Taiwan in January

roubydouby's picture
roubydouby started the topic in Monday, 31 Dec 2018 at 1:46pm

Hi All,
My brother and I are looking to take a Trip during January and we're thinking about Taiwan.
Looking for some tips about places to stay/surf and cost etc

thermalben's picture
thermalben's picture
thermalben Monday, 31 Dec 2018 at 2:13pm

'Tis on my bucket list too.

blindboy's picture
blindboy's picture
blindboy Monday, 31 Dec 2018 at 5:18pm

Not a bad idea roubydouby, now where the friggin' hell did I put that passport?

clif's picture
clif's picture
clif Thursday, 10 Jan 2019 at 3:57am

bucket list? some quality waves but getting them on is hectic. fickle as fuck. sw coast the best. east coast sucks, tbh.

fraser-gordon's picture
fraser-gordon's picture
fraser-gordon Thursday, 10 Jan 2019 at 9:53am

Hang in Taipei keep an eye on swell move east, west or south when swell hits.Likewise stay in Tainan and do the same.Kenting is cool as well.Book a couple of nights in Taipei when you arrive and go from there Air b&b has lots of cheap options for the whole island.Get a travel card when you arrive at Taipei airport cheap as!!and top it up as you go.Use the bus service to get around comfy and no hassle with boards trains can be a problem but doable if boards are sub 5'10.Foods nutz cheap beer surfs good no Indo but worth it for all the other stuff wild place enjoy...

Stok's picture
Stok's picture
Stok Thursday, 10 Jan 2019 at 1:04pm

January is winter, which means daily peaky 2-4ft trade wind North swell (maybe the odd bigger days here and there) and cooler air temps. Water is moderate. Think glassy mornings, blown out from about 9am before the late evening glass off.

Crowds are hit and miss...some spots packed, some spots empty.

Hire a car or take the train. The island is small and you can strike pretty much anywhere within a a single day. Language is a bit of a barrier but not too bad.

I've had some sick surfs there, but in reality it's a 'keep your surf expectations low, and enjoy the culture' affair. If scoring epic waves are high on your list you're probably better off elsewhere.

factotum's picture
factotum's picture
factotum Thursday, 10 Jan 2019 at 1:57pm

I concur with Stok. It certainly ain't G-
Land or the Ments (that's later this year), but it's a super cool place all-round.

Actually, I'm in Donghe right now! Heading south tomorrow.

Watch out for the food though. It's too good. Dumpling madness.

And cheap!

factotum's picture
factotum's picture
factotum Thursday, 10 Jan 2019 at 2:18pm

Oh yeah, Rouby, I went in June last year with my brother too. Got some typhoon action.

Good times.