Wulai Waterfall (烏來瀑布 [Wūlái Pùbù])

Wulai District / Taipei, Xinbei (New Taipei City), Taiwan

About Wulai Waterfall (烏來瀑布 [Wūlái Pùbù])

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

The Wulai Waterfall (烏來瀑布 [Wūlái Pùbù]) was possibly the best known waterfall in Taiwan besides the Shifen Waterfall.

I suspect the reason for this was its relative close proximity to Taiwan’s capital city of Taipei.

Wulai_Waterfall_143_11022016 - The Wulai Waterfall and the Wulai Town
The Wulai Waterfall and the Wulai Town

There was pretty good reason for this popularity as you can see from the photo above as the waterfall featured an 80m drop right across from the Atayal aboriginal-themed town of Wulai.

While the main drop was the easiest to see, there were actually more hidden cascades and waterfalls further upstream from the valley comprising the overall Wulai Waterfalls.

Those were only visible by cable car.

So technically speaking, the overall Wulai Waterfall could very well be a much taller drop if you count these other cascades and waterfalls.

Experiencing the Wulai Waterfall the Easy Way

Wulai_Waterfall_057_11022016 - context of the Wulai Waterfall and one of the roads snaking through the town of Wulai
context of the Wulai Waterfall and one of the roads snaking through the town of Wulai

Once we made it to the town of Wulai and found parking (see directions below), it was pretty straightforward to see the Wulai Waterfall.

It sat pretty much right across the Nanshi Creek (南勢溪 [Nánshì Xī]), which was the main watercourse cutting right through the Wulai Valley.

This creek eventually joined up with other tributaries as the Xindian Creek (新店溪 [Xīndiàn Xī]) cutting through Taipei.

There appeared to be multiple levels of the Wulai town, but of these, we experienced two of them.

Wulai_Waterfall_028_11022016 - Looking across the full height of the main drop of the Wulai Waterfall from the Wulai Town
Looking across the full height of the main drop of the Wulai Waterfall from the Wulai Town

The lowest level was where there were lookout areas peering right at the waterfall.

Down here were also a lot of cafes and shops as well as a toilet facility.

Further up towards the uppermost level was where we caught the cable car leading up to the tops of the neighboring cliffs.

We didn’t experience the remaining levels so we can’t really say more about them.

Experiencing the Wulai Waterfall via Cable Car

Wulai_Waterfall_093_11022016 - This was one of the hidden upper waterfalls seen at the top of the cable car station above Wulai
This was one of the hidden upper waterfalls seen at the top of the cable car station above Wulai

In addition to the easy way of seeing the Wulai Waterfall, we also paid to experience it via cable car.

During the cable car ride up, we were able to look down at some hidden cascades and waterfalls further upstream of the waterfall’s main drop.

Once we made it to the top, there appeared to be a restaurant and accommodation up here.

We also got birdseye views back down towards the Wulai Township as well as the scenery further down the valley.

Wulai_Waterfall_096_11022016 - Context of the accommodation and cable car station above the town of Wulai
Context of the accommodation and cable car station above the town of Wulai

As we explored this cliff-hanging area, we also saw that there were yet more cascades tumbling towards the main drop of the Wulai Waterfall.

Moreover, we even gained a new appreciation for the power of Mother Nature when it came to the landslides that would occasionally cut off Wulai from Taipei.

Indeed, we were able to see the extent of the scarring done to the mountain’s slope given this commanding view.

Given Taiwan’s history with typhoons, I’d imagine that it would be a constant battle to keep the roads available should the next landslide hit any part of them.

Wulai_Waterfall_099_11022016 - Birdseye view towards Wulai Town and the valley surroundings. Note the big scar in the landscape above the town
Birdseye view towards Wulai Town and the valley surroundings. Note the big scar in the landscape above the town

Even though experiencing Wulai Waterfall didn’t require a hike nor did it require the cable car, we wound up spending nearly 90 minutes here.

This did include some relaxing walks around town as well as the cable car return trip itself (which strangely required us to do more waiting than moving on the rainy day that we visited).

Authorities

The Wulai Waterfall resides in the Wulai District near the city of Taipei in Xinbei (New Taipei City), Taiwan. It may be administered by the Wulai District Government. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, you can try visiting this website.

Maps and Routing Content are for annual subscribers. See Membership Options.
Content is for subscribers. See Membership Options.
Tagged with: xinbei, new taipei, taipei, county, wulai, waterfall, northern taiwan, valley, atayal, aboriginal



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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