HIKING TAIWAN: STUNNING SANDSTONE RIDGES AND STINKY TOFU - HUANG DI DIAN (皇帝殿，深坑， 愛吃臭豆腐的老外)

Join Richard and Hugo as they enjoy stinky tofu for lunch in Taipei’s Shenkeng district before tackling one of northern Taiwan’s most stunning day hikes - the knife-edge sandstone ridges of Huangdidian (皇帝殿)- the Emperor’s Palace.

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The Trail
There are numerous ways to do this trail. We did the simplest version where you complete a triangle-shaped loop that starts and ends at the temple trailhead car park. This only includes the central part of the ridge and takes around 3 hours.
To do the full ridge walk you can start from either the east trailhead at Nanku Road (湳窟路) off Shiding Old Street (石碇老街) or the west trailhead at Yongding Coal Mine (永定煤礦).
Starting from either end means a much longer trip (around 6 hours), but it also makes for a more authentic hike as you climb the ridge proper rather than via steps.

Travel Logistics
The Shiding area and Huangdidian are around a 30-minute drive from Taipei via the No.5 freeway.
If using public transport, you can get to the east trailhead on the 666 bus from Muzha MRT station. Get off at Shiding Old Street. From there it’s a short walk to the trailhead on Nanku Road.
For the west trailhead catch the 795 bus (http://routes.ntpc.com.tw/ntpcebus/Tw..., also from Muzha MRT station, toward Shifen (十分寮) and alight at Yongding Coal Mine.
You can also take the 666 (http://routes.5284.com.tw/ntpcebus/Tw...) to the Huangdidian car park trailhead, getting off at the very last stop (check with the driver first as there is more than one 666 service and not all go to Huangdidian).
The trailhead is then around a 30-minute steep uphill walk from the main road.
Be warned, some services are infrequent so you will have to plan your trip ahead to avoid getting stranded when you finish.

Drones
There are currently no known restrictions on the use of drones in the area around Huangdidian. A useful reference tool and map on drone restrictions in Taiwan can be found here (https://www.flyerlee.com/drone-restri....

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