Hot Springs in Taiwan

        Autumn has come, and Winter is around the corner. Are you eager to enjoy hot springs and spa? Come to Taiwan and explore "the Hot Spring Kingdom"!

        Taiwan has a great variety of springs, including hot springs, cold springs, mud springs and seabed hot springs. Among above, the best-known ones are hot springs. Moreover, Taiwan has more than one hundred hot springs, which makes itself one of the highest spring-concentrated place in the world!

        Hot springs are formed by natural waters that emerge from the inside of the crust. Taiwan is located on the fault line where two tectonic plate -- Euro-Asian Plate (歐亞板塊) and Philippine Sea Plate (菲律賓海板塊) collide in the Ring of Fire (火環帶), also called the Circum-Pacific seismic zone (環太平洋地震帶). The frequent geological activities result in hot springs island-wide.

        Hot springs can be found in different geological areas, such as plains, mountains, valleys and oceans. In terms of geographical division, many hot springs are found in the northern Taiwan, especially near the Datun Volcanoes (大屯火山群). These includes Beitou (北投), Yangmingshan (陽明山), Wulai (烏來), and Jiaoxi (礁溪). There are also hot springs distributed over Central Taiwan such as Tai’an (泰安), Guguan (谷關) and Dongpu (東埔). In East Taiwan, we have hot springs in Ruishui (瑞穗), Antong(安通), and Zhiben (知本). In the southern part of the island, there are hot springs in Guanziling (關子嶺), Sichongxi (四重溪). There is also an undersea hot spring in Greenisland (綠島). Undersea hot springs are so rare that they are only found in Italy, Japan and Taiwan.

        Nowadays, a great number of hot springs in Taiwan are developed into resorts or hotels, possessing recreational and therapeutic functions. They provides the perfect havens to unwind and rejuvenate while away from hectic city life. Needless to say, hot springs are one of the most precious gifts that the earth has given to Taiwan.

photo credits to en.rocketnews24.com