Gaomei Wetlands (高美濕地) is where Taichung goes to watch the sun set. It sits on the coast in Qingshui District, on the south side of the Dajia River mouth: a wide sweep of tidal flats and reed beds, a long wooden boardwalk out over the mud, and a line of wind turbines along the shore. It is one of the most photographed places in the city, and it is the first of the five places we send everyone.
The answer for most visitors: check the boardwalk times for your day, take the bus out in the afternoon, walk the boardwalk while it is open, and stay on the shore for the sunset.
- Boardwalk hours Set by the tide: from 08:00 at the earliest, closed around each high tide, closed at sunset. Published day by day (see below).
- Address Gaomei Wetland, Qingshui District
- Getting there 309 Bus 309 from Taichung Station; TRA Qingshui Station, then bus 111, 178 or 179
What you see
- The tidal flats: the wetland is a wildlife protection area of about 734 hectares, from the Dajia River mouth south to the Taichung Port breakwater. At low tide the mud stretches out toward the Taiwan Strait.
- The boardwalk: opened in 2014, 691 meters long, from the Interpretive Peninsula out across the protected zones. It is there so you can see the wetland without stepping on the mudflats.
- The wind turbines: eighteen of them, each about 64 meters tall, line Huangang North Road, which the city calls Windmill Boulevard. They have been turning since 2007.
- The lighthouse: the red-and-white Gaomei Lighthouse was built in 1967 and switched off after 15 years, when its light moved to the lighthouse at Taichung Port. It is still the landmark people photograph.
- The birds: the city's tourism office calls it the best spot in Taichung for birdwatching, with big flocks of migrating birds in fall and winter.
Boardwalk times and the tide
The wetland floods at high tide, so the boardwalk and the open part of the mudflats follow the sea. The office that runs the protection area, Taichung's coastal resources and fisheries office (臺中市海岸資源漁業發展所), closes the protection area to visitors around each high tide (about an hour and a half either side, two hours at spring tides) and after sunset, and opens the sustainable use zone the rest of the time. Patrol staff can change the times on the day if the sea or the weather calls for it.
It posts the times for each day as a PDF on its boardwalk opening times page, usually a month ahead. To give you a feel: on 29 October 2026 the boardwalk was open 08:00 to 10:47 and 14:47 to 17:15; on 2 November 2026, 08:00 to 15:26. The boardwalk also closes for a few days a year for maintenance (it was shut 21 to 23 October 2026).
Good to know: the boardwalk closes at sunset, so the evening slot is the one to aim for. Check that it is open that afternoon, get there an hour or two before sunset, and walk back when staff close it. In late October and November the boardwalk's last closing time is around 17:00 to 17:15.
The rules
Gaomei is a wildlife protection area (高美野生動物保護區), split into a core zone, a buffer zone and a sustainable use zone. The rules visitors need:
- Visitors may go only into the sustainable use zone, and only at the posted times. The core and buffer zones, the reed beds closest to the seawalls, are closed without a permit.
- On the boardwalk, stay on the boardwalk: going down onto the mud beneath it is not allowed.
- No swimming, snorkeling or other water sports, no drones without a permit, no feeding animals, no picking or trampling plants, and no litter.
- The office warns of strong currents near the Taichung Port north breakwater, at the edge of the open area, and asks visitors to keep out of the shellfish restoration area.
Fines under the Wildlife Conservation Act run from NT$50,000 to NT$250,000 for breaking the zone rules.
Getting there
Gaomei is on the coast, about as far west as Taichung goes, so allow time. These are the bus routes the protection area's own page lists:
| From | Bus | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Taichung Station | 309 | Taichung Station, Gaomei Wetlands (Sanshun Road), Wuqi Fishing Harbor |
| Qingshui Station (railway) | 111 | Qingshui Station, Gaomei Wetlands Visitor Center, Wuqi Fishing Harbor |
| Qingshui Station (railway) | 178, 179 | Qingshui Station, Gaomei Wetlands, Gaomei Wetland Experience Museum, Gaomei Wetlands Visitor Center |
| Qingshui Station (railway) | 688 (weekends) | Qingshui Station, Gaomei Wetlands (Sanshun Road), Wuqi Fishing Harbor |
| HSR Taichung Station (TRA Xinwuri) | 655 (weekends) | HSR Taichung Station, Gaomei Wetlands Visitor Center, Wuqi Fishing Harbor |
Check the live times on the Taichung bus information system before you set off, especially for the ride home after sunset. By car or taxi, the Agriculture Bureau lists four car parks, including one at the visitor center.
→ Taichung's city buses · Best time to visit · Only in Taichung · Parks and green spaces
Sources
Boardwalk times, the high-tide and sunset closures and the October and November 2026 schedule from the boardwalk opening times page; zones, area, rules and fines from the Gaomei zoning rules; bus routes from the public transport page (all from Taichung's coastal resources and fisheries office). Boardwalk, lighthouse and wind turbine history from the Taichung Agriculture Bureau's Gaomei Wetlands attraction guide, and bus routes and parking from its How to Get to Gaomei Wetlands. Birdwatching from Taichung Tourism. Checked October 2026.