Wulai hot springs is located about an hour’s drive south of Taipei, nestled along the Nanshi River and surrounded by mountains and waterfalls, resembling a dreamy scene straight out of “Spirited Away.” What makes Wulai hot springs special is that you can enjoy them right by the riverside, and most hot spring facilities offer riverside bathing options. Wulai’s hot springs are weak alkaline carbonated springs with smooth, odorless water, nicknamed “beauty baths” for their skin nourishing and fatigue-relieving properties.
Besides hot springs, this is also home to the indigenous Atayal tribe, so you can try local delicacies like wild vegetable dishes and indigenous cuisine. My top recommendation is the grilled wild boar sausage! To find these treats, head to Wulai Old Street where you can stroll around while sampling various snacks.
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Recommended Attractions
Wulai Old Street
A blend of Atayal culture, food, and souvenirs, perfect for a leisurely walk and food exploration. Besides eating, you can check out Atayal weaving crafts, traditional clothing, and exhibits at the Wulai Atayal Museum.
Food recommendations: Bamboo tube rice, hot spring eggs, grilled sausages, mochi made with millet, and wild boar meat dishes.
Wulai Hot Spring Street
Located right alongside the Nanshi River, both banks are lined with Japanese-style hot spring hotels that look even more romantic when lit up at night. Along the street, you’ll find hot spring egg stalls, Atayal specialty snacks, and handicraft shops. Various private hot spring facilities and high-end hot spring resorts (like Volando Urai) are located here. You can find hourly hot spring services or overnight stays at hot spring hotels.
Nanshi River & Tourist Bridge
The Nanshi River is Wulai’s lifeblood with its crystal-clear water and spectacular scenery. If you want to enjoy the beautiful views of the Nanshi River, you can visit the Tourist Bridge, which connects Wulai Old Street and the hot spring area. Standing on the bridge gives you a panoramic view of the Nanshi River canyon.
Wulai Cable Car, Yun-Hsien Park & Wulai Waterfall
After crossing the Tourist Bridge, you can take the cable car up the mountain to Yun-Hsien Park. Once there, you can overlook Wulai’s beautiful scenery and explore mountain trails. You can also visit the Wulai Waterfall to enjoy its beauty.
Wulai Red Valley & Jiajiao Trail
Red Valley is located at the confluence of Jiajiao Stream and Nanshi River, where primeval forests, waterfalls, and streams intertwine with emerald green water and unusual rock formations, making it a great spot for enjoying the valley’s beauty. It’s some distance from Wulai Old Street and Hot Spring Street, requiring transportation (buses available). The Jiajiao Trail is about 3 kilometers long, passing through suspension bridges, valleys, and forests. Some sections require wading through water, so water-resistant shoes are recommended. Red Valley also has a water play area, making it a great place to escape the summer heat.
Accommodation Recommendations
1. Volando Urai Spring Spa & Resort
As one of Wulai’s most luxurious resorts, it’s not only the most expensive in Wulai but pricey compared to other hot springs too. Double rooms cost about NTD 14,000 per night in low season and around NTD 20,000 during peak season. The most luxurious room type can reach NTD 50,000 per night, suitable for travelers with very generous budgets. Matching the price, they provide top-tier service—you can enjoy river views right from your room, and the meals are exquisite. The most thoughtful feature is the free shuttle service to and from Xindian MRT station.
Room rates include welcome refreshments, fine dinner, late-night snacks, energizing breakfast, unlimited access to public baths (for guests 12 and older), complimentary drinks from the minibar (including alcoholic beverages), property-wide Wi-Fi, and audio-visual equipment in all rooms. Families should note that children under 8 are not permitted.
Address: No. 176, Section 5, Xinwu Rd, Wulai District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 233
Price: 💰💰💰💰💰💰
Official Website
2. Pause Landis Resort Wulai
Compared to Volando Urai’s boutique positioning, Pause Landis Resort Wulai also takes a luxurious approach but is considerably cheaper, making it a very worthwhile value-for-money choice in my opinion. Besides private hot spring tubs in guest rooms, the public baths feature a semi-open-air design that creates a wonderfully spacious feeling of integration with nature.
The public baths are separated for men and women (nude bathing), each with low, medium, and high-temperature pools, bubble spa pools, saunas, steam rooms, and tea areas. The women’s public bath also features a special aromatic pool with different scents each month. There are six differently designed themed bathhouses ranging from 7-13 ping (approximately 23-43 square meters), all semi-open-air with views of the Nanshi River and private bathroom facilities.
Address: No. 88, Section 5, Xinwu Rd, Wulai District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 233
Price: 💰💰💰💰💰
Official Website
3. Wulai Hot Springs
Wulai Hot Springs is situated along the Nanshi River with an excellent location just a few meters from Wulai Old Street, the cable car station, and the Tourist Bridge. Enter the lobby, grab a coffee, and enjoy the river view in a peaceful atmosphere. Each guest room has hot and cold dual bathtubs and a private balcony overlooking the Nanshi River. While you can’t soak in the hot spring while enjoying the river view, you can still see the river from your room.
The best thing about this place is its super convenient location on Hot Spring Street and Wulai Old Street. Plus, it’s very affordable, suitable for regular travelers and those wanting to stay in the hot spring area.
Address: No. 39, Wenquan St, Wulai District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 233
Price: 💰💰💰
Official Website
4. Fullmoon Spa
Fullmoon Spa offers rooms with hot spring spa tubs and mountain or river views, allowing guests to choose their preferred view. Its location is also very convenient, just a 1-minute walk from Wulai Old Street. The price is mid-range, suitable for travelers with moderate budgets who want to stay close to Wulai Old Street.
Besides private hot tubs in rooms, guests can also soak in the public hot spring pools, enjoy massage services (for an additional fee), or relax in the sauna and steam rooms. Note that the public baths require nude bathing.
Address: No. 1, Lane 85, Wulai Street, 233 Wulai, Taiwan
Price: 💰💰💰💰 (around NTD 4,500)
Official Website
photo credited from official website
5. Spring Spa Hotel
Spring Spa Hotel offers both Japanese and Western-style rooms, all equipped with massage bathtubs and mountain views. Their public baths also feature massage pools and cypress wood saunas, with a rest area featuring lounge chairs where guests can relax after bathing while immersed in the beauty of nature.
However, it’s about a 15-minute walk from Wulai Old Street, making it somewhat distant. It’s about a 13-minute drive from Wulai Waterfall and about a 34-minute drive from Bitan Scenic Area, so it’s more suitable for travelers with cars or those who just want to relax in the hot spring hotel.
Address: No. 66, Section 5, Xinwu Rd, Wulai District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 233
Price: 💰💰💰
Official Website
6. Wulai Rechange Hot Spring
Wulai Rechange is a newer hot spring hotel with more modern decor. The exterior is an all-white building, while the interior combines soft wooden tones with gray and white colors—a style younger people will appreciate. All rooms are equipped with both hot and cold bathtubs, and their public bath is an outdoor infinity pool that requires swimwear. This pool contains mountain spring water from June to October and hot spring water from November to May of the following year.
It’s relatively far from attractions like Wulai Old Street, requiring a 5-minute drive or a 30-minute walk.
Address: No. 37, Xiluoan Road, Wulai District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 233
Price: 💰💰💰💰
Official Website
Conclusion for Wulai Riverside Hot Springs (Tips for Wild Hot Springs)
Most hot spring hotels in Wulai offer hourly private hot spring services during the day and accommodation at night. Some don’t accept reservations and operate on a first-come, first-served basis, but don’t worry about not having a bath house available if you arrive without a reservation—there are many options, at worst you might need to wait in line for a bit.
Finally, let me tell you a secret. Following along the Nanshi River, you can find free hot spring spots where locals used to bathe in wild hot springs. However, since these were illegal structures that affected the city’s appearance, they’ve been dismantled, so you should go to proper bathhouses for hot springs. If you’re really interested, you can try your luck and ask locals where to find wild hot springs, as some still go, though you’ll be fined (5,000-15,000 TWD) if caught by patrol officers.
If you want to find soaking spots yourself, you can look for makeshift stairs built by locals along the riverside, with simple rope handrails and sandbags forming basic pathways. An easier method is to search for related groups on Facebook where people share coordinates. Finally, remember this is illegal, and I neither recommend it nor take responsibility. If you really must experience it, go late at night… after all, even patrol officers need to sleep!
✨ Looking for hot springs in Taiwan? Check this out:
Top 5 Guguan Hot Springs | A Hidden Forest Hot Spring Retreat in Taichung
Family Trip to Taitung’s Zhiben Hot Spring Getaway | Top 5 Kid-Friendly Hot Spring Resorts in Zhiben
