Shifen Waterfall

Shifen Waterfall is a broad cascade in Pingxi District, New Taipei City, between Dahua Station and Shifen Station on the Pingxi Line; Taiwan’s Tourism Administration says it is nicknamed “Taiwan’s Niagara Falls”. Neither the Tourism Administration’s page nor New Taipei City’s gives an entry fee or opening hours for it (14 November 2026). On a day trip from Taipei it is a 50-minute stop: MyProGuide Inc.’s Shifen, Jiufen, and Yehliu Guided Day Trip pairs it with an hour on Shifen Old Street, at US$45.00 per adult (checked November 2026).

Where the falls are

The Tourism Administration places Shifen in a scenic area at Shifenliao, between Shiding, Ruifang and Shuangxi, carved into a ravine by a tributary of the Keelung River. Faults in the rock have made “numerous waterfalls along the river extending north from Houtong to Sandiaoling and onwards to Shifenliao and Pingxi”. Shifen Waterfall is the biggest and best known of them, in its words (14 November 2026).

What you see

The Tourism Administration describes a curtain of water falling into a large, deep pool, with mists that often hide the falls and, on sunny days, rainbows: the pool’s nickname is “Rainbow Pond”. The bedrock slopes against the flow of the water, which is why it compares the falls with Niagara.

The Pingxi Line and Shifen Old Street

Shifen is a stop on the Pingxi Branch Line, which runs 12.9 kilometres up the Keelung River valley from Sandiaoling to Jingtong. The Tourism Administration says the line “was built in 1918 to transport coal; and in 1992 it was repurposed as a tourism route”; New Taipei City’s tourism site says the railway opened to traffic in 1921. At Shifen, houses stand close to the tracks, and the Old Street’s shops line them.

New Taipei City’s Pingxi Line itinerary asks visitors to “follow traffic signs and not randomly cross the railroad tracks” (14 November 2026). Near the falls, Jing’an Suspension Bridge, 128 metres long, links the villages of Shifen and Nanshan. The Shifen Visitor Center is a 15-minute walk from Shifen Station along the Old Street; the Tourism Administration says it shows free videos daily and runs classes on making sky lanterns.

How long each tour stays

GetYourGuide prices checked November 2026, regular price per adult unless the row says otherwise.

On MyProGuide Inc.’s Full-Day Tour in Shifen, Jiufen & Yehliu of Taipei on Viator, from US$44 per person (checked November 2026), the falls get 50 minutes on the trail beside them; if the Shifen Waterfall suspension bridge is closed for its annual maintenance, the group takes another route, which may mean more walking.

Check dates for Shifen, Jiufen and Yehliu

Walking at Shifen

YOLO Taiwan's private tour counts about 1.5 kilometres of stairs and walking across Jiufen and the Shifen Waterfall area, which may be hard for people with mobility issues; the day trip includes a lot of walking. For the day trip, bring comfortable shoes, rain gear and cash.

The lanterns, and Houtong

Shifen Old Street is where the day tours stop for the sky lanterns. The Pingxi and Shifen sky lanterns covers what a lantern costs and which tours include one. Houtong Cat Village is on the Keelung River north of Sandiaoling, where the Pingxi Line starts: see Houtong Cat Village.

Staying a night to ride the Pingxi Line on your own? Search rooms in Shifen (a room search; prices show there), or see where to stay for the bases by tour.