Taiwan’s first international dark sky park is in Hehuanshan! A dark sky park guarantees that visitors can get a view of the night sky free from light pollution.

When you hear about Mount Hehuan, you might think about people climbing it like these kids here. It’s one of the most popular hiking destinations in Taiwan. It’s also one of the few places in the country -- and often the first each winter -- to get a dusting of snow! 

Hehuanshan is located in the Central Mountain Range. It stretches laterally across the island, straddling the divide between Nantou and Hualien counties. 

There are plenty of great reasons to visit Hehuanshan, but if you need one more: it’s now home to Taiwan’s very first international dark sky park, just in time for the moon festival! A dark sky park means that the surrounding area is free from light pollution, and that makes it the perfect place for stargazing… Or, in keeping with the holiday spirit, looking at the moon!

As you might imagine, a dark sky park has to be, well, dark. That’s why these lights, which were installed to help people see where they’re going, had to later be removed. It’s a small price to pay to protect this perfect view of the night sky.