Reservations for Alishan maple foliage viewing tours to start Nov. 18

Taipei, Oct. 27 (CNA) Tickets for a limited number of December scenic train tours in the mountainous Alishan National Forest Recreation Area will start Nov. 18, the Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office said Monday.

According to the office, tourists will be able to take the mountain train and enjoy scenic views of the maple trees as leaves change color in Alishan, Chiayi County in December.

In addition to trips to view maple foliage turning red, the tours will also feature the railway's Hinoki cypress train cars pulled by a century-old "SL-31 Steam Locomotive."

The SL-31 is a 28-ton SHAY steam train manufactured by the American Lima Company from 1911-1915.

The historical train on the Alishan Forest Railway will serve five tours in December, with each one limited to 100 tourists due to the limited number of seats available on the special locomotive.

Tours on the SL-31 train to the picturesque forest area will be offered on Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 at a cost of NT$3,100 (US$101) per passenger, the office announced.

The tour package includes train tickets, a meal, souvenirs and a guided tour led by Huang Yuan-ming (黃源明), a published Alishan photographer and blogger who has been exploring the mountain's beauty spots for decades.

The meals for the five tours will showcase bread made in an Indigenous Tsou village on the mountain, spotlighting local tastes, according to the office.

In addition, staff at Erwanping Station will demonstrate triangulation in photogrammetry, whereby one is taught to look a scene and find three elements in the frame that relate to each other to form a triangle, the office said.

The triangulation method allows individuals to take photographs from at least two different locations, so lines of sight can be developed from each camera to points on the object.

In application to the tour, visitors will be able to look at their picturesque rollingstock against an Alishan sea of clouds, the office said.

Detailed information on the five tours and how to make a reservation is currently available on the office's official website and Facebook page, it added.