Exploring a waterfall in southernmost Taiwan

To many locals and foreign visitors alike, Taiwan's southernmost county of Pingtung, which covers nearly 2,800 square kilometers of the island's southern extremity, is best known for the beautiful beaches of Kending; there's plenty to discover in this voluminous area of high mountains, extremely long coastline and flat coastal plains.

For hikers, a major attraction is the magnificent peak of Mount Beidawu (北大武山, 3,092 meters), where the Central Mountain Range enjoys its last moments of glory before sinking into the Pacific, while there is no shortage of beautiful waterfalls to explore, such as the remote but spectacular Yuanyang Waterfall (鴛鴦瀑布), a tall and dramatic twin fall thundering into a deep, very narrow canyon on Beidawu's western flank.

Several of Pingtung's best and tallest falls -- like Yuanyang Waterfall -- do, unfortunately, take a fair bit of determination and a fit pair of legs to reach, but lovely Dajin Waterfall (大津瀑布), which falls into a ravine in the mountain foothills in the extreme north of the county, is a family-friendly outing. The waterfall is a great short trip for its own sake, or a brief detour while heading to a more prominent destination such as the popular Rukai indigenous village of Santimen, not far to the south.

Dajin itself is a nondescript township on provincial route 27 -- which leads north from Pingtung City to Liuguei, across the border in Kaohsiung County -- so waste no time there and turn right off the main road there onto local route 185. Cruising along this pleasant wooded stretch of byway, it's impossible to miss several recently built temples, each one large and ostentatious. These recent contributions to the landscape have become as popular for the weekend crowd as the beautiful Dajin Waterfall, which lies hidden in a fold of the mountains above.

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This is a travel article introducing the beauty of southern in Taiwan.

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ostentatious

Southern part of Taiwan has beautiful mountains and beach attracting many people to visit it. I plan to go there taking a vacation for several days in summer.