls taiwan — The entire view in one wide angle frame

Another reason to visit is that you can easily head to the lovely Shifen old street to release lanterns for good luck or take pictures on the rail tracks.

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Tip – Check Shifen weather before you go, it rains almost everyday. If you pick a nice sunny day, you might be rewarded with a pretty rainbow plus it makes walking/exploring much easier. Either ways, be prepared for impromptu showers so carry your umbrella/ rain jacket and comfy shoes.

Shifen Waterfall How to Get There

Here’s a handy Shifen waterfall map, however, you can see signs everywhere once you reach Shi fen waterfall and as one of the most popular attractions in Shifen, you simply can’t miss it.

To reach Shifen itself, simply get a train from Taipei main station to Ruifang and make a quick connection to the Pingxi line. You can even take a bus for NTD 120 to/from Shifen (or the more popular town of Jiufen).

Taxis are upwards of NTD 1200 but if you are in a small group, it makes sense to board a cab. However, my top choice would be to simply take this convenient, cheap guided tour to avoid all hassles of “how to get to Shifen waterfall“.

shifen waterfall tour — Get the KKday tour to avoid hassles and make friends instantly 🙂

Shifen waterfall to Shifen old street is just a 25 min walk or 3 mins by bus/taxi so its easy to do both in a half day trip.

Shifen Waterfall – What to know before you Visit

Shifen Waterfall opening hours

Open daily from 0900 to 1630 hrs, I would advice going early to beat the crowds. It tends to get very crowded, like all popular attractions so be smart about timings.

Shifen Waterfall entrance fee

Entrance to this attraction is free 🙂

Shifen Tour Booking Info

kkday guide — Our lovely guide “Pink Amy” from KKday

This post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you 🙂

Even though you can do it yourself, if you take a tour to all top spots of Shifen and include nearby attractions like Golden waterfalls, Jiufen and more, it will more than make up for your time especially if you are doing a day visit.

My tour was booked through KKday.

Click here to book a similar tour on Klook so you can follow my footsteps.

FAQ’s

Is Shifen Waterfall Worth Visiting?

Shifen is the widest waterfall in Taiwan and among the top attractions of Taipei. Situated just outside new Taipei city, it gives easy access to tourists as well. Definitely a must add to your Taipei itinerary.

How Long is the Walk to Shifen Waterfall?

A nice quiet 1 hour long walk (When its not crowded with tourists).

What is the nick name of Shifen Watefall?

The waterfall is also named Little Niagra of Taiwan.

So friends, have you visited Shifen waterfall in Taiwan or plan to? If not be sure to add it to your Taipei itinerary.

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Jo has been putting pen to paper from an early age when she started her "Dear Diary" and letters to her pen friends across the globe.
This alongside regular visits to Indian jungles in search of the Royal Bengal Tiger, fueled her zest for adventure, nature and wildlife.
Now she is a renowned travel blogger, outreach expert and has worked with over 500 travel brands in the last 15 years.