[Taipei Attractions]Frog-Watching Fun: A Summer Family Trip to Beat the Heat!

Niceday Life & Travel | Yilanzi

Recently, one-day eco-exploration trips, camps, and courses for "family nature adventures" have become quite popular. Modern people are so accustomed to urban life—marble floors, air conditioning, and meticulously planned cities—that they gradually forget what nature originally looks like. As a result, there’s a group of people dedicated to leading everyone back into nature and highlighting the importance of environmental education.

This article introduces the "Ali-Peng Ecological Farm," located in Shimen District, New Taipei City, covering over ten hectares. In spring and summer, you can enjoy frog-watching and firefly-spotting; in autumn and winter, there are flowers and birds to admire. The farm owners and staff are retired teachers who deeply care about nature and environmental protection. Their thoughtfully designed itinerary is perfect for parents to use weekends to give their kids a (literally) eye-opening nature education experience. (Detailed transportation info will be provided at the end.)

One picture explains why your child should get into nature. Because "ordinary eyes can’t spot frogs"—the tagline of these eco-exploration programs, "cultivating children’s keen observation skills," isn’t just marketing fluff. On the actual frog-watching tour, just to catch a glimpse of those adorable frogs, I felt my powers of perception skyrocket by 500 points!
Step into nature and break your child’s screen-shaped stereotypes.

In the afternoon, before the actual guided tour begins, there’s a classroom briefing covering frog habitats, species, and habits—giving us a solid introductory understanding of frog ecology. There are about 4,800 frog species worldwide, and Taiwan is home to 35 types of frogs and toads. In terms of species density per unit area, Taiwan ranks among the top in the world. And Ali-Peng Farm alone is home to 19 of those 35 species!

The most fun part of this section is when the teacher plays recordings of the frog calls you might hear later—memorize their sounds and names, and you won’t have any trouble recognizing them when you encounter them on the trail.

Outside the farmhouse, there’s a wall covered with photos and names of various frogs.

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Let’s go up and start the tour. This is today’s guide—Mr. Wang Dechang, also the owner of Ali-Peng Farm.

The tour begins with an introduction to the history of the farm’s construction. The image shows the water channel at the bottom left.

A specially designed “ecological observation pond” for nature interpretation.

While listening to the guide, you can start spotting frogs around you.

But don’t forget to keep up with the guide—staying close means scoring the best spots for frog and insect photos.

Found you. Can you spot the frog in the picture?

The environment at Ali-Peng Farm is relatively untouched compared to typical tourist farms. Therefore, the guide is very attentive to safety, constantly reminding us to watch our steps (it’s easy to sink into the mud), as well as what not to touch and how to avoid disturbing snakes. Detailed explanations are given. There are usually many kids around, so the guide also makes sure every child can hear the explanations clearly.

Of course, the session isn’t just about frogs. With years of farming experience, the guide stops to explain any recognizable plants or wildlife encountered, encouraging everyone to touch and smell. Seasonal changes and recent ecological shifts are also shared like engaging stories.

Mr. Wang skillfully catches a damselfly (something ordinary folks can’t do), drawing everyone in for a photo op.

His vivid explanations have everyone leaning in, listening intently.

Meanwhile, the kids entertain themselves with a game of "oxalis tug-of-war"—a familiar game, no doubt!

Afternoon tea time—bringing snacks is totally unnecessary. After walking halfway around the farm, we reach the open-air coffee area for the much-anticipated tea break. Time to order—there are plenty of choices!

Chilled chocolate milk, homemade brownies, and cookies—you definitely don’t need to bring your own snacks.

Literally experience the joy of “digging clams and washing pants.” After afternoon tea, we head off for the "clam-digging" experience.

This photo is an absolute must-take—the water reflection creates an unforgettable composition.

At first, the teacher demonstrated clam-catching with a net, but it lacked flair, so we quickly switched to using our hands!

Commemorating my very first “clam-digging” experience.

Geez~ is that shock or excitement?!

I expected a simple dinner, but it turned out to be another highlight of the trip. Every dish uses the freshest seasonal, local ingredients. Seemingly simple home-style cooking is surprisingly flavorful, leaving this editor—who often eats takeout—exclaiming, “So happy!”

A table of ten enjoys eight dishes and one soup, which is generally very filling.

The auntie serving the food proudly told us, “We use the freshest ingredients!”

Could this be… the color of freshness? (Blindingly bright)

After dinner, grab a yellow flashlight and head out to attend the poolside frog serenade. On a clear summer night, the moon is bright, there are hardly any mosquitoes, and it actually feels quite cool.

You can see so many kinds of frogs and toads in just one night: Günther’s tree frog, Chinese tree toad, Bufo bankorensis, Holt’s tree frog, black-spined toad, Schlegel’s green tree frog, Eiffinger’s tree frog, mountain tree frog, white-lipped tree frog, rice frog, Glandirana rugosa, and Rana latouchii. Without harming them, the instructor gently catches them to explain their body structures, and if you’re brave enough, you can even gently touch them.

You’ll find that frogs feel cool and slightly slippery to the touch, while toads are relatively dry and very soft (and quite pleasant to touch). Generally, people tend to have a better impression of frogs, but after this experience, I was completely won over by the toads.

Here are frogs captured in a flash. Voice-over: Ahh, too bright—turn off the light!!

Voice-over: What?! (Nervous)

Voice-over: Oh no, please don’t step on me!!

Catching frogs or toads is actually pretty easy, and they all seem used to it.

The instructor will introduce their body structures one by one.

Starting with the afternoon guided tour and ending with frog-watching at night, after having some light snacks like mung bean soup (yes, really—mung bean soup—this is a very filling experience), it’s already 9 PM. On the way back, after transferring to the metro, there’s a surreal feeling of returning to the urban jungle, as if waking from a dream. Reflecting on the wild and pristine state of the farm, every animal and plant we saw made it feel like I had entered a world where frogs were the stars—experiencing a little natural adventure.

As the introduction to Ali-Pang Farm says: This is truly a rich natural classroom, the best place for children to explore nature, enjoy nature, and learn from it.

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Address: No. 84, Ali-Pang, Shimen District, New Taipei City (The GPS coordinates are accurate, you can safely use Google Maps)

“Public Transport”

Exit the DanShui MRT station, turn right after leaving the ticket gate, go to the bus transfer station, and take a bus toward Keelung Jinshan or Shimen, getting off at Shimen Station. You can contact the farm in advance for pick-up service (on-site fee is NT$100 per trip).

“Driving Yourself”

■ From the Beixin Expressway, exit at Wanli Interchange, take Provincial Highway 2 through Jinshan to Shimen (about a 40-minute drive). Pass the main gate of Shimen Elementary School, then turn left at the traffic light onto Zhongshan Road (approximately at the 28.1 km mark of Provincial Highway 2). Drive straight about 100 meters, pass the fire station, then turn left up the mountain onto County Road 21 and drive about 3.5 km.

■ Driving from DanShui on Provincial Highway 2, passing through Sanzhi Township, Baisha Bay, and Laomei. After the traffic light in front of the Shimen Farmers’ Association, turn right onto Zhongshan Road (approximately at the 28.1 km mark of Provincial Highway 2). Drive straight about 100 meters, pass the fire station, then turn left up the mountain onto County Road 21 and drive about 3.5 km.

[Authorized reprint from Niceday Life & Travel | Original article: “Frog-Watching Fun – Ali-Pang Eco Farm Guided Tour + Night Safari”]