Longtan Lake

Longtan Lake, also known as "Dapo Lake," was originally known as Dapi and was one of "Lanyang Twelve Scenic Wonders'' for its breathtaking scenery as well as one of the best lakes in Taiwan. It is the largest of Yilan's five major lakes, with a total land area of roughly 20 hectares, and is located in Jiaosi Township's Longtan Village. Tourists can take in the splendor of nature while strolling around the lake on the circular trail, watching water birds soar over the serene lake and colorful butterflies dance around the lush trees. Around the lake, there are numerous temples as well. Longtan Temple, perched high above the lake on the mountain's midslope, offers peace for its worshippers to adhere to Taoist principles. Another well-known temple close to Longtan Lake is the Huangti Temple, which is dedicated to Huang-ti (the Yellow Emperor).

Visitors are immediately captivated by the bucolic beauty of the expansive area of rich green grass that stretches from the Roystonea regia palm trees at the entry to the lakeside, where the striking steel art installations of a ship and an igloo are erected. Beautifully paved wooden boardwalks in varying widths wind along the shoreline on the lake's two sides. Two curved boardwalks in the middle of the lake properly link the twisting boardwalks, with some lookout platforms sticking out of the water.

In addition to Longtan Lake's outstanding natural beauty, this well-known picturesque location also boasts the Distoechodon Tumirostris Eco Park. The environmental park is the only one of its sort in the entire globe, and it is situated on the lakefront. Distoechodon tumirostris can swim upstream to spawn in the 30-meter-long fish passage with the help of wooden fish ladders in this special eco park. Every year in May, a large number of people travel to Longtan Lake just to witness the amazing spectacle of tens of thousands of Distoechodon tenuirostris climbing the fish ladders simultaneously.

Location: Jiaosi Township