Taiwan Service Project - 12 Days

Daily Itinerary

Day 1 – Departure

Depart on your international flights.

Day 2 – Arrival, Taipei

You will arrive in the evening to Taipei, Taiwan, where your Program Leader will welcome you. After a light dinner as a group you will have the evening to adjust to the jet lag.

Day 3 – Taipei

This morning after breakfast you will volunteer at a local non-profit organization and participate in service learning activities. You will have lunch together as a group. In the afternoon you will visit a local high school and interact with local students. In the evening after dinner you will have an introductory walking tour of Taipei.

Day 4 – Taipei, Service Project

This morning after breakfast you will be involved with service learning activities and interact with local schools. You will have lunch together as a group. In the afternoon you will interact with local students. In the evening after dinner you will visit one of the night street markets.

Day 5 – Taipei, Service Project

This morning after breakfast you will be involved with service learning activities and interact with local schools. You will have lunch together as a group. In the afternoon you will interact with local students. In the evening after dinner you will visit a popular underground mall.

Day 6 – Taipei 

This morning after breakfast you will visit the Taipei National Palace Museum. The museum houses the largest collection of priceless Chinese artifacts and artwork in the world, including ancient bronze castings, calligraphies, scroll paintings, porcelains, jades, and rare books, many of which were possessions of the former imperial family. The full collection, which consists of some 650,000 pieces, spans many dynasties.

You will have lunch together as a group. In the afternoon you will participate in a Taiwanese cooking class and learn to create authentic Taiwanese dumplings and beef noodles using local ingredients. Afterwards, you will sit down to savor your creations.

In the evening you will visit the tallest building in the city, Taipei 101. This building was formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center, and is a stupendously tall skyscraper in the Xinyi District. The building was officially classified as the world's tallest in 2004, and retained the title for 6 years. Now it holds awards for environmental design which designate it as the tallest and largest green building in the world.

Day 7 – Taipei to Taichung City, Sun Moon Lake

This morning after breakfast you will take a bus to Taichung City and then continue on to Sun Moon Lake. Situated in a rural county near Taichung City, Sun Moon Lake is the largest body of water in Taiwan as well as a major tourist attraction. The area around the Sun Moon Lake is home to the Thao tribe, one of aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. The east side of the lake resembles a sun, while the west side resembles a moon, hence the name. You will have lunch together as a group. In the afternoon you will enjoy a boat ride on the Sun Moon Lake. In the evening after dinner you will go back to Taipei and rest.

Day 8 – Taipei, Service Project

This morning after breakfast you will be involved with service learning activities and interact with local schools. You will have lunch together as a group. In the afternoon you will interact with local students. In the evening after dinner you will have free time.

Day 9 – Taipei, Service Project

This morning after breakfast you will be involved with service learning activities and interact with local schools. You will have lunch together as a group. In the afternoon you will interact with local students. In the evening after dinner you will visit Ximending, a popular night market which sells a mind-boggling variety of traditional and local snacks.

Day 10 – Taipei, Service Project

This morning after breakfast you will be involved with service learning activities and interact with local schools. You will have lunch together as a group. In the afternoon you will interact with local students. In the evening after dinner you will visit the Red House creative market, an art district and a famous hang-out spot for the artists of Taiwan. This area regularly hosts art exhibitions and is home to many souvenir and art shops.

Day 11 – Taipei

This morning after breakfast you will visit the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan, the first museum to collect miniatures in Asia. The museum was founded in 1997 and is the first to specialize in contemporary miniatures. You will have lunch together as a group. In the afternoon you will walk around Yong Kang and Qing Tian Streets where you can witness the harmonious co-existence of both Japanese and Chinese cultures and many traditional Japanese style houses. In the evening after dinner you will visit the Xiangshan nature trails, also known as Elephant Hill, to enjoy a beautiful bird’s eye night view of the City of Taipei.

Day 12 – Departure 

This morning after breakfast you will depart for the airport to fly back home.