Shifen Waterfall () is a scenic
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...
located in
Pingxi District
Pingxi District (; also spelled Pinghsi), is a rural district in New Taipei, Taiwan. The source of the Keelung River is in Jingtong, which is inside Pingxi District. It was an important coal mining town in the early 20th century. Its populatio ...
,
New Taipei City
New Taipei City is a special municipality located in northern Taiwan. The city is home to an estimated population of 3,974,683 as of 2022, making it the most populous city of Taiwan, and also the second largest special municipality by area, b ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, on the upper reaches of the
Keelung River
The Keelung River () is a river in northern Taiwan.
The Keelung River originates in the mountains west-northwest of the town of Jingtong in Pingxi District, New Taipei City, flows down to a rift valley and then flows ENE to Sandiaoling. Then ...
. The falls' total height is and in width, making it the broadest waterfall in Taiwan.
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books.
History Early years
Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embarke ...
: Taiwan (sixth edition) by Andrew Bender, Julie Grundvig, Robert Kelly (page 130) It is a cascade waterfall in which the water flows in one direction and the rock is sloped in the opposite.
Name
The name ''Shifen'' was taken from the 10 original families who develop the area in Pingxi.
The waterfall also is nicknamed the ''Little Niagara of Taiwan''.
Geology
The riverbed of the waterfall consists of several potholes which was caused by the uneven flow of the river, thus creating vortexes that traps passing rocks and causing them to spin and carve holes.
Access
The waterfall is at about 2 km northeast of
Shifen station of
Taiwan Railways.
The land surrounding the waterfall was private land for a long time and a private company collected entrance fees from the visitors. In 2014, New Taipei city's Tourism and Travel Department acquired the land around the waterfall and created a municipal park and made the admission to the park free.
During the summer from June 1 to Sep 30, the park's opening hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the latest time for visitors to enter the park is 5:30 p.m. During the rest of the year from Oct 1 to May 31, opening hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the latest time for visitors to enter the park is 4:30 p.m.
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See also
* List of tourist attractions in Taiwan
References
External links
Shifen waterfall of New Taipei City, Taiwan
{in lang, zh
Shifen Scenic Area
Video of Shifen Waterfall
Waterfalls of New Taipei