Things to see and do in Taiwan

Taiwan is a gourmet paradise, and Taipei is the best place on earth to taste a full range of cuisines from mainland China, as well as some local delicacies.

Discover the East Rift Valley, where the world's largest continental plate, the Eurasian plate, and the largest oceanic plate (the Philippine plate) meet. This is Taiwan's largest fault line, a geologist's paradise - but also a fertile area rich in sediments that has earned the area the tag of the 'land of milk and honey'.

Taiwan is home to about 460 different species of birds, including rare endemic species such as the Formosan blue magpie, and the Swinhoe's and Mikado pheasants. Other wildlife includes the famous Formosan rock-monkey, and about 400 species of butterflies.

Chill out for a day or two in Kenting National Park, a popular forest recreation area boasting fine beaches, coral lakes and a bird sanctuary, as well as facilities for watersports and golf, all set amidst tropical coastal forest.

Check out Taipei's National Palace Museum, which contains the world's largest collection of Chinese artefacts.

Take the northeast coastal road, which goes through a national scenic area and offers spectacular panoramas passing the foothills of the Central Mountain Range and overlooking the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Travel through many small villages, little changed since the advent of high technology.

Taiwan's volcanic past has left abundant reserves of geothermal energy all over the island, and there are over 100 hot mineral springs scattered around the island, many of which are in the Datun Mountains of the Yangmingshan National Park.

Gawp at jars of pickled snakes and demonstrations with live pythons at Taipei's Huahsi Night Market, known locally as Snake Alley.

Make sure you see the spectacular Taroko Gorge, Taiwan's best-known natural attraction, a ravine with towering cliffs shot through with extensive marble deposits.