Guanziling

Guanziling — also spelled Guanzihling, Kuantzuling and Kuantzeling — is a hot spring resort in the hills above the plains of Tainan, on the side of Chiayi County's mountainous south-west. It is one of Taiwan's classic hot spring towns and famous for one unusual feature: its mud springs. The water emerges grey and muddy, and the tradition is to smear it on the skin, let it dry, then rinse it off; the springs have a long-standing reputation for soothing skin complaints, and Guanziling is often described as one of only a few mud-spring sites of its kind in the world, alongside springs in Kagoshima, Japan and Vulcano, Italy.

The resort divides into two halves. "Old" Guanziling lies down in the valley near the spring source and has the older, more affordable bathhouses and inns; the "summit" sits atop the neighbouring hill and has the newer, pricier resorts. The two are linked by the winding main road and by walking routes, including a steep flight of around 300 steps known as the "good fellow's slope" and a wooden stairway that passes the hot spring source itself.

Guanziling also boasts a genuine natural curiosity: Water and Fire Cave, where flames fed by escaping methane have burned beside spring water for centuries. The hills are warm and humid in summer; the cooler, drier months from roughly autumn to early spring are the most comfortable for soaking, and many visitors find the hot springs most appealing in cool weather.

By Train

Take a Taiwan Railways train to Houbi station (roughly a 30-minute ride from Tainan on the conventional line), then continue to Guanziling by bus or taxi. A taxi from Houbi station takes about 25 minutes and costs in the region of NT$600 depending on where in Guanziling you are heading. From further afield, take the Taiwan High Speed Rail to Chiayi HSR station and transfer to a bus. Note that taxis are scarce in the hot spring area, so get your driver's phone number before they leave so you can call for a ride back.

By Car / Road

Hourly buses run from Chiayi's Zhongshan Road bus station (a few hundred metres from the TRA railway station). The journey on local buses passes through Baihe and takes about an hour, costing around NT$79; buses cross old Guanziling and terminate at the summit near the Toong Mao resort. There are also around six buses a day from the TRA/HSR area on Guanziling Route 33 (about 30 minutes). A taxi from Chiayi covers the distance in roughly half the time of the bus for around NT$400.

Sightseeing beyond the resort really needs your own vehicle, but getting between the two parts of town — old Guanziling in the valley and the summit on the hill — is easily done on foot. There are three routes: the winding main road (about 2 km), the steep stone staircase of roughly 300 steps, and a wooden stairway that passes the hot spring source. Taxis are very limited in the hot spring area, so always keep a driver's number to hand.

• Water and Fire Cave (水火同源) — a section of the hot spring that releases methane, which has burned continuously for more than three centuries, with flames flickering beside flowing water. Open 24 hours; free. If finding it independently, memorise the Chinese name, as some signs are Chinese-only.
• Hot spring source (溫泉源頭) — the point from which the mud springs emerge, passed by the wooden stairway between the two parts of town.

Guanziling exists for its muddy hot springs. The standard treatment is to coat yourself in the warm grey mud, let it dry for a few minutes, then rinse it off in a pool — repeated several times. Many resorts in town offer day passes. King's Garden Villa, well known to taxi drivers and popular with locals, has offered full use of its facilities for around NT$350 per adult in summer (rates vary by season); facilities have included a fish-pedicure pool, machine massages, foot baths and hot, moderate and cold pools (about 43.5°C, 39°C and 17°C). English signage and English-speaking staff are limited, so a phrasebook or some Mandarin helps.

You can also walk between old Guanziling and the summit via the staircase or wooden stairway, and use the town as a base for day trips into the surrounding hills and the Dongshan coffee country.

Hill cooking built around mountain ingredients is the local style.

• Delicacies From Land and Sea (原味山產美食), Guanzihling 43-2, on the summit uphill from Toong Mao (phone +886-6-6822205) — a wood-panelled restaurant, easy to spot by the flaming torch outside, specialising in mountain dishes. Under NT$500.
• Dachu Coffee Estate / Daichu Farm (大鋤花間咖啡生態農場), No. 109-17, Gaoyuan, Dongshan District, Tainan 733 (phone +886 6 686 4350) — an organic family-run coffee farm that started the Dongshan coffee route, with mountain views, friendly cats, and filling food and coffee. Open Mon and Thu–Fri 10:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–21:00. NT$300–400. A cheap public bus runs roughly hourly from Baihe and Guanziling.

Locally grown Dongshan coffee is a regional speciality and well worth seeking out at hillside coffee farms such as Dachu. Taiwanese teas and the usual soft drinks are available in town. Tap water is treated but most visitors drink bottled or boiled water; note that the cold-spring water in the area is not for drinking.

• Budget / Old Guanziling inns — the valley-side "old" part of town has the older, more affordable hot spring inns.
• Upscale: Toong Mao Spa Resort, 28 Guanzihling (on the summit, about 5 minutes uphill from the bus terminal) — the top resort in town, modern and airy, with an outdoor mud pool, outdoor jacuzzi, outdoor cold bath, a large pool, and separate indoor spa and sauna facilities for men and women, plus valley views. English signage and staff ability is patchy. From around NT$2,440.

Dried hot spring mud for home treatments is sold in every souvenir shop in town — around NT$50 for a half-kilo tub. Local agricultural products from the surrounding hills also appear in shops. Bargaining is not customary.

• Baihe (between Chiayi and Guanziling) — a lowland town famous for its lotus ponds, spectacular in summer bloom.
• Chiayi (about 1 hr by bus) — the regional hub and gateway to Alishan.
• Tainan (Houbi station roughly 30 min from the city) — Taiwan's historic former capital, rich in temples and street food.
• Dongshan coffee area (hourly bus from Baihe/Guanziling) — hillside coffee farms along the Dongshan coffee route.
• Alishan National Scenic Area (via Chiayi) — Taiwan's famous high-mountain forest and sunrise destination.