Hitchhiking in Taiwan is not recommended. (For legal reasons I need to start this article with this sentence.) Now the reality is different… In a nutshell, here is what you need to know about hitchhiking in Taiwan:
About hitchhiking in Taiwan
- I have hitchhiked hundreds of kilometers around the island, north, south, east, west, without EVER encountering ANY problem!
- I have heard from friends and visitors from this website that hitchhiking was a highlight of their trip to Taiwan and a great way to meet locals.
- It is very easy to get a ride in the mountains, along the East Coast, in the countryside, on the outlying islands, and around touristic destinations like Sun Moon Lake, Kenting, Jiufen, Alishan.
- Hitchhiking on highways is not a good idea, and it is not legal.
- Hitchhiking in cities may be legal, but it’s not recommended as you may create a dangerous traffic situation by having someone cut through traffic and the scooter lane to stop for you.
- Don’t stand in the scooter lane to hitchhike, as it can be dangerous for both you and scooter riders.
- To make things easier, have a sign with your destination written on it.
- Watch out for snakes on the side of the road!
I consider myself as being a very experienced hitchhiker – I have hitchhiked over 20,000km in North America, Europe, India, China, and other parts of Asia, and I can say that Taiwan (in my opinion) is the easiest / safest / most reliable place to hitch a ride from strangers.
Not only is it easy, free, and convenient, in many cases it’s the ONLY way to get to remote places, such as a trailhead for a hike, or a waterfall deep in the mountains.
Some popular destinations where people hitchhike are: Taroko Gorge, Kenting, Green Island, Orchid Island, Sun Moon Lake, Hehuanshan, Alishan, and the beautiful Highway 11.