Qigong and Cha Dao Taiwan Tour

with Solala Towler

October 19-28, 2026

$4444 covers all hotels (double occupancy), guide and translator, meals, classes, shows, and travel expenses in Taiwan! Private room: additional $800

Payment plans are available...

Please let us know if you are interested in joining us at 541.345.8854/solala@abodetao.com.

Each day will begin with a group breakfast at our hotel, then qigong with Solala in the park.

We will then spend our days visiting Daoist and Buddhist temples, sitting in Tea Ceremony with Tea Masters, visiting the world-class National Palace Museum, and attending a puppet show at the TaipeiEYE Peking Opera (see link below). We will also be visiting many wonderful teahouses. One day we will ride on the longest cable car ride in the world up into the mountains outside of Taipei where we can hike to a teahouse with a pond for a floor and a restaurant that has tea as one of the main ingredients in each dish. (See video below.)

All along the way there will be time for reflection, sharing, exploring, eating incredible food, learning and practicing qigong and making new friends!

We will be working with my old friend Dana Xu, a delightful and experienced guide. She will travel with us for the whole trip and be our guide, translator and confident on our journey!

More travel information will be sent to you after registration.

Pay with check or credit card (credit card charges may apply)!

Interested in joining us? Call or write Solala at: 541.345.8854/solala@abodetao.com

A few words from Solala

Taiwan is a democratically run country and is much smaller than China and easier to get around. I have put together a really fun itinerary for us all, with more things to added as we go along. It is important to remember that for various reasons, one thing on our itinerary may change and equally important to remember to relax and “go with the flow” when this happens. This will make the whole trip smoother and more fun!

OUR INTINERARY

DAY ONE- TRAVEL TO TAIPEI from SF

DAY TWO

We will be staying at the Dandy Hotel Daan right across from the biggest park in Taipei! A really sweet boutique hotel with very helpful people (many speak in English) at the front desk.

We will have breakfast at our hotel, choosing from a huge buffet of Chinese and Western food.

Going slowly as we acclimate to the new time zone.

Doing qigong after breakfast in the park across the street from our hotel.

After lunch visit the Longshan Temple, a temple dedicated to Buddhism and Daoism… We will do some divination by using wooden blocks that you drop onto the floor to answer your questions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oz-9rQ1KR7w

Visit a very cool teahouse, Qingtian Tea House. for high quality tea and snacks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0KL6H_dVZ8

Visit an incense store, where they only sell high-quality aloeswood and sandalwood incense (optional)

Dinner with group.

DAY THREE

Breakfast at hotel

Qigong with Solala

Lunch.

Have a private tea ceremony with Master Tsai!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ORpxd3R2ok

From our friends at the Globalteahut.org:

Many of you who have been to our Center know about the great influence Master Tsai Yizhe has had on all that we do. He is our teacher, brother and a great tea sage. He shares tea and wisdom with a spirit of hospitality that most tea lovers have encountered, freely given the way tea trees open their crown and offer leaves to passersby. His work to protect the environment of Taiwan has earned him our ever-lasting esteem. His works continue to inspire us. Through his preservation efforts, Master Tsai established the Tea Mountain Preservation Society (茶山 保育協會), which works together with farmers around Taiwan and mainland China to create mutually beneficial connections between tea lovers like us and farmers. In exchange for stewarding the land sustainably in ecologically sound ways, the association agrees to buy the entire production from the farm every year. This connects tea lovers to the source of their tea and removes the financial strain from the farmer, allowing them to focus on stewarding the land and crafting fine tea. It is a win-win situation and one we have been supporting since we had the honor to meet Master Tsai.

Lunch

After lunch visit an ice cream parlor that has many strange and wonderful flavors! (Kidney Bean, Mung Bean, Guava, Oolong Tea, Dark Plum, Kiwi Fruit, Peanut, Mango (my favorite)!

Visit a lovely tea shop run by my friend Aaron where I get the amazing 40 yr old Liu Bao tea! (optional)

Dinner

DAY FOUR

Breakfast at hotel

Qigong with Solala

Take the longest cable car ride in the world up to Mao Gong, a mountainous area outside of Taipei!

(www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xyOkLkR0nU)

Eat Jasmine tea infused ice cream!

Visit a teahouse where the floor is a pond (with fish), walk over a small bridge, and step across a stone path to reach the tearoom, overlooking the mountains!

Have lunch in a restaurant where tea is an ingredient of every dish! (See video above)

Visit one more magical teahouse overlooking the forest and have high quality tea with yummy tea snacks! (See video above)

On the way down from the mountain we will visit a lush Daoist temple dedicated to Lu Dong Bin!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICfwkPDL-qQ

Dinner

Attend an amazing show at the TaipeiEYE Peking Opera

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2PzXu96g0g

DAY FIVE A short ride to Yingge, where we will be led on a “forest bathing” hike thru the forest to a magical temple on the top. We will also have a tea ceremony in nature by a local tea master.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWTwyW07QDY\

Have lunch in Yingge, after which we can visit the old street with tons of cool pottery shops.

After dinner visit Songshan Ciyou Temple, a temple, built in 1753 dedicated to the Sea Goddess Mazu. An amazing site at night! (See photos below.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciyou_Temple

https://www.goteamjosh.com/blog/ciyoutemple

DAY SIX

Breakfast

Qigong with Solala

In the morning visit a huge outdoor flower and artist market with tons of teaware and art at reasonable prices, including jewelry makers and lots of painting, carvings and more from local artists!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpHo9T-2iyk

After lunch we will travel to Miaoli where we will visit the Global Tea Hut center and have a powerful tea ceremony with tea master Wu De!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3bbZR-zE7U

https://globalteahut.org/pages/about

Dinner at a fabulous vegetarian restaurant in Maoli with the Global Tea Hut folks

DAY SEVEN

Breakfast at hotel

Morning qigong with Solala

Visit the world-famous art museum

https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-palace-museum-taiwan

Lunch at the museum.

Visit the Yonglian Temple, a temple dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, Guan Yin!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLB7DGsRWCY

Dinner together

DAY EIGHT

Јіufеn (九份 оr Јіоufеn), a mountaintop former gold mining town in New Taipei City on the northeast coast of Taiwan and is the single most popular day trip from Taipei. There we will have a special tea and snacks at Amei Teahouse with an incredible view of the bay!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD72M6q4eF0

https://www.jioufen-teahouse.com.tw/tw/

Vіѕіtоrѕ аnd реорlе whо lіvе іn Таіреі flосk tо Јіufеn Оld Ѕtrееt bесаuѕе іt еnсарѕulаtеѕ thе bеѕt оf Таіwаn іn оnе ѕmаll расkаgе: rісh hіѕtоrу, аtmоѕрhеrіс lаnеѕ аnd tеаhоuѕеѕ, brеаthtаkіng vіеwѕ, аnd dіѕtіnсtlу Таіwаnеѕе ѕnасkѕ аt еvеrу turn. Јіufеn’ѕ рорulаrіtу hаѕ оnlу bееn аmрlіfіеd bу сlаіmѕ thаt іt wаѕ thе іnѕріrаtіоn fоr Ѕріrіtеd Аwау, mаkіng іt оnе оf thе mоѕt popular tоurіѕt mаgnеtѕ іn Таіwаn tоdау.

We will spend the night there so we can see all the amazing lights that Jiufen is famous for.

DAY NINE

Breakfast in Juifen then back to Taipei

TBA

A must in Taipei is to have the humongous mango ice cream extravaganza (see photo) an easy walk from our hotel…

Dinner together

DAY TEN

Fly home

About our leader Solala Towler

I was editor/publisher of The Empty Vessel: The Journal of Daoist Philosophy and Practice for 25 years. I have had 14 books published on the Daoist arts and I have led eight transformative trips to China, exploring its rich spiritual heritage and breathtaking landscapes.

I am a certified instructor of several styles of Qigong as well as Daoist meditation In addition, I was a founding board member and past president of the National Qigong Association

A few years ago, I embarked on a solo journey to Taiwan and was immediately captivated by its charm. The island offered a warm and welcoming culture, seamless travel experiences, a thriving tea tradition, and exceptional cuisine. It was also an excellent place to connect with nature, offering easy access to breathtaking landscapes beyond the bustling cities.

During my time there, I formed invaluable relationships with individuals deeply rooted in spiritual cultivation, tea ceremony traditions, and Daoist wisdom. Their knowledge and insights have profoundly enriched my own practice and understanding of Cha Dao as a meditative and transformative tool.

I am so looking forward to sharing all this with you on this year’s Taiwan tour!

If you can’t make this year’s tour and are interested in next year’s let me know and I will sure to put you on my mailing list.