Thousand Island Lake is surely one of the best side trips from Taipei. Despite its name, Thousand Island Lake isn’t actually home to thousands of islands and is a result of the man-made Feitsui Dam along the Beishi River. Nevertheless, it’s a place of beautiful scenery. At various points along the shores of Qiandao Hu, as it’s known in Taiwanese, there are viewing platforms that provide superb views of this tranquil place. Not only can you see former hilltops breaking free of the man-made lake, you’ll also notice terraces of tea plantations decorating the nearby countryside.
