Thousand Island Lake/Crocodile Island (石碇千島湖/鱷魚島)

Located in Shiding, Thousand Island Lake (no, there are not a thousand islands) offers absolutely stunning scenery at any time. Crocodile Island is connected – it’s a formation in the water that resembles a crocodile (maybe two?). At either location at sunset, the rays of sunlight will bounce through the ridges of the mountains onto the water, offering a dramatic backdrop for photography.

Crocodile Lake only has one main angle, while you can see Thousand Island Lake from different platforms and angles. To view the sunset from Thousand Island Lake, I recommend the main viewing platform (Tushitou Lookout). It offers a wide angle with rolling tea plantations and mountains amidst the lake.

While there is a bit of hiking along the lake (Yongan Mountain Trail being the main one), there’s not much else to do here but go to one of the various viewing platforms. As such, these areas can get a bit crowded.

That being said, perhaps the mountain road prevents too many people from coming out here, say compared to Yilan or other very popular quick weekend destinations from Taipei. I’ve been to both viewing platforms on clear evenings, and in spite of the magnificent sunset, didn’t have to compete with as many IGers for pictures as I thought I would.

Thousand Island Lake/Crocodile Island is less than an hours’ drive from Taipei, although as mentioned, it does require driving through a narrow, winding mountain road, which is notoriously filled with crazy motorcycle drivers. And parking is quite limited.

You can also get here a bit slower via public transportation: in that case, Crocodile Island is easier to get to. Take the MRT to Xindian Station and walk to Bitan. From there, get on the GR12 (綠12) bus towards Pinglin Station. To see Crocodile Island, get off at Xiaogetou Station. Walk about 20 minutes (1.4 km) to the viewing platform.

If you want to go to the Thousand Island Lake platform, get off at Shisangu, but note that you’ll need to then walk up to 40 minutes (2.6 km) to get to the platform from the bus stop.

I’ve never done it, but it could be worth considering joining a tour group to get here too!