2. Surfing

Even though it's rocky, the East Coast has fairly good waves, fairly often.

If you're in Taipei, take the train east to Tahsi (about an hour's ride), where you'll find consistently good waves, rental shops with everything you need, and a small but passionate community of surfers who can tell you the inside story on the rest of Taiwan.

The other major surfing point is Kenting. A little ways north of Kenting up the east coast, you'll find another excellent surfing site, Chialeshui.


3. Bicycling

Despite the intense traffic, bicycling is superb in Taiwan. Any country lane is bound to be a good ride, but also has the potential of getting bogged down with cars, scooters and exhaust pipes. So the main rule of the road is: go in the off hours. Avoid urban areas between 8 and 9:30 in the morning and between 5 and 7 at night. During the weekends, consider a stationary bike at the gym.

4. Sea Sports

Taiwan is a natural choice for yachting, sailing and deep sea fishing. Hualien seems to be the principal center for the increasingly popular pastime of whale watching. And opportunities abound for scuba diving and snorkeling, with good dives all along the east coast, on Green Island, and around Kenting, which is the best launching point for gear rental and information. Particularly good reefs can be explored from Orchid Island.

5. Golf

Taiwan has a committed golf culture, with a limited number of courses, which can mean a lot of queuing up before teeing off. The sport in Taiwan has an image as the "pastime of the elite," and fees reflect it. Nevertheless, there are some excellent courses on the island that take full advantage of the close proximity of mountain and sea, for some gorgeous fairway panoramas.

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