Endemic Species Research Institute


The institute's open-to-public section has a natural history museum for plant and animal species endemic to Taiwan. Displays are educational and come with full English text. There's also a park with a shelter for injured wild animals. The research institute is about 1km east of the train station on the bike path.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Wuchang Temple

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Wuchang Temple became famous after the 1999 earthquake collapsed its lower floors, leaving the roof to stand in ruin. It now lies photogenically crumpled…

2. CheCheng Wood Museum

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Exhibition boards and retired logging and railway gear inside a wood A-frame illustrate the history of the logging industry here. It's a popular picnic…

3. Mingtan Reservoir

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This reservoir feeds a power station billed as the largest pumped-storage generating plant in Asia. The system uses surplus electricity at night from the…

4. Zinan Temple

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Dedicated to the Earth God, the carnivalesque Zinan Temple celebrates entrepreneurship and is perpetually busy, as is the marketplace that has grown…

5. Xiangshan Visitor Information Centre

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This visitor centre offers splendid views of Sun Moon Lake from atop a sleek modern structure that fits neatly in with the surroundings. Wood and concrete…

6. Shueishe Village

7.26 MILES

The area by Shueishe Pier is a great place to kick back or go for a leisurely stroll. Lakeside walking paths extend from Shueishe village (often referred…

7. Meihe Garden

7.38 MILES

A former military police station at the entrance of the Hanbi Trail has been turned into an attractive viewing spot after the 921 earthquake. 'Mei' and …

8. Xuanzang Temple

7.53 MILES

Serene and charming, Xuanzang Temple keeps a tiny piece of the skull of Monk Xuanzang or Tripitaka (AD 600–664), who is fictionalised in the novel Journey…