One of Sun Moon Lake’s most popular areas to stay in and visit, Ita Thao has numerous hotels, restaurants and shops and is a short walk from famous attractions such as Sun Moon Lake Ropeway.
Overlooking the water, Ita Thao is one of the three main stops on the Sun Moon Lake ferry boat shuttle and is easy to get to from Shuishe, where most buses to Sun Moon Lake disembark.
From lakeside tea-tasting (brews with views) to sunset strolls, cable cars to cycle routes, there are lots of things to do in Ita Thao. We stayed here over Shuishe as Ita Thao is a bit more relaxed and has a slightly bigger choice of shops and restaurants.
Featuring frogs, forests and foods to try, here is our ultimate guide to Ita Thao in Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan.
You might like – Things to do in Shuishe, Sun Moon Lake >
Taiwan checklist
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For booking tours, transfers and buying SIM cards/eSIMs we recommend Klook, Get Your Guide, Viator or KK Day. You can also purchase eSIMs from Airalo.
For booking rental cars visit Discover Cars. For private drivers and taxis, check out our Transfer guide >
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All set for Taiwan? Do one final check with our Taipei first timers guide and our packing list guide. Travelling with kids? Check out our Taipei For Kids eBook >
How to get there to Ita Thao / Sun Moon Lake
We have written an extensive guide on how you can reach Sun Moon Lake from Taipei, Taichung and Alishan, check it out here >
If you are coming on the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle from Taichung then you will be dropped off at the Shuishe Visitor Center.
To get to Ita Thao from Shuishe Visitor Center you can take a taxi or jump onto bus 6669 or 6669A, which is roughly a 20 minute journey.
Alternatively head to Shuishe pier which is a short walk away and purchase a one way ferry ticket to Ita Thao pier.
Alternatively, try this one day Sun Moon Lake tour from Taipei with Klook >
Ita Thao Accommodation
Mid-Range ($$)
H& Sun Moon Lake Shui Yang
We stayed at this friendly guesthouse which is just a few minutes walk from the pier and all the restaurants.
Breakfast was included and you can enjoy eating it on their small deck overlooking the lake. They also provide a small tea tasting tray when you first arrive. Check rates and availability on booking.com and agoda.com
Luxury ($$$)
The Richforest Sun Moon Lake
Popular hotel with lake views. Facilities include an indoor pool, sauna, restaurant, game/chess room and free bike rental. Some rooms have balconies with lake views. Check rates and availability on booking.com and agoda.com
Check out the best hotels in Sun Moon Lake via booking.com or agoda.com
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Ita Thao, Sun Moon Lake – things to do
1. Sun Moon Lake Ropeway
A short walk from the main pier and one of the best things to do in Ita Thao, the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway is a cable car that provides some of the best aerial views of the lake.
It also delivers you right to the front door of the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village (more on this later).
The Sun Moon Lake Ropeway takes under 10 minutes to get to the top and has stunning panoramic views, especially on bright sunny days as the lake glistens in the sunlight. You can even pay a little extra to get glass bottom cable cars (if you dare).
When we visited in spring 2024, we went just after it opened hoping to avoid queues but we still had to wait about 20 minutes to go-up; it is worth it though just for the views, even if you don’t want to visit the Aboriginal Village at the top.
A return ticket on the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway departing from Ita thao costs NT$380 (around £9 or $12 USD). Prices correct as of summer 2024.
The ropeway is open from 10.30am to 4pm on weekdays and 10am to 4.30pm on weekends.
Check out this Sun Moon Lake ropeway and transport combo ticket >
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2. Wenwu Temple
Sun Moon Lake’s best-known temple, Wenwu is a short bus ride (or longer walk) from Ita Thao and one of the most stunning temples in all of Taiwan.
Opened in the late 1930s (and rebuilt much bigger in the 1960s) to replace two smaller shrines, Wenwu Temple is located in the Sun Moon Lake Hills with stunning views looking out over the water, as well as several halls and shrines to explore, and its own miniature waterfall.
The various halls are dedicated to several deities; Lord Guan (the deity of marriage). First Ancestor Kaiji (the deity of literature), Guan Gong, the deity of war, and the warrior-deity Yue Fei.
This is the only Confucious temple in Taiwan that always keeps its main door open plus has a seated bronze statue of him. Onsite, there are also several shops, a small cafe plus toilet facilities.
As you first enter, you’ll see huge red guardian lions protecting the temple and then make your way up the steps to visit the three main halls.
The gardens at the top of the site are also a nice place to stroll around with several benches looking out over Sun Moon Lake.
Sun Moon Lake Wenwu Temple is free to visit (although donations are appreciated) – the temple is generally open from 8am to 8pm daily.
Try this – Sun Moon Lake tours with Viator and Get Your Guide
Check out our themed 7-Eleven stores in Taiwan guide >
Plus all our individual themed store guides:
• Hello Kitty
• Mofusand
• Snoopy / Peanuts
• Pokémon
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• STARLUX
• Sumikko Gurashi
You might also like our guide to why 7-Elevens in Taiwan are the best in the world!
3. Ita Thao street food market
Ita Thao is a good place to base yourself if you are staying in Sun Moon Lake for several days (we’d recommend at least one night so you can do the various temples, walks and activities spread around the lake).
We personally found the food options at Ita Thao a little bit limited, especially if you are on a tight budget.
A lot of the restaurants in Ita Thao are quite expensive to the big cities, because let’s be honest, you are kind of a captive market if staying in Ita Thao overnight.
The Ita Thao street food market consists of around 20+ food kiosks, stalls and booths located around the main shopping street that serve Taiwanese snacks and street food until early evening (on our last visit, most had closed by 8pm).
Stalls sell generally fast food dishes like scallion pancakes, black tea dried tofu, hamburgers etc and eating from the food stalls was a lot cheaper than the Ita Thao restaurants. A few vegan and vegetarian dishes are also available.
Some of the Ita Thao street food market stalls include:
- Jumbo ice-creams
- Vegetarian black tea spiced dried tofu and milk tea
- Cuttlefish balls
- Chinese egg burger
- Shrimp rolls
- Pressed tofu
- Black tea dried tofu
- Roasted oyster mushrooms
- Wild boar sausage
- Scallion pancakes
- Fried cabbage buns
- Beniazuma (Japanese sweet potatoes)
You might like – Things to do in Sun Moon Lake >
4. Yidashao Lakeside Trail and Water Frog Head Trail
One of the best walks to do in Ita thao is to head northeast from the town along the lakeside boardwalk and past the Ropeway and carry on through the forests via the Yidashao Lakeside Trail.
This is a relatively easy and relaxed stroll / hike along wooden boardwalks and paved paths, popular with cyclists and local families (many of whom stay at the Sun Moon Lake campsite next to the Ropeway, overlooking the lake).
Recently the Ita Thao Waterfront Bicycle Path has also been established, making it easy to cycle around the entire Sun Moon Lake.
The path takes in stunning views of the lake and along the way, you’ll see fishing huts floating in the water, and the occasional local reeling in fish with stove log fires burning.
As well as a nice way to escape the tourist crowds and get-up close with nature, this is the main way to walk from Ita thao to see our next thing to do in Ita thao, the famous Nine Frogs Stack…
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5. Nine Frogs Stack
Hop to it! Nine Frogs Stack is a quirky tourist attraction in Sun Moon Lake, an artistic way to see what the lake water levels are like – if you see beyond the first seven frogs, generally that means the Sun Moon Lake water level is very low.
An iconic landmark walkable from Ita thao, a new viewing platform has been installed recently (the Shuiwatou Platform) so that visitors to Sun Moon Lake can get up closer to the frogs and take pictures and froggy selfies.
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6. Ita Thao Shopping District & Restaurants
A similar story to the Ita thao street food market, Ita thao’s main shopping area consists of two main streets filled full of gift-shops, busy (slightly overpriced) restaurants and lots of hotels and accommodation.
Obviously you don’t come to Sun Moon Lake for shopping so this isn’t a major problem but if you need any essentials or Sun Moon Lake souvenirs, Ita thao’s shopping district will suit you fine for a few days (there are also a couple of FamilyMarts and a 7-Eleven dotted around the main shopping area).
Many of the Ita thao stallholders are quite ‘enthusiastic’ and will try to thrust black tea and local wine samples upon you, to encourage you to try and buy – there are also several stalls selling local aboriginal crafts.
You might like – Taiwanderers guide to Taipei’s best shopping malls or Taiwan’s highest coffee shop atop Taipei 101
7. See Sun Moon Lake up-close and on the water
You’re spoilt for choice when trying to decide how to get around the lake – we’ve mentioned already about doing the boardwalks / Yidashao Lakeside Trail from Ita Thao but if you want to navigate round the whole lake, you can hire bikes in Ita Thao and Shuishe for the day.
Alternatively, one of the best things to do in Ita Thao is to hire a kayak, swan pedalo from the jetty next to the main pier or take out a stand-up paddleboard (SUP).
There are several stalls including one on the main trail just past the Ropeway, on the way to Nine Frogs Stack.
Sun Moon Lake paddleboard hire usually costs around NT$690 per 1 hour session – check out Paddleboard Ita thao rates on Klook here >
8. Xuanguang Temple & Songbailun Natural Park
If you are taking the Sun Moon Lake shuttle boat, the stop before arriving in Ita Thao is the Xuanguang Wharf (or you could take the bus too from Ita Thao).
Here, Xuanguang Temple dates back to the 1950s and like Wenwu Temple, has stunning views looking out over the lake (we also found it MUCH quieter than Wenwu).
The shrine is dedicated to the Buddhist monk Xuanzang and his teachings – there is also a really nice viewing point in the gardens where families and locals seem to congregate and look out to the lake.
As we took the boat here, the walk up to Xuanguang Temple from the pier up the hill through Songbailun Natural Park is steep but stunning (be sure to pack water).
Try this – 5-day best of Taiwan: Sun Moon Lake, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Hualien from Taipei >
9. Grandma’s (Ah Ma) Tea Egg
Xuanguang Wharf is also home to possibly Sun Moon Lake’s most famous food stall, Grandma’s Mushroom tea eggs.
According to the captain on our Sun Moon Lake boat shuttle, they sell thousands of these herbal eggs every day which are soaked in tea and other rejuvenating ingredients.
We grabbed one of Grandma’s Tea eggs (NTD$25) on the way back down from our hike to Xuanzang Temple (along with some much needed cold drinks and ice cream).
The Taiwanese tea-egg was delicious and not too overpowering in taste – we knew they’d be good as all of the workmen resurfacing the jetty on our visit were eating one as we arrived! Always a good sign.
P.S. If you are reading this after you’ve already been to Xuanguang Wharf or Grandma’s was closed, you can also get Taiwan tea eggs in Ita Thao plus most Taiwanese convenience stores.
10. Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
Part cultural center, part theme park, you’ll find the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village at the top of the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway (or it can be accessed by car).
You can take a step back in time to see Taiwan’s main Aboriginal and indigenous groups, their ‘homes’ and traditional crafts and cultural activities like cooking and tribal dances.
The site also has over 25 different rides and various themed zones, plus Taiwan’s largest European style gardens.
Book your Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village ticket with Klook >
Please note there used to be a smaller Indigenous village in Ita Thao town next to the lake but when we visited in Spring 2024, it had closed down (possibly for restoration).
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11. Take a boat across Sun Moon Lake / to Shuishe and the temples
The best way to get around Sun Moon Lake is by ferry boat shuttle (if you don’t fancy cycling around the lake).
The Sun Moon Lake shuttle has three main stops – Shuishe, Xuanguang and Ita Thao.
And in case you were wondering, yes, you can take your luggage / backpacks on the boat as we did this from Shuishe pier to Ita Thao pier.
Sun Moon Lake Boat Ferry fares cost 150 $NT150 one way or $NT300 return / to do the complete circuit (all three piers) in one day.
Sun Moon Lake boat prices correct as of summer 2024. Tickets can be bought at the counters by the main piers.
Try this – Tours in Taiwan Nantou County / Sun Moon Lake with Klook >
Our final thing to do Near Ita Thao
12. Ci-En Pagoda
Built in 1971 at the request of Chiang Kai-shek (the former President of the Republic of China) to commemorate his mother, Ci-En Pagoda is a 12 storey octagonal tower with views of Sun Moon Lake and Lalu Island.
The hike to the top is quite steep (especially if you are starting from Xuanguang wharf) but well worth it for the views and scenic surroundings.
What is great is that the Ci-En Pagoda has two sets of intertwining staircases (one up, one down) so you never have to worry about ‘close-calls’ passing on the steps.
Ci-En Pagoda admission is free of charge – stock up on soft drinks or water as the stall there is not always open.
Ita Thao, Sun Moon Lake – Practical information and other things to Know
- There is a Ita Thao Tourist / Visitor Information Center by the Ita Thao pier and wharf – you can also find free toilets on the upper floor of the Ita Thao visitor center.
- There are a few Ita Thao convenience stores – two FamilyMarts and one 7-Eleven; the latter is open 24 hours a day.
- If you have a special diet, you may want to bring your own supplies to Ita Thao as there are no large supermarkets.
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