The Complete Self-Guided Yushan (Jade Mountain)Permit Guide: For Foreign Hikers Who Don't Want a Tour

Yushan (玉山 Yùshān, Jade Mountain, 3,952m) is Taiwan's highest peak, and for most visiting hikers it's the first name on the list.

Then the research starts, and everyone gets scared off by the same stories: the park entry and hut beds are impossible to win.

Good news: foreign passports get their own reserved beds, the trail is clearly marked the whole way, and everything from the permit to your meals can be booked online before you even land in Taiwan.

This guide walks you through the whole process and the traps people fall into.

Quick Overview

Item	Key facts
Reserved beds for foreigners	24 per day at Paiyun Lodge, first come first served, weekday nights only (Sun to Thu), never national holidays
Application window	4 months to 35 days before your climb
Where to apply	hike.taiwan.gov.tw (English version)
The one correct option	Paiyun Lodge Advanced Application
Transport	Taiwan Trip bus from Chiayi HSR to Tataka, advance reservation required
Food and sleeping bag	Dinner + breakfast + lunch + sleeping bag, NT$1,000 a day
Recommended length	2 days or 3 days
Altitude medication	Diamox is prescription-only in Taiwan, bring it from home

Last verified: 【2026.08.13】

Is Jade Mountain the Same as Yushan?

Yes. Jade Mountain is the English translation of 玉山 (Yùshān). Every official system, from the permit portal to the lodge meal booking site, uses "Yushan," so that's the name you'll actually need on the mountain.

1. The Yushan Permit Application for Foreigners: Three Rules

The park permit and the Paiyun Lodge bed are linked. No bed, no overnight stay (and if it's your first Yushan climb, I strongly recommend staying overnight). Apply on the English portal at hike.taiwan.gov.tw, in this order:

Step 1: check bed availability first. 

Go to Trails, Campgrounds and Bed Availability, then Yushan Cabin and Campground Availability. Look up your dates and see how many people are already applying. Now you know what you're dealing with.

Step 2: start the application. 

Back on the homepage, click Online Application, choose Yushan National Park, and for difficulty level select: 2~5 Days (Tataka - Yushan Trails - Tataka). Tick the notices and go to the next page.

Step 3: the one correct option. 

You must choose "Paiyun Lodge Advanced Application." This is the first come first served quota just for foreign passport holders, 24 beds a day. Slip and pick Standard Application, and you fall into the lottery pool with tens of thousands of Taiwanese applicants.

Step 4: passports are the required ID. 

The system asks for passport scans for the whole team, so have them ready. On entry day, only the physical passport counts.

Date rules: reserved beds are weekday nights only (Sunday to Thursday), never national holidays. Apply 4 months to 35 days before your climb.

2. Itinerary: 2 Days or 3 Days

The main trail is about 10.9km one way. For most hikers with a regular exercise habit, the best plans are 2 days 1 night or 3 days 2 nights.

2 days 1 night

• Day 1: hike to Paiyun Lodge (8.5km). Around 4:30pm, walk out 1.5km toward the West Peak to the open section for sunset (bring your headlamp).

• Day 2: summit before dawn, then descend all the way.

  
  

3 days 2 nights

• Night before: sleep at Dongpu Lodge (東埔山莊 Dōngpǔ Shānzhuāng) and rest properly.

  

• Day 1: start at dawn, reach Paiyun by noon. In the afternoon, do the West Peak (4.3km round trip from Paiyun, about 3.5 to 4 hours). It counts as one of Taiwan's Hundred Peaks. The route rolls up and down, and there's a small Japanese era shrine at the top.

• Day 2: head to the North Peak first and watch the sunrise appear from behind the Main Peak. Bring a NT$1,000 bill, that view is the one printed on it. Then backtrack

  and summit the Main Peak.

• Day 3: descend.

The Main Peak and North Peak junction: both peaks share the same trail, splitting at a wind gap junction. Junction to Main Peak is 0.5km, about 20 to 40 minutes. The North Peak is 2.1 to 2.2km one way, 4 to 5 hours round trip with 400 to 500m of total climbing. Judge your energy honestly. It's worth it.

3. Getting There: Three Options

Option 1: from Chiayi

The Taiwan Trip bus runs from Chiayi HSR station to the Tataka trailhead. Advance reservation required: taiwantrip.com.tw (route R0007 A), and get off at Shangdongpu (上東埔). Walk 10 to 15 minutes to the Paiyun Visitor Service Center. The center runs a shuttle to the trailhead, register in person, 06:30 to 17:00, NT$150 per person one way.

Option 2: from Alishan

Take the Taiwan Trip "Sun Moon Lake to Alishan" line (route 6739) and get off at Shangdongpu (上東埔). Walk 10 to 15 minutes to the Paiyun Visitor Service Center. The center runs a shuttle to the trailhead, register in person, 06:30 to 17:00, NT$150 per person one way.

Option 3: sleep at Dongpu Lodge the night before

Dongpu Lodge runs its own shuttle from Alishan (NT$1,500 per car one way, worth it for 2 to 3 people). Book the lodge and shuttle online at dongpusky.tw. By public transport, get off at the same Shangdongpu stop. The lodge is about a 12 minute walk from the Paiyun ranger station.

4. Food and Sleeping Bags on the Mountain

Paiyun Lodge serves meals and rents sleeping bags, but you have to order ahead! So yes, you can climb this without bringing overnight gear to Taiwan!

The ordering rules nobody explains:

• The lodge's meals (Cloud Top Restaurant, 雲之端) run on a separate system from the national park. After your permit is granted, place your own order at yushansky.com.tw.

• Fill in your dates and items. Dinner + breakfast + lunch + sleeping bag is NT$1,000 a day.

• Important: when you fill in the online form, note that you are a foreigner, which means you pay on site.

• If you're unsure, email them first: yushansky789@gmail.com.

• The site is all Chinese, but Google's full page translate gets you through it.

  
  

5. Altitude Risk and Medication: The Prescription Trap

Yushan's main peak stands at 3,952m (12,966 ft), and the Tataka trailhead itself sits at 2,600m. That means from the moment you step off the bus, you're already in AMS (acute mountain sickness) territory.

The golden rule of acclimatization To save time, many visitors ride from sea level straight to the trailhead on the morning of the climb. This sharply raises the odds of AMS. 👉 The local fix: spend the night before at around 2,500m, at Dongpu Lodge or Alishan. Let your body get a one day head start on the pressure change, then walk to Paiyun the next day.

The hard truth about buying medication in Taiwan This is the critical piece most guides leave out: in some countries, altitude sickness prevention drugs (like Acetazolamide/Diamox) are easy to get. In Taiwan, this is a controlled prescription-only medicine! You cannot walk into any pharmacy in Taiwan and buy it. To get it here, a foreign visitor has to register at a major hospital's Travel Medicine Clinic.

The local fix: before your trip, have a doctor in your home country prescribe your altitude medication and bring it to Taiwan. If severe symptoms hit on the mountain, intense headache or vomiting, tell the Paiyun Lodge staff immediately. The lodge keeps a portable altitude chamber (PAC) for emergencies. But remember, the only real cure for AMS is descending, immediately.

6. What to Bring

• Carry your physical passport and the permit at all times, they check.

• Going to the North Peak? Bring a NT$1,000 bill. The Main Peak seen from the North Peak weather station matches the picture on the note. Best photo of the trip.

• Navigation app: Hikingbook, made in Taiwan with a full English interface, or AllTrail.

• Weather: download Windy.

• GPX track and elevation profile:

  
  

  

  
  

Hope this helps you stand on Taiwan's highest point!

If you'd rather have the whole sequence checked against your dates, this season's rules and your fitness: [see how we can work together →Here]