Daren printable guide

Daren

達仁鄉

Skip Daren on a first trip: a quiet Paiwan township with one suspension bridge and a hillside Guanyin statue. No town centre, no public transport inside it — go only if you are driving Highway 9.

Daren is a sparsely populated Paiwan indigenous township on the southeast coast, between Taitung and Dawu, with about 3,700 residents. Its sights are scattered along Highway 9: the Tjuabar Suspension Bridge, a white Guanyin statue on the hillside facing the sea, and a Presbyterian church in the village. There is no town centre and no public transport within the township, so you need your own car or scooter. Most travellers pass through without stopping. Unless Paiwan culture is your reason for coming, or you are driving the full east coast, skip it and spend the time in Taitung or on Green Island.

Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.

Country

Taiwan

Local name

達仁鄉

Best months

Oct–Apr (drier, cooler)

Avoid

Jun–Sep (typhoon season, heavy rain)

Stay

0 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency: TWD
Money: Night markets, breakfast shops and many small restaurants take cash only; carry NT$1,000–2,000 in small notes.
Daily spend: Budget NT$1,500–2,500 excl. bed · Mid NT$2,500–4,000 excl. bed · High NT$4,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data: Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and FarEasTone sell tourist SIMs and eSIMs at TPE and KHH arrivals; a passport plus a second photo ID is required (check).
Emergency: Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119 · Tourism helpline 0800-011-765
Plugs: Types A, B · 110 V · 60 Hz · US and Japanese plugs fit; European, UK and Australian plugs need an adapter, and 220 V-only appliances need a converter.
Tipping: Restaurants: No tip; a 10% service charge appears in many sit-down places and hotels.; Taxis: No tip; round up if you like.; Hotel porter: Not expected; NT$100 in luxury hotels if you want.; Private guide or driver: Not required; NT$200–500 a day or a meal is a thank-you.
Water: Treated at source, but locals boil or filter it. Filtered hot-and-cold dispensers are in stations, hotels and many public buildings; bottles cost NT$20–30.
Toilets: Free, clean toilets in every MRT station, convenience stores and department stores; paper goes in the toilet in most new buildings — follow the sign.

What things cost

Item	Price
Meal at 808 Aboriginal production shop	NT$200–400
Coffee at a convenience store	NT$40–60
Petrol per litre	NT$30–33

Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.

Get around

No public transport within the township. You need a car or scooter. Highway 9 runs along the coast; the suspension bridge and the Guanyin statue are short detours off it.

See and do

Known for

Tjuabar Suspension Bridge
Nine Dragons Guanyin statue
Paiwan indigenous culture
Dawushan Nature Reserve

Day trips

Where	How	Time
Taitung	Car or scooter north on Highway 9, about 1 h	About 1 h
Dawu	Car or scooter south on Highway 9, about 15 min	About 15 min
Green Island	Drive to Taitung (1 h), then ferry or flight	About 2.5 h

Sleep

Daren village area: Very few options; check for guesthouses near the tourist service centre.

Phrase card

English	Say or show
Hello	你好nǐ hǎo
Thank you	謝謝xiè xiè
How much?	多少錢？duō shǎo qián?
Where is the toilet?	廁所在哪裡？cè suǒ zài nǎ lǐ?

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

Greeting: A nod or light handshake; 'nǐ hǎo'; avoid: Hugs with new acquaintances
Handing things: Two hands for cards, gifts and money; avoid: Tossing money on the counter
Gifts: Fruit or a boxed sweet for hosts; refuse once before accepting; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, pears and anything in fours — they sound like death or parting
MRT: Queue at the markings, give up priority seats; avoid: Eating, drinking or chewing gum past the gates
Temples: Enter right, exit left; one or three sticks of incense; avoid: Stepping on thresholds; pointing at deities
Home visit: Shoes off; slippers provided; avoid: Writing names in red ink
Sensitive topics: Follow your host's lead; many people hold a range of views on identity and cross-strait ties; avoid: Assuming everyone thinks the same about China or the ROC's status

Scams and watch-outs

No petrol stations in Daren; fill up in Taitung or Dawu.
The suspension bridge may be closed for maintenance: check locally.
Dawushan Nature Reserve entry rules: check.

Daren is very safe. The main risks are driving on narrow coastal roads after dark and typhoon-season road closures. No ATMs in the township; bring cash.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Daren yet. Suggested stay: 0 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

Tjuabar Suspension Bridge
Nine Dragons Guanyin statue
Paiwan indigenous culture
Dawushan Nature Reserve

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Daren Township Office: www.ttdaren.gov.tw/home/
Wikivoyage: Daren, revision 5068126 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5068126

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Daren達仁鄉

請到這個地址

To this address, please

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Police110
Fire and ambulance119
Tourism helpline0800-011-765

Mandarin is widely understood; Paiwan is spoken locally.

Voykit · checked 2026-09