As of October 13th, 2022 incoming travellers aren't required to do any quarantine.

Citizens of many countries can obtain a 30 day landing visa on entry to Taiwan at this time, however, a visa is required from some countries. Please check the following document on the link below to check the status of your home country. https://www.boca.gov.tw/cp-149-4486-7785a-2.html

The simple answer is yes. Most areas of Taiwan were operating normally the day after the 'quake, and the majority of the best cycling routes are now totally safe for riding. The only areas that had significant damage were the Suhua coastal road (between Yilan and Hualien) and Taroko Gorge. The coastal road is now open to cars, but not advisable for cycling at the moment, and Taroko is currently closed for repair. In Taiwan earthquakes are not uncommon, and happen regularly. It's worth pointing out that 99.9% of them don't cause any noticeable damage or cause any injuries.

Yes, we strongly recommend you get travel insurance before you leave home. Epic Ride Taiwan does not take any responsibility for any accidents that you have on the road. Although the road quality is excellent in general in Taiwan, accidents can happen, so make sure that you are covered.

Here in Taiwan, people continue their business as usual, and nobody talks about the manoeuvring of China. Despite a lot of western media interest of recent times, the status quo between Taiwan and China remains in place, and nothing has changed here in regards to attitudes or concerns.

No vaccinations are necessary to enter Taiwan.

Unfortunately, bad weather is a possibility in most environments. In the case of rain, we will continue guided tours as planned, however if we are heading into very bad weather, we are able to change the route to avoid the worst of it. Epic Ride Taiwan considers your safety as the upmost importance, so in the case of extreme weather, local situations out of our control, or situations where the road is damaged or dangerous, we reserve the right to change the route for guided tours. We will, however, do all we can to re-route you on something as similar as possible.

This is just a basic guide to the level of difficulty of a route based on the elevation gained and distance, on a per day and overall basis. ★★★★★ = A five star tour will be challenging. A good level of fitness and experience would be required. ★★★★ = A four star tour will require a reasonable level of fitness, as it will include a challenging amount of climbing or distance to be covered daily. ★★★ = A three star tour will be a level that the majority of cyclists will be able to cope with, although not without a few challenges. ★★ = A two star tour will be easy enough for all but absolute beginners, with a flat or rolling profile and shorter riding distances. ★ = A one star tour will be extremely easy, with flat profiles and short distances.

For guided tours, we have a minimum of one guide riding with you. We also have at least one (maybe two depending on the group size) support vehicles driven by professional mechanics. You will also be supported on the trip for fuelling (except dinner which, from experience, is best left to personal choice) and hydration needs.

Firstly, unless it's a self-guided or bespoke private tour, we require all our guests to provide some evidence of their cycling experience and fitness levels. With this, we can ensure that riders within the same group will be as well matched as possible. With private groups, we will discuss and suggest strategies to make the ride go as smoothly as possible, if the levels of the riders differ widely. Examples could be splitting the group into smaller groups for certain sections of the route, everyone setting off at different times, or simply faster riders waiting at the top of climbs for the slower members to catch up.

Epic can mean different things to different people. Based on this, we have graded our guided tours by level of difficulty. The factors which determine the difficulty of a tour will primarily be distance, elevation and riding time, however we will also consider the heat and altitude of the days. You can choose a tour that suits your level, or the level that you can train towards. We will have something for everyone. For our "Grand Tours" we will cover an average of around 100km/1500m/5-6hrs riding a day, for seven days with just one rest day included. For this you do need to be relatively fit and experienced at riding long days. Don't feel intimidated though, because if you are having a bad leg day, you can just pop your bike in the van and we'll drive you to the next place along the route. It's all part of the service! Of course, if you have a group which prefers less challenging days, then we have other options, including having a tour designed specifically for you. For self-guided Tours of course, the choice is yours! We not here for racing, we are here for the adventure.

Traffic in Taiwan is generally pleasant. Even on busy roads in the cities, drivers act courteously towards cyclists and respect the space that a cyclist needs. We believe this is due to the culture of having scooters (small automatic motorcycles) on the roads, so the awareness that drivers have for two wheeled vehicles is heightened and ingrained. In addition, because Taiwan has a lot of scooters, many of the main roads have designated bike and scooter lanes, keeping you separated from the motorised traffic.

Yes, you can bring your own bike. However, our guests do have a top end road bike waiting for them when they arrive in Taiwan.

We have a wide range of pedals. Let us know what you use, and we will do our best to supply what you require, but we do encourage you to bring your own pedals to eliminate any possible fit issues.

Our bikes do have saddles of course, but if you would like to know what will be on your rental bike, feel free to ask. If possible we can try to find one that you prefer. However, if in doubt, bring your own saddle and we will fit it for you. We all know the importance of a familiar, comfortable saddle on a long ride!

Bikes should be returned to their collection, or other designated, point and in the same condition as when collected. Those left elsewhere or subject to damage will be subject to an appropriate charge payable to the Rental Company. Bikes rented from Giant, Hualien can be delivered for free to local hotels. Please note, however that those rented from any of our Taipei Agents should be collected from the Agent’s premises. Hotel delivery is an available option but will incur an additional delivery charge payable to the Rental Company.

If you are going to use one of our bikes, we take all the necessary details from you before you travel, so that your bike is ready on your arrival. Please provide any additional details that you see necessary.

We will not provide cycling shoes. We strongly suggest you bring your own, or we can point you in the direction of a local store if you need to buy some new ones.

Taiwan is a very safe country with one of the lowest crime rates in the world. People are generally extremely friendly and respectful towards cyclists and roads are kept in a very smooth condition. Roads are resurfaced with incredible regularity and efficiency here. Due to the number of scooter riders in the country, drivers are very aware of bikes which makes it very safe for the cyclist.

All of the accommodation that you stay in during the tour will offer WIFI for your use, however during your ride time, if you need to access the internet, we would recommend purchasing a SIM card when you arrive at the airport, or from one of the many phone shops around Taipei. Chunghua Telecom is known for having the best coverage when in the mountains, but even then, there may be some spots along the way that the coverage may be patchy. Local SIM cards are very reasonably priced.

Taiwan's climate is subtropical. The summers are hot and last from April to September, when sea level temperatures regularly exceed 30 degrees. During the summer, mornings are usually always clear blue skies and rain is most likely to occur early afternoon. During this time, we will start riding earlier to avoid the heat. The winters are short and mild in general, although snow does fall in the high mountains on occasions. The northern part of the island gets more rain at this time, but the majority of the country is sunny and warm.

We don't recommend drinking water straight out of the tap, but after boiling or filtering it is fine. All our hotels provide you with water, either bottled or from a machine and we will provide you with all the hydration needed during your ride. Beyond that, 24 hour convenience stores have everything that you could possibly need. Plus, an unexpected source of water can be any local police station, where the officers are always happy to let thirsty cyclists fill their bottle.

The majority of places in the cities accept Visa and Mastercard, though smaller places in the mountains and countryside may only take cash. We recommend that you carry a small amount of local currency for such moments. ATMs can be found almost everywhere and most of the 24hr convenience stores have ATMs located inside.

Don't worry! You do not need to speak Mandarin to enjoy a trip to Taiwan. The majority of local people can understand a certain amount of English, and in situations where that's not possible, our guides will take care of the communication for you.

The deposit to secure your place on a tour is 25% of the balance per person. Final payment will be due 2 months prior to trip departure. For any reservations taken within 2 months of the tour's departure, final payment will be taken at the time of the booking.

During the summer in Taiwan, typhoons are a possibility. The months that are most likely to be affected, are the hot and humid June to August period. Short notice cancellations relating to Natural Disasters are normally covered by Travel Insurance, and we will write a letter for you to show your insurance company to explain why your tour was cancelled. If you are on a long tour, and a typhoon is first predicted after you've started, we'll assess the situation and deal with it the best way that we can, with safety being the upmost priority.

We understand things can happen in life that are out of our control. Should you need to cancel your trip, please call us and we will be as accommodating as possible, but our official cancellation policy is outlined below in order to cover Epic Ride Taiwan for the costs we incur before trips depart, such as third-party bookings and staffing. Deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable. Balances are collected 2 months from the departure date, and are subject to the following cancellation policy: For cancellations made between 2 months and 6 weeks before the departure date, a full credit of your balance (not including the initial deposit) will be carried forward for a future trip, to be used within two years. For cancellations made between 6 weeks and 1 month prior to the departure date, a credit of 50% of your balance (not including the initial deposit) will be issued towards a future trip within two years. For cancellations made within one month of departure, no credit can be applied. For this reason, we highly recommend travel insurance. You will also appreciate that, in any event, the above outcomes involves Epic Ride Taiwan in the additional work associated with cancellation and, in the case of self-guided tours, a route will usually have been prepared. You will understand, therefore, that in such circumstances, a nominal administrative charge of US$100 will be levied. A new deposit will be required for each new booking.

We have a few options: Email us at ianedwards@epicridetaiwan.com Use WhatsApp or any of the other social media links displayed across the website. Chat with us now!

You can book as much as a year in advance. Of course, not everyone can book that far ahead, but we recommend to book at least 3 to 6 months beforehand to ensure we can confirm your trip. We recommend that you book as early as you can, just to secure your place! It is possible to book a trip with as little as 1 week's notice, but be aware that at such short notice, it would be subject to the guides being available.

FOR GUIDED TOURS All accommodation is included from the start date of your tour. All meals, except dinners which, from experience, is best left to personal choice.Hydration and nutrition support along the ride. Bike wash daily. Laundry service daily. Epic Ride Taiwan jersey. FOR SELF GUIDED TOURS All accommodation is included from the start date of your tour. Breakfast. Route GPX for your device. Information pack about the locations you will pass through and stay in. Phone/Text support.

As is standard practice in the travel industry, prices may vary depending on seasonal factors and local holiday situations. As a result, our prices may change at any time, due to availability and demand. The price that you are given at the time of booking, will be locked in once the deposit is paid. Any changes in price after that won't affect you, and if the price drops, you are welcome to cancel and book again, but you will be subject to any cancellation charges.

This will depend on which tour you are doing, and which time of the year, but in general we'd advise that you bring a wide range of casual clothes including long pants, shorts, T-shirts, sweaters, light jacket. Bring sandles and some shoes that you will feel comfortable walking in, for evening and rest day use. Any other specific things that you think you might need, feel free to ask us directly when we discuss your tour.

Non-riding activities vary for each trip depending primarily on the location. Please check with our team for this information on trips you are interested in.

We would encourage you to bring your own cycling shoes and pedals. Our mechanics, or our bike rental providers, switch the pedals over for you, so that you have the same set up as what you are used to riding at home. Bringing your own saddle is a personal thing, so this is optional. We can also provide helmets, but of course, it might not be the same as your own, so again, we'd encourage you to bring your own. On a guided tour, we will give you a complimentary Epic Ride Taiwan jersey. We will have your kit washed at the end of every day, but it's worth packing a full extra kit. Given that bib shorts are also a personal thing, we won't supply them in your complimentary package, so please bring your own, plus a spare as mentioned above. At this point, we won't supply bike computers, so bring your own (plus mount) and we will provide you with all the route for your GPS devices. If you don't know how to upload a route, we can help you out with that!