Classic Itineraries
Hiker missing for 17 days in Mount Longao of Hehuan Mountain Range found dead
A man surnamed Ren from Taipei went missing on April 11 while climbing Mount Longao in Ren’ai Township, Nantou County. Despite search efforts by police and firefighters since the 12th yielding no results, on the 27th, members of a civilian rescue team asked the family to pray to the mountain deity in the final search area. The next day, Ren’s body was found about 1 kilometer down the southwest slope of Mount Longao. On the 29th, it was airlifted down the mountain, and authorities are further investigating the cause of death.
I Am the Mountain King: Spring Hike at Dakeng, Capture Scenic Views via AR & Win Prizes
The Taichung City Government launched the “I Am the Mountain King” campaign to promote the Dakeng trails. They invited popular outdoor photographer Paul, who spent 12 hours capturing the scenic beauty of the trails. MiKa, a hiking beauty and travel influencer, selected family-friendly Trails 6 and 7 as well as leisurely Trails 5 and 5-1 to lead group hikes. Ecological experts and hiking enthusiasts also named various Dakeng trails, with the public invited to vote for their favorite names.
Climbing Everest over corpses to reach the summit—famous female climber 'Three Fish' returns home
Taiwanese female mountaineer 'Three Fish' Yvonne Chan Chiao-yu recently accomplished the feat of climbing Mount Everest. She returned to Taiwan by plane on the afternoon of the 4th. In an interview, she mentioned that this year there were more casualties among climbers, mainly due to poor weather conditions. Many climbers would discuss who died that day during their ascent.
KMT’s Han enjoys soaring popularity; Wang says he’s all for brothers climbing mountains together
Former Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng attended a series of events in Tainan on the 2nd. During his morning visits to the Wu Temple and the Grand Matsu Temple in the West Central District, he commented on the astonishing momentum of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu’s rally at Ketagalan Boulevard, expressing that he is “optimistic about it.” Having previously supported Han’s “Three Mountains” rallies, Wang now faces Han’s challenge in the presidential race. Remaining calm and collected, he said, “Brothers climbing mountains should each do their best,” and noted that on the 6th, he will meet with the KMT’s five-member task force for the presidential primary to offer suggestions on the nomination process.
Too much unrest lately — Eight more hikers go missing in the Himalayas
The Himalayas have been quite turbulent recently. Following the tragic deaths of 11 climbers attempting to summit Mount Everest, another incident has emerged: seven hikers and one local guide have gone missing while climbing another peak, with no contact for a full week now.
He Spent $2 Million to Climb Everest and Froze at the Sight of Half-Buried Corpses
Reaching the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest (Qomolangma), at an altitude of 8,848 meters is every climber’s dream. Coupled with clear weather, this led to massive traffic jams at the summit, resulting in 11 deaths within just 13 days — the highest fatality rate during Everest ascents in nearly four years. Tan Hai (a pseudonym), a 50-year-old mountaineer from Hunan who survived the ordeal, said he was left shaken at the sight of corpses strewn everywhere, his legs going weak, and at that moment, he deeply felt he was “close to death.”
Mountains and Seas Unlocked: Yushan Hiking Trails Fully Open for Applications on June 1
In line with the "Mountains and Seas Unlocked" policy, the Ministry of the Interior announced that, together with the Ministry of Education, it is actively planning and reviewing a series of supporting measures based on the principles of "full openness and effective management." Starting June 1, applications for Yushan hiking trails will be fully open. However, the single-entry portal of the Mountain Service Integration Platform, developed by the Construction and Planning Agency, may not go live until the end of June due to pending procedures.
Chengdu: “Silk Road Scenery, Drunk on Qionglai” Self-Drive & Cycling Tour Departs
On April 28, the “Silk Road Scenery, Drunk on Qionglai” self-drive and cycling tour set off from Chengdu, Sichuan, as one of the events of the 2015 Silk Road Tourism Year – Beautiful China. Over 300 self-driving enthusiasts will visit Qionglai, the first city along the Southern Silk Road. Last July, the Sichuan Provincial Tourism Administration officially designated Qionglai as the “First City of the Southern Silk Road” and Pingluo Ancient Town as the “First Town of the Southern Silk Road.” This self-driving tour offers a more visitor-friendly approach by providing a series of travel itineraries for enthusiasts, including visits to Pingluo Ancient Town—renowned as the “Pastoral Song of Tianfu, Embroidered Beauty of Pingluo”—and Jiaguan Town, known as the “Water Village Tea Country.” Participants will also enjoy local specialty performances such as “Bamboo Hemp Chants” and stilt walking, and will tour several post-earthquake reconstruction resettlement sites in various towns to witness the renewed landscape after the Lushan earthquake. On the same day, Qionglai City also unveiled several premium tourism routes, including the Southern Silk Road Culture Exploration Tour, the Charming Qionglai Classic Tour, the Ancient Temple Meditation Discovery Tour, and the Camp Adventure Tour.
Harbin to Hainan: China’s Longest Self-Drive Car Transport Train Begins Operation
China News Service reports that the Harbin Railway Bureau today announced the official launch of the first express train for transporting self-drive tourist vehicles, traveling from Harbin in Heilongjiang Province to Haikou in Hainan Province. This route spans between China’s northernmost and southernmost provinces, covering a total distance of over 4,000 kilometers, making it the longest car transport train line in the country. It is reported that Heilongjiang Province, located in the northeasternmost part of China, has seen a growing number of “migratory residents” in recent years — people who travel south to escape the cold in winter and return north to avoid the heat in summer. According to statistics from relevant departments, as many as 100,000 residents from Heilongjiang were staying in Sanya, Hainan Province alone last December.
China’s first China-Myanmar self-drive tour route launched in Yunnan
China News Service reports that China’s first China-Myanmar self-drive tourism loop route was officially launched on the 11th. The inaugural group of 51 people drove 16 vehicles out of the Ruili Port in Yunnan, embarking on a 9-day in-depth tour of Myanmar. According to the itinerary jointly agreed upon by both China and Myanmar, members of the inaugural group will travel deep into Myanmar, passing through distinctive tourism cities such as Muse, Lashio, Mandalay, Bagan, Meiktila, Inle, Pyin Oo Lwin, and Maymyo, gaining an immersive experience of Myanmar’s natural scenery, ethnic culture, and Buddhist heritage. Pai Yunxiang, head of the Publicity Department of Ruili Municipal Committee in Yunnan Province, stated that China’s first self-drive tour route to Myanmar not only deepens tourism cooperation between the two countries but also boosts the development of the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
Suifenhe Port Opens Cross-Border Self-Drive Tours Between China and Russia
China News Service reported that on the 4th, the Suifenhe municipal government announced the official launch of a cross-border self-drive tour route between China and Russia, allowing tourists from both countries to freely clear customs at the highway port and enjoy self-driving tours in each other's countries.
Dandong, Liaoning, Plans to Allow Self-Drive Tours to North Korea
Xinhua News Agency today cited information from the Dandong Tourism Bureau of Liaoning Province, stating that Dandong may open self-drive tours to North Korea for the general public as early as June this year. 〃The report said that the Dandong Tourism Bureau recently announced plans to allow mainland tourists to join tour groups organized by travel agencies and drive their own vehicles to North Korea in June. The itinerary will include multiple tourist attractions in North Korea, and visitors may even be able to explore areas that were previously not open to tourists. Previously, applying to visit North Korea required presenting the tourist’s ID card and passport; for self-drive tours, vehicle inspection certificates will also be required. 1030501
China-Myanmar's First Self-Drive Tour Loop Opens
China News Service reported that on April 1, the Ruili Tourism Group announced in Kunming the launch of China and Myanmar's first self-drive tour loop, which will take travelers deep into famous Myanmar cities such as Lashio, Bhamo, Mandalay, Yangon, and Bagan, as well as the scenic landscapes along the way. It is understood that Ruili City is located in the western part of Yunnan Province and is under the jurisdiction of the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture. Ruili is bordered by the Kachin State and Shan State of Myanmar to the northwest, southwest, and southeast, with villages and settlements in close proximity across the border. Xu Guangyou, Deputy Director of the Yunnan Provincial Tourism Development Commission, stated that while Yunnan is a major tourism province in mainland China, as the only province bordering Myanmar, the development of tourism in the mysterious Buddhist country of Myanmar remains relatively underexplored, with many travelers eager to experience its unique exotic charm.
Self-driving tours are gaining popularity, and camping is grabbing business opportunities in supporting services
In the past five years, the trend of self-driving travel among residents in Shandong has grown stronger year after year. During holidays such as May Day and National Day, as well as weekends, roads leading from cities like Jinan and Qingdao to suburban scenic spots have become congested. This explosive growth in private car travel reveals huge market potential. At the same time, there is currently a clear lack of supporting projects for self-driving travel. In 2010, due to the absence of any internationally standardised auto campsites in Shandong, the province introduced the "Shandong Self-Driving Tourism Master Plan", putting the construction of internationally standardised auto camps on the agenda. In response to the family vacation characteristics of auto campsite projects, in 2014, the Shandong Tourism Industry Association selected 10 representative communities across the province to develop service hubs for vacation tourism products such as self-driving tours, RV travel, and camping resort vacations.
Lu Min turns van into mobile villa
According to mainland media reports, recently four self-driving enthusiasts in Chongqing pooled funds, spent two and a half months, and invested 270,000 RMB to independently design and modify a mobile "three-bedroom" that unfolds to an area of 24 square meters, accommodates 12 people, and features facilities for playing mahjong, karaoke, bathing, and cooking. One of the enthusiasts, Qiu Yong, said that their self-driving experiences in recent years have been terrible, especially when traveling to popular scenic spots where there are way too many people and accommodation prices are astonishingly high. He recalled that during last year’s National Day holiday on the mainland, they drove to Sanya, Hainan, where rooms that normally cost a few hundred RMB easily went up to over a thousand, and slightly better hotels charged as much as 4,500 RMB per night at the most expensive.
Wife of Hong Kong man killed in New Zealand self-drive crash suffers head injuries
Ten Hong Kong, mainland Chinese, and Canadian Chinese tourists were involved in a crash that caused their vehicle to plunge into a river during a self-drive trip in New Zealand. The approximately 60-year-old Hong Kong man driving the car died, and his wife sustained head injuries. Li Xin, Deputy Consul General of the Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch, New Zealand, said in an interview that the victim’s wife will need to undergo further surgery. Relevant parties are currently contacting their family members to handle the aftermath, but no specific arrangements have been made yet.
North Korea’s Rason: Self-Drive Tours and Casinos Popular Among Chinese Tourists
”Rason Special City in North Korea is the first city in the country to allow self-drive tours (independent road trips) by Chinese tourists. In a country where daily necessities such as food are extremely scarce, Chinese visitors here enjoy meals with meat and alcohol at every turn. One of the most popular spots among tourists is the Emperor Casino in Rason City. According to Ta Kung Pao, giant portraits of North Korea’s successive leaders and their families, lapel pins of the leaders worn by locals, colorful political propaganda paintings, and grand slogans can be seen everywhere in Rason. Aside from these, there aren’t many brightly colored clothes—residents mostly stroll the streets dressed in black, white, gray, and earthy yellow. Travelers must wait for customs clearance at the North Korean Yuanjingri Port, and there are numerous restrictions, such as a ban on bringing telescopes, tape recorders, professional cameras, mobile phones, and other electronic devices. Photography is limited to designated scenic spots, and group entry and exit rules must also be followed.
Malaysia Tourism Board to Promote Self-Drive Tours Next Year
The Malaysia Tourism Board will promote self-drive tours across Malaysia. The Malaysia Tourism Board aims to attract 28 million visitors next year, generating RM76 billion in revenue, equivalent to NT$760 billion. Azizan, Deputy Director of the Tourism Board, said that the board will launch various tourism programs next year. As self-drive tourism is a current travel trend, the focus will be on promoting self-drive tours, especially to attract self-driving tourists from ASEAN countries.
Converted a truck into an RV, road-tripped across 28 European countries
Zeng, a man from Dongguan, Guangdong, passionately transformed a small truck into an RV and spent 140 days road-tripping through 28 European countries, becoming a local celebrity in Dongguan. Zeng’s 28-country road trip cost around 230,000 yuan (RMB, the same below), including 100,000 yuan for the vehicle purchase and over 30,000 yuan for modifications. Additionally, travel expenses amounted to 90,000 yuan, with fuel costs making up 80% of that. When talking about the biggest challenge of the trip, Zeng said visas were the most troublesome. For example, obtaining a Schengen visa took over four months. As for expenses, fuel was the biggest drain—he acknowledged that driving abroad inevitably involves high fuel costs—but what he’s most proud of is how he managed food. Before departure, he bought 80 jin (about 40 kg) of rice at 3 yuan per jin, costing 240 yuan, and also brought 20 jin (about 10 kg) of noodles for around 140 yuan. For the 140-day journey, he ate only rice and noodles; supplemented with dried goods like fermented tofu, wood ear mushrooms, and kelp, his average daily spending was just 40 yuan.
Regulatory restrictions make self-driving tours by mainland tourists in Taiwan truly troublesome
Since the opening of independent travel for mainland tourists, more and more have rented cars to explore Taiwan. Many believe this is the best way to see the island’s beauty. However, as mainlanders cannot obtain an international driver’s license, they are essentially driving without a valid license in Taiwan. Cross-strait discussions on driver’s license reciprocity are needed. A couple from Shenzhen, surnamed Chen, traveled to Taiwan by renting a car for a self-guided tour. The husband first obtained a Hong Kong driver’s license in Hong Kong, then applied for an International Driving License (IDL) translation document. With this IDL, he successfully rented a car and toured Taiwan for 10 days. The Chen couple shared their travel experiences on a blog, receiving enthusiastic responses from many netizens who asked about car rentals in Taiwan. He mentioned that renting an 1800CC sedan for 7 days cost around 5,000 yuan (the same below), and that one could return the car to a different location from where it was picked up. Toll fees are half of those in mainland China, fuel is cheaper, and Taiwan’s road signs are very clear. Aside from heavier traffic in urban areas, driving in Taiwan is comfortable—especially between cities and rural areas where there are fewer vehicles. However, one should be mindful of Taiwan’s large number of motorcyclists. Avoid honking unnecessarily while driving, as traffic police often monitor speeding at urban-rural junctions.