A Taiwanese Amazon Rainforest Secret – Open-Air Spa with Suspension Bridge Views

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team, compiled and reported

Located in Sanxia District, New Taipei City, the Dabanggen Forest covers 20 hectares and is the only remaining low-altitude pristine tropical rainforest in Taiwan, with exceptionally well-preserved natural ecology. It is home to century-old, large, national treasure-level buttress root plants, and the forest boasts nearly 500 species of plants, over 4,000 types of insects, and more than 30 species of birds. Among them are prehistoric ferns from the dinosaur era, as well as the eight-color bird, which is listed as a globally protected species. Therefore, it can also be called a treasure trove of pristine tropical rainforest ecology.

Plants in tropical rainforests develop buttress roots to stabilize soil that is often washed away by rain. Since buttress roots grow only about 1 cm per year, they are very precious—especially the radial buttress roots that can only grow on tropical rainforest slopes with a gradient of 45 degrees or more, which are even rarer. Apart from Kenting, Dabanggen is one of the few places with such national treasure-level plants, and it is also the only recreational park in northern Taiwan with a 20-hectare tropical rainforest, featuring as many as 400 to 500 species of rainforest plants.