Hiking up the tallest mountain in Taiwan was one of the highlights of the two years that I lived on the island. Aside from the high altitude, the hike itself is not too challenging. However, the bureaucracy involved in getting the correct permits to hike Jade Mountain was not as simple as I would have hoped. Nonetheless, if you apply for the permits early enough, you should have no issues with planning your hike! And to help you start your planning for Jade Mountain, I have gathered a detailed guide on how to apply for the permits and other preparations you need to make in advance.
Photo: Views from Jade Mountain, February 2024
Applying for Park Permit
The first thing you need to do to start your hiking plans is to get the permit to hike the mountain and sleep in Paiyun Lodge on the way. It’s best to apply for the permit exactly four months in advance when the application opens up. You can apply from Taiwan’s National Park website.
Photo: Park Permit Application
After you have accepted all the terms and conditions you can choose between “Paiyun Lodge Advanced Application” and “Standard Application”.
The advanced application is open only for foreign visitors and it works on a first come first serve basis, which means that if you make your application early enough, you will secure your permit for sure (as long as there is no problem with your application). 24 spots in the Paiyun Lodge are reserved for the advanced application, so as long as you apply within the first 24 hikers, you should get the permit. The advanced application is only available for hikes that start from Sunday to Thursday, as weekends can be reserved only through the standard application.
The standard application is open to everyone for all days, but it works as a lottery. This means that you have to apply at least two months in advance and the slots for the permits are granted randomly with a raffle that is announced a month before your hike starts. Especially for weekends the chances of receiving a permit is low, so as a foreign visitor, I would highly recommend applying for with the advanced application and thus planning your hike for a weekday.
After choosing what type of application you are making, you need to fill in some basic information. You need to have a name for your team and then you need to fill in the route you are planning on taking. If you are planning on hiking to the Main Peak, the route is as follows:
Day 1：
Paiyun Mountaineering Center→
Tataka Trailhead→
Paiyun Lodge
Day 2：Paiyun Lodge→Mt. Jade Main Peak→Tataka Trailhead→Paiyun Mountaineering Center
Photo: Step One of the Park Permit
In the next step of the application, you need to fill in the personal information for everyone in the team. At this point you can also see how many people are lining up for the same day as you are.
Photo: Step Two of the Park Permit
After this make sure to complete your application.
One Month Before the Hike
One month before the hike you need to make most of the preparations. Exactly one month before the hike you will receive the park permit and information on where to apply for the police permit for the hike. So please note that you will need two permits: the park permit issued by Yushan National Park AND a police permit issued by the police. At this time you will also get the information on how to pay for your stay at Paiyun Lodge
If you are planning on getting to the mountain with public transportation, it is advisable that you stay at Dongpu Lodge the night before you start the hike. Dongpu Lodge is the accommodation option near the start of the trail. It is a good idea to book this lodge as soon as you get the confirmation for the hike permits, as it might get fully booked.
You also need to book meals and sleeping bag rentals at Paiyun Lodge through email at least 7 days before the hike. Most of the Paiyun Lodge website is in Chinese, but it has a Google docs file in English with the meal options and sleeping bag rentals, which you can fill in and then send as an email to the lodge to confirm your booking.
Photo: Paiyun Lodge meal options
The same Google Docs includes the email address where to send the booking and information on how to pay the fees.
Photo: Paiyun Lodge meal and sleeping bag booking information
Checklist
There are many things to prepare in advance for the hike, and all of this might seem a bit overwhelming but here is a simple checklist to make sure that you have completed all the needed preparations.
- Park Permit, 4 months before the hike
- Police Permit, 1 month before the hike
- Dongpu Lodge booking (if you’re getting there with public transportation), 1 month before the hike
- Paiyun Lodge food and sleeping bag booking, 7 days in advance
I hope that this information I gathered helps you plan your next hike to Jade Mountain! I’ll write another blog post on the actual hike itself and what amenities they have at Paiyun Lodge, so that you can prepare for your hike well.
Thank you for reading and safe travels!
-P