Jiaming Lake

Jiaming Lake sits at three thousand three hundred and ten metres in a near-circular hollow on a high ridge, and its shape led to a long-held belief that a meteorite made it, though the accepted explanation now is glacial. The Bunun call it the eye of the mountain and Taiwanese hikers call it the angel's tear. The standard route takes three days from Xiangyang, over open grassland ridges, with cabins on the way that must be booked months ahead.

What you actually see

• The lake - a near-circular alpine tarn at 3,310 metres.
• The grassland ridges - open high country above the tree line on the approach.
• The cabins - Xiangyang and Jiaming huts, booked far in advance.
• The Formosan sambar - deer that come to the cabins and the lake, habituated to walkers.

When to go

October to April is the driest and clearest. Summer brings typhoons and afternoon storms. Snow can fall on the ridge in winter.

Honest expectations

Permits and cabin places are drawn by lottery and heavily oversubscribed; planning starts months ahead. It is three days at altitude and the ridge is exposed. The meteorite story is folklore, not geology.

Nearby

The Southern Cross-Island Highway runs below, and Taitung is southeast.