Yinhe Cave Waterfall (銀河洞瀑布 [Yínhé Dòng Pùbù])

Xindian District / Bitan, Xinbei (New Taipei City), Taiwan

About Yinhe Cave Waterfall (銀河洞瀑布 [Yínhé Dòng Pùbù])


Hiking Distance: about 1km round trip
Suggested Time: about 1 hour

Date first visited: 2023-07-02
Date last visited: 2023-07-02

Waterfall Latitude: 24.95879
Waterfall Longitude: 121.58349

Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

The Yinhe Cave Waterfall (银河洞瀑布 [Yinhedong Pùbù]) was one of the more unusual waterfalls that we’ve visited in Taiwan because it’s situated next to a temple that was built into a cave.

I didn’t realize how popular this place was because it’s not exactly well-signed nor on a route that I would expect tourists to go.

Yinhe_058_07012023 - The Yinhe Cave Waterfall
The Yinhe Cave Waterfall

Nevertheless, it’s not often that we see a temple built into a cave or alcove, and it’s also amazing that such a sight is not far from the suburb of Xindian near Bitan (where my grandpa on my Dad’s side rests) in New Taipei City District.

In fact, I understand that it’s possible to reach this place by public transportation even though we self-drove to this spot (see directions below).

So given all that, I believe this place became famous mostly because this unusual combination of a cave temple with a waterfall seemed to have gained traction on Instagram.

As a result, we wound up sharing this place with a few dozen people (though it was still a far cry from the tourist crush you see at more famous and touristy spots like the Jiufen Old Street [九份老街]).

Yinhe_092_07012023 - The decorative main altar of the Yinhe Cave's Temple, which was filled with the smell of burning incense and candles during our visit
The decorative main altar of the Yinhe Cave’s Temple, which was filled with the smell of burning incense and candles during our visit

Apparently, this temple (formally called the Lu Dongbin Temple) is said to be built due to Lu Dongbin’s footprint on a rock somewhere above the Yinhe Cave Falls.

Lu Dongbin is a Chinese scholar and poet during the Tang Dynasty who allegedly lived 220 years and was considered to be one of the Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology.

As a result, there’s quite a bit of a religious holy feeling (the temple’s busy decorations coupled with the burning incense certainly added to this atmosphere) during our visit.

As for the waterfall itself, it had a light flow when we saw it, and it’s unclear to me if it’s fed by a spring or if it has temporary flow that’s only replenished by the frequency of rains (especially monsoonal rains in the Summer).

Yinhe_062_07012023 - Looking right up at the Yinhe Cave Waterfall from the rest area and lookout at its base
Looking right up at the Yinhe Cave Waterfall from the rest area and lookout at its base

It was also pretty tall as it was possible to go up through the temple and get behind the waterfall’s upper reaches while also checking out the falls from the front of its base.

If I had to harbor a guess, I’d say the visible parts of the waterfall may be around 25-30m tall, but who knows if there are unseen tiers further above that I missed?

Experiencing the Yinhe Cave Waterfall

From the parallel parking spots near the Xindian Yinhe Fu Temple (新店銀河福德祠), we walked up the road about 100m towards a switchback where the Yinhe Cave Falls Trail began.

Note that the road continued to ascend steeply beyond this point up to an impressive red building that looked like a temple, but it might be a restaurant (though we didn’t go up there to explore during our visit).

Yinhe_146_07012023 - Context of the impressive red building perched higher up the hill as seen from the trailhead for the Yinhe Cave Waterfall and Temple
Context of the impressive red building perched higher up the hill as seen from the trailhead for the Yinhe Cave Waterfall and Temple

From there, we then followed a trail that hugged the stream responsible for the Yinhe Cave Waterfall as the path ascended numerous steps.

Given the heat and humidity of Taiwan (especially in the Summer when we made our visit in early July 2023), this climb was quite the sweat-drenching stairmaster.

After roughly 300m of this trail (though my GPS logs suggested it was more like 500m), we ultimately reached the Yinhe Cave Waterfall and its neighboring temple.

Most of the family that was with me during our visit opted to stay at a viewing area with benches to sit on right at the bottom of the falls.

Yinhe_081_07012023 - Inside the narrow corridor of the Lu Dongbin Temple (aka the Yinhe Cave Temple)
Inside the narrow corridor of the Lu Dongbin Temple (aka the Yinhe Cave Temple)

They were content to feel the cooling mist from the waterfall as well as witnessing the facades of the Lu Dongbin Temple beside it to the right.

However, I continued to go up the steps directly into the entrance of the temple, where once inside, there was definitely a thick smell of incense smoke as well as numerous inscriptions, decorations, and statues.

Continuing beyond the main worshipping room, the walkway then emerged within the overhanging “cave” or alcove between the temple and the backside of the Yinhe Cave Falls itself.

Going up the steps past a fountain and going up behind the falls, the trail eventually terminated at a yellow statue, which I believe is a representation of Lu Dongbin himself.

Yinhe_094_07012023 - Looking up towards steps continuing behind the Yinhe Cave Waterfall and towards the Lu Dongbin statue standing at the end of the trail
Looking up towards steps continuing behind the Yinhe Cave Waterfall and towards the Lu Dongbin statue standing at the end of the trail

After having my fill of this waterfall, I then returned back the way I came on pretty much an all-downhill trail.

That said, I had to do this trail very carefully since the concrete steps can be slippery when wet, especially given a combination of frequent thunderstorm rains as well as humidity preventing things from drying out.

Overall, we spent about 75 minutes away from the car here, but a solid 15-30 minutes were spent taking pictures and using the facilities so I can envision about an hour seems to be the average duration of most visitors.

Authorities

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

Yinhe_002_07012023 - Walking up the hill past the Xindian Yinhe Fu Temple and towards the trailhead for the Yinhe Cave Waterfall
Yinhe_006_07012023 - This is the Xindian Yinhe Fu Temple, which is a modestly small building next to a restroom facility right by where we parallel parked the car
Yinhe_012_07012023 - This is what 100m or so looks like when we looked back at where the parking area was from closer to the trailhead for the Yinhe Cave Waterfall
Yinhe_013_07012023 - Right across the street from the trailhead for the Yinhe Cave Waterfall, I noticed this sign fronting an intriguing red building way up the continuation of the road (which we didn't explore)
Yinhe_014_07012023 - Looking ahead towards the trailhead for the Yinhe Cave Waterfall
Yinhe_019_07012023 - Another look back at the context of the red building up the road as seen from the trailhead for the Yinhe Cave Waterfall
Yinhe_022_07012023 - The family embarking on the uphill walk towards the Yinhe Cave Waterfall
Yinhe_026_07012023 - Although the walking path wasn't that long, it certainly felt that way given the amount of steps and uphill walking involved along with the heat and humidity to get up to the Yinhe Cave Waterfall
Yinhe_032_07012023 - The steps leading up to the Yinhe Cave Waterfall were actually quite busy attesting to how popular this place is
Yinhe_042_07012023 - More uphill climbing on steps to get up to the Yinhe Cave Waterfall
Yinhe_004_iPhone_07022023 - Looking towards a small spur access to the stream coming from the Yinhe Cave Waterfall that a couple people were enjoying to take a quick break from the climbing or descending of the steps
Yinhe_048_07012023 - The last uphill push to the Yinhe Cave Waterfall as we could start to see bits of the cave temple
Yinhe_051_07012023 - First look at the combination of the Yinhe Cave Waterfall and the Cave Temple
Yinhe_053_07012023 - Portrait view of the waterfall lightly dropping from next to the temple to the jungle below
Yinhe_062_07012023 - Closer look up at the Yinhe Cave Waterfall from the rest area and lookout at its base
Yinhe_063_07012023 - Looking up at the Yinhe Cave Temple (or Lu Dongbin Temple) from the rest area and lookout at the base of the Yinhe Cave Waterfall
Yinhe_068_07012023 - Making it up to the entrance of the Lu Dongbin Temple
Yinhe_071_07012023 - Contextual profile view of the Yinhe Cave Waterfall as seen from the entrance to the Lu Dongbin Temple
Yinhe_076_07012023 - Looking back down across the steps leading up to the Lu Dongbin Temple with the rest of the family down at the lookout and rest area below to the right
Yinhe_080_07012023 - Inside the Lu Dongbin Temple, I noticed this small altar to the right of the entrance with some lighting and a small figurine
Yinhe_085_07012023 - Looking back down at the steps and the lookout area below from the Lu Dongbin Temple
Yinhe_008_iPhone_07022023 - Direct look at the ornate altar with offerings within the Lu Dongbin Temple
Yinhe_104_07012023 - After emerging from the Lu Dongbin Temple, I got this nice view back in the direction of Bitan
Yinhe_109_07012023 - Looking up from behind the Yinhe Cave Waterfall
Yinhe_010_iPhone_07022023 - Another look at the view after emerging from the Lu Dongbin Temple
Yinhe_110_07012023 - A broader look at where the Yinhe Cave Waterfall splashes onto a rock adjacent to the trail continuing further up past the Lu Dongbin Temple egress
Yinhe_113_07012023 - Looking straight back towards the Bitan area from behind the Yinhe Cave Waterfall
Yinhe_122_07012023 - Beyond the Yinhe Cave Waterfall the steps ascended further towards a dead-end
Yinhe_126_07012023 - At the dead-end was a statue of what I believe is the immortal Lu Dongbin to whom the temple was built for if indeed this is the statue of the guy
Yinhe_124_07012023 - Looking down at the steps and the Yinhe Cave Waterfall from the Lu Dongbin statue
Yinhe_131_07012023 - Making it to an intermediate spot as I descended from the Lu Dongbin Temple and looked back towards the Yinhe Cave Waterfall
Yinhe_132_07012023 - Believe it or not, there were actually latrine toilets next to the Lu Dongbin Temple, but the space was very tight, and you'd definitely want to leave your pack and other belongings OUTSIDE
Yinhe_140_07012023 - Making it back down towards the trailhead of the Yinhe Cave Waterfall


The Yinhe Cave Waterfall is situated in the mountains to the south of Taipei City just to the east of the Bitan Scenic Area.

Although it’s possible to take public transportation to the Yinhe Cave Station by bus, we did it by self-driving from the Shifen Waterfall.

Drive_to_Yinhe_050_MingSung_07022023 - Driving along the Route 9 eastwards towards the Yinhe Road
Driving along the Route 9 eastwards towards the Yinhe Road

That said, there are many ways to get to the Bitan Scenic Area, which is what I’ll use as the anchor point before getting specific with the specific driving route on the smaller roads.

Coming from the Shifen Waterfall, we took local roads to regain the 62 Expressway taking it west towards its joining with the Expressway 1.

We then followed the 1 for a bit before continuing along the 3 Expressway and taking it for about 16km to the Xindian exit on the right.

The offramp eventually deposits us on the Section 1 Zhongxing Road (labeled 北103 on Gaia’s map), where we then turned right onto it and followed it for 1.8 km to the Route 9 (towards Bei-yi Rd Section 1).

Drive_to_Taoyuan_001_MingSung_07022023 - The Yinhe Road is tight and mostly single-lane, so there's a bit of squeezing by oncoming traffic in this stretch
The Yinhe Road is tight and mostly single-lane, so there’s a bit of squeezing by oncoming traffic in this stretch

Note that this intersection with the Route 9 is very close to the Xindian Old Street as well as the Bitan Scenic Area by the Xindian River.

If you’re coming from elsewhere in Taipei, then you’ll want to route to the Xindian Old Street or Bitan Tourist Attraction, which will take you to this part of the Route 9.

Anyways, turning left onto the Route 9 from the Bei-yi Rd Section 1, we then followed this route east for 4km to the Yinhe Road on the left side at a tight turn.

From there, we turned left onto Yinhe Road and took this mostly single-lane road for a little over 1km before the street widened and there were unsigned parallel parking spots on either side of the street.

Yinhe_001_07012023 - Unsigned parallel parking spaces by the Xindian Yinhe Fu Temple was where we found parking and started our hike
Unsigned parallel parking spaces by the Xindian Yinhe Fu Temple was where we found parking and started our hike

These parking spaces were right next to the Xindian Yinhe Fu Temple as well as a restroom facility.

Overall, it took us about an hour to drive from Shifen Waterfall to the Xindian Yinhe Fu Temple (though GoogleMaps did take us on a bit of an unnecessary joyride on Binlang Road to rejoin the Route 9).

For geographical context, Xindian Old Street was about 12km (under 30 minutes drive depending on traffic) southwest of Taipei 101, 32km (about 30 minutes drive) southwest of Keelung, 52km (over 30 minutes drive) southeast of Taoyuan Airport, and 48km (over 30 minutes drive) northwest of Jiaoxi.

Find A Place To Stay

Left to right sweep from the steep steps beneath the shrine showcasing both the falls and the cave shrine


Right to left sweep before getting to the end of the lower viewing area for the falls and shrine


Left to right sweep from after the cave shrine then looking towards the profile of the falls


Long video starting from the statue at the end then ending within the cave shrine after walking behind the falls

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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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