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Taiwan hiking permits: which hikes need one and how to apply

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Most day hikes need no permit. For the high peaks, apply on Hike Smart Taiwan for a national park permit and a cabin, then get the free police permit. For Yushan and Jiaming Lake, use the foreigners’ quotas, which open four months ahead.

Which hike are you doing?

Whatever you choose

  1. Apply on Hike Smart Taiwan (opens in a new tab), the National Park Service’s site in English. It takes applications for Yushan, Taroko and Shei-Pa national parks and the forestry agency’s cabins, from 07:00 to 23:00 Taiwan time.
  2. Have every hiker’s passport number ready. It goes in the ID field, and overseas phone numbers need the country code.Shei-Pa National Park (opens in a new tab)hike.taiwan.gov.tw
  3. Name an emergency contact in Taiwan. Yushan accepts your hotel’s number;Yushan National Park (opens in a new tab)hike.taiwan.gov.tw Jiaming Lake asks for a Taiwanese national.Jiaming Lake National Trail (opens in a new tab)jmlnt-en.forest.gov.tw
  4. Then get the police permit, if your route needs one. How.
  5. Carry the permits and your passport. Without ID that matches the permit, you can be turned back. Report your exit on Hike Smart Taiwan when you’re out.Yushan National Park (opens in a new tab)hike.taiwan.gov.tw

If it doesn’t go to plan

If you’re climbing Yushan

Rules from Yushan National Park (opens in a new tab) unless marked.

  • Foreigners’ quota for Paiyun Lodge: 24 beds a night, Sunday to Thursday except national holidays, on the two-day route. Apply four months to 35 days ahead under “Paiyun Lodge Advanced Application”, uploading passport copies. It’s first come, first served, one a year per person. Teams may add one Taiwanese, or two with six or more foreigners.Yushan National Park (opens in a new tab)hike.taiwan.gov.tw
  • Everyone else: apply two months to one month ahead. Beds are drawn about a month before, at 15:00 Taiwan time, and winners get an email and a text.
  • Day hike to the Main Peak: apply two months to five days ahead. It’s capped at 60 hikers a day, and every member must show they’ve climbed above 3,000 m.
  • Groups: up to 12 people.
  • Paiyun Lodge costs NT$480 a night. A rise to NT$1,000 on weekdays and NT$1,500 on holidays has been proposed, with no start date yet.Focus Taiwan, October 2026 (opens in a new tab)focustaiwan.tw Without a Taiwanese bank account, pay cash at the Paiyun Mountaineering Center or park headquarters, after telling the park through its online mailbox.Yushan National Park (opens in a new tab)hike.taiwan.gov.tw
  • Before you go, complete the park’s hiking safety course, online or by watching the videos at a visitor centre.
  • On the day, groups starting at Tataka have their permit and passports checked at the Paiyun Mountaineering Center. A shuttle to the trailhead costs NT$150.Yushan National Park (opens in a new tab)hike.taiwan.gov.tw

If you’re climbing Snow Mountain

If you’re hiking to Jiaming Lake

It’s a national trail run by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency. Rules from its application instructions (opens in a new tab) unless marked.

  • Foreigners’ quota: 18 beds a night at each of the Xiangyang and Jiaming Lake cabins, Sunday to Thursday except public holidays. Apply 120 to 61 days ahead, upload passports and pay within five days. It’s first come, first served, one a year per person.Jiaming Lake National Trail (opens in a new tab)jmlnt-en.forest.gov.tw
  • Everyone else: apply two months to five days ahead. Beds are drawn at 15:00 on the 30th day before, and spare beds daily until four days before.
  • Beds cost NT$400 a night, or NT$600 on Friday and Saturday nights and over long weekends. Cancel at least eight days ahead for a full refund.Hike Smart Taiwan (opens in a new tab)hike.taiwan.gov.tw
  • Black bears are often active around both cabins at about 19:00 and 03:00: carry a bear bell and stay in a group.Jiaming Lake National Trail (opens in a new tab)jmlnt.forest.gov.tw
  • Day hikes need a Taiwanese team leader.Jiaming Lake National Trail (opens in a new tab)jmlnt-en.forest.gov.tw

The police mountain permit