Lalashan (R’ra)
About
Fuxing District, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
Lalashan (R’ra) Urban Night Sky Place, located in Taoyuan City, is Taiwan’s very first certified Urban Night Sky Place (UNSP). Situated approximately 40 kilometers from northern Taiwan’s metropolitan core, this ancestral homeland of the indigenous Atayal people is naturally guarded by towering mountain ridges that block out urban skyglow. Rising high into the mist, the site embraces a rare, biodiverse cloud forest, offering urban residents an extraordinary experience woven from local heritage, rich ecology, and starry skies.
Guided by municipal light-control guidelines, local authorities coordinated to retrofit more than 500 public streetlights across the mountains with warm, fully shielded fixtures that eliminate upward light emission. Regular ground-based SQM readings alongside drone and satellite data keep a watchful eye on night-sky quality. Just as vital is community stewardship: local businesses and homestays have embraced voluntary dark-sky covenants, while local guides train to lead gentle-lighting workshops and share Indigenous nocturnal heritage, bringing the cultural depth of the night alive for travelers.
Breathtaking by day and mystical by night, Lalashan shelters Taiwan’s largest old-growth red cypresses beneath a rich nocturnal canopy. Here, the local Atayal community honors this sacred land of R’ra through the guiding wisdom of Gaga. Experiencing this starlit site is remarkably easy, from open stargazing around the Lalashan Visitor Center to reservation-only night walks along the Baling Ancient Trail. By practicing simple dark-sky courtesies including driving at reduced speeds, minimizing noise, turning off headlights immediately once parked, and using red-light flashlights, visitors can let their eyes adjust, reclaim the right to gaze upon the unhindered Milky Way, and restore a sense of inner balance in harmony with the cosmos and the earth.
Area
6.45 km²
Designated
2026
Category
Urban Night Sky Place
Address
No. 207, Hualing Village, Fuxing District,
Taoyuan City 336, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Google Maps
Contact
Heidi Lin
Secretary-General,
Taiwan DarkSky Association (TDA)
[email protected]
