Luye Highland

Luye Highland is a broad grassy terrace above the rift valley with the Central Mountain Range on one side and the Coastal Range on the other, and its steady morning air made it a paragliding site first. Since 2011 it has hosted the Taiwan International Balloon Festival through July and August, with tethered rides at dawn, mass ascents and evening light concerts where balloons are lit in place to music. Outside the festival it is an empty green terrace.

What you actually see

• The balloon festival - mass ascents and tethered flights through July and August.
• The light concerts - balloons lit in place to music on festival evenings.
• The paragliding - launches from the terrace edge in steady morning air.
• The rift valley - the trench between two mountain ranges, seen from the terrace.

When to go

July and August are the festival and the only time the site is busy. Dawn is when balloons fly; wind stops them later in the day. Outside the festival the highland is quiet and green.

Honest expectations

Balloon flights are cancelled at short notice for wind and many mornings do not fly. Festival accommodation across Taitung books out months ahead. Outside the festival there is little to do here.

Nearby

Chishang is north up the valley, and Taitung city is south.