Annual must-grab cherry blossom entry slots – Best Wuling Cherry Blossom Season traffic control times

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

Every year’s most popular Wuling Cherry Blossom Season begins in February this year. The Directorate General of Highways has announced traffic control measures for the season, capping daily admissions at 6,000 people from February 16 to 25 (Lunar New Year’s Day). Last year’s traffic control period lasted 18 days, but this year it has been shortened to 10 days to align with the Lunar New Year holiday period and reduce inconvenience for travelers visiting on weekdays.

This year’s Wuling Cherry Blossom Season runs from early February to late March. The highly popular “Pink Lady” cherry blossoms will bloom until around early March, followed by Yoshino, double-flowered, and Wushe cherry blossoms, which will continue until late March. Visitors planning to see the blossoms can start making travel plans now. It is also recommended to use public transportation where possible to avoid long, tiring trips and enjoy a better cherry blossom viewing experience.

During the cherry blossom season, the Directorate General of Highways, in collaboration with related agencies, has planned four major traffic management measures as in previous years: “on-site crowd control, road traffic control, group reservation entry, and public transport shuttle services.” The daily visitor limit is 6,000 people, including 1,800 overnight guests and 4,200 day-trippers. The day-trippers are further divided into 1,000 group ticket holders and 3,200 individual travelers using public transport.

Last year, a cherry blossom tour group from Die Lian Hua Travel Agency was speeding on the highway during their return trip and plunged off the edge, resulting in 33 deaths and 11 injuries. This year, during the cherry blossom season, the Directorate General of Highways, along with the Ministry of Labor, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Tourism Bureau, and other agencies, are conducting cross-departmental joint inspections to ensure driving safety.

3,200 individual travelers can take buses departing from Taipei or Yilan. Ticket presales began on January 19. For those departing from Lishan, presales started on February 1. Fengyuan Bus will also sell tickets and entry passes from 6–8 p.m. the evening before departure at the Lishan Visitor Center, with a limit of six tickets per person at the site.