A Taiwanese Amazon rainforest secret spot boasts suspension bridge views and open-air spa

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Department, compiled and reported

Located in Sanxia, New Taipei City, the Daban Gen Forest spans 20 hectares and is the only remaining low-altitude pristine tropical rainforest in Taiwan, with exceptionally well-preserved natural ecology. It features century-old, large, nationally treasured buttress-root plants, and the forest is home to nearly 500 plant species, over 4,000 insect species, and more than 30 bird species. Among them are prehistoric ferns from the dinosaur era and the eight-color bird, which is listed as a globally protected species. Therefore, this place can also be called a treasure trove of pristine tropical rainforest ecology.

Plants in tropical rainforests develop buttress roots to stabilize soil often washed away by rain. Since buttress roots grow only about 1 cm per year, they are very precious. Especially rare are the radial buttress roots that can only grow on tropical rainforest slopes with a gradient of over 45°. Apart from Kenting, Daban Gen is one of the few places with such nationally treasured plants and is the only recreational park in northern Taiwan with a 20-hectare tropical rainforest, featuring as many as 400 to 500 species of rainforest plants.