A boundless sea of pink beauty: Taiwan’s top three winter photo spots for cosmos flower fields

By MOOK Scenic Spots Home (compiled report)
 
When winter arrives and fields lie fallow, many farmers choose to plant green manure crops to reduce the pollution caused by artificial fertilizers. Common options include rapeseed flowers and cosmos flowers. Especially when multiple fields are planted with cosmos simultaneously, the vast expanse of pink blooms can truly lift one’s spirits.

1. Houli, Taichung
Near the flower sea at the Central Sightseeing Flower Market in Houli, Taichung, there’s a hidden cosmos flower sea. Vast fields of cosmos are tucked away among farmland, with the uniquely shaped Huoyan Mountain in the distance. The distinctive colors and majestic mountain silhouette, set against the swaying pink cosmos at the mountain’s base, create one of this winter’s most stunning sights.

2. Taibao Organic Rice Zone
Located in Taibao, Chiayi, the Taibao Organic Rice Zone specializes in growing 100% natural, chemical-free organic rice across 46 hectares. From December to February each year, the zone enters its fallow period, during which farmers plant rapeseed and cosmos seeds in the fields. These are then plowed back into the soil as organic fertilizer before transplanting rice seedlings.

Last year, the colorful floral carpet at the Taibao Flower Sea Festival was stunning, and this year’s warmer winter has caused the cosmos sea to bloom earlier, now around 80% in full flower. The vast pink-red fields swaying gently are another must-see flower sea spectacle.

3. Wangyou Valley
Famous for its expansive emerald-green rice paddies and golden waves of grain, WaiPu’s Wangyou Valley also plants cosmos and rapeseed during the fallow season. No matter the season, the fields display different hues, transforming the vast farmland into a living palette—such expansive scenery seems truly capable of healing the soul.