It’s been a while since I went on an extended climbing trip so needless to say I was pretty stoked about this trip to 龙洞 (Dragon Caves, or as unfortunate as it sounds like a sizable male appendage, Long Dong). So stow your bags and buckle up cause we’re going to Taiwan for some sea side climbing. This trip report’s gonna take a while, but you can always skip to the trip highlights and TL:DR sections at the end.
Basic Info
Long (Dragon) Dong (Caves) is a stretch of coastline on the North Eastern tip of Taiwan that (as implied) has a pretty epic cave, two of them actually. This crag is one of the better known climbing destinations in Asia. It’s real pretty and quite the experience climbing right by the seaside, definitely among the coolest crags I’ve been to.
But as climbers we care more about the quality of climbing than how pretty the place is. Lucky for us, Longdong has both style and substance. The rock is some kind of dense quartz conglomerate, but for all intents and purposes, it’s hard sandstone. That makes Longdong a premiere climbing destination in the region, because it offers trad, which many crags around Asia (being limestone) don’t have the luxury of.
Worth mentioning is Taiwanese mostly speak mandarin, but some less urban areas like Longdong, there are people who only speak (闽南) or Taiwanese Hokkien. If you’re 1.5-lingual like myself, it would be best to get a friend who is fluent in mandarin to go along, otherwise be prepared to struggle and point at a lot of things to communicate.
The Climbing
Rock Type — With the “hard sandstone”, most climbs (and the classics) are trad. The rock at swallows your gear and chews your hands. It’s not pretty, but those cam placements are pretty damn solid. If I were to compare, it’s rough and high friction like Jackson Falls, with some areas having little pebbles embedded similar to that of J-Tree style, painful but great for climbing.
Difficulty — There are some crazy climbs out there, up to 5.14, but the bulk lie the 5.10–12 range for sport and trad. That said, there are also a good number of easier climbs in the 5.7–9 range for trad beginners like myself.
Length — The crag is not the tallest but still offers the option of multi-pitch with a few two-pitch climbs, some of which are really good and moderate. Otherwise, expect a wide variety of single pitch climbs, from jug hauls to offwidths. This high quality coastline offers plenty.
Gear — You’ll want at least a 60 to be safe on most climbs, a 70 would be comfy, unless you’re working on some epic projects in the First Cave (more on that later) in which you might need something longer? No idea cause that stuff looked way out of my league. For draws, 12 should cover you for almost everything, but try to get a few alpine ones as some climbs have considerable rope drag. For trad, double length slings and a cordelette anchor would be good for anchor building, though most routes have bolted anchors. For beginners like myself, doubles on nuts and cams help a lot. There were places for good tricam placements so bring those if you have them. The biggest you’ll need in Longdong is a #4.
Guidebook — Mountain Project has quite a bit of info, but it’s best to get the guidebook from the hostels there. It’s not the most updated but it’s really well made, has lots of good topo pictures and plenty of info about the area. Alternatively just ask the locals there, but if you’re going on a weekday you may not find others around for help.
Weather
Summer is really hot and has lots of rainfall, which makes it unpleasant for climbing unless it’s in the shade. I can imagine because even in early winter, it was unbearable climbing with the sun beating down on us and sweating all over the route. But I heard that Londdong is an excellent place to go diving and cliff-jumping during summer.
Apparently the ideal season for climbing is Spring and Fall where temps are cooler and you get an average chance of rain. Winter is cold and sometimes foggy which makes for damp conditions. But take all this with a pinch of salt and a lot of luck. I went from 10–17 November and we got literally zero rain the entire trip. In fact certain times it was too damn hot for us, but otherwise I think we got super lucky and were blessed with fantastic weather and sending temps.
Check your forecast daily (though I heard it’s not the most accurate), and prep for contingencies for leaving the crag if it rains because getting out can be tricky when wet. It’s worth noting that typhoon season is usually Sep-Oct where it might be too dangerous to be near the coast.
Transport
Flying into Taiwan brings you to Taoyuan Airport, the main airport that serves the North of Taiwan. You can take the Express Airport MRT to the capital, Taipei. From Taipei Main Station, you can take the MRT to get around Taipei as it’s pretty extensive and convenient, just note that a single ticket it expires in 24 hours from purchase so don’t buy them in bulk like I did.
For getting to Longdong you have 2 options. The first is the direct bus (1811/1812), both of which goes from Taipei Main Station to Longdong, but only leaves 3–4 times a day. This is convenient if the timing works for you, as it’s a relatively fast trip (~75 minutes) and pretty affordable (~125 NT).
The other option which is a bit longer but easier to plan for is taking a long distance train from one of the train stations (not the MRT) to Keelung City, thereafter taking bus 791 to Longdong. This takes maybe 2.5 hours but the buses and trains run more frequently which gives more flexibility in schedule.
Most importantly, download the local bus & train app (Google it). It’s a lifesaver, providing live updates of waiting times, bus schedules and locations of bus stops. Don’t rely on Google Maps outside of Taipei as some of the info isn’t updated (but do download offline maps as a backup). While there’s free Wifi on public transport, get data roaming or a SIM card (available at the airport) because you’ll need data on the go for the app (and it’s helpful at the crag if you need help). Note that public buses don’t have ticket machines so keep those small change handy for rides.
Accommodations
The days in Taipei we stayed at an Airbnb. I believe hostels, Airbnbs and hotels are easy to find from online sites, but they can be difficult to locate. For budget traveling, expect about 500NT/pax/night.
In Longdong, the two main accommodations are climbing hostels — The Bivy and The Crackhouse. There’s plenty more info on both their websites about their rates, facilities and how to get there.
The Bivy is the first climbing hostel in Longdong and was opened by the Singaporean couple QX and Kelly. They are AMGA certified guides and are very involved in the development of the crag (believe they did some rebolting to titanium bolts to avoid corrosion). Though we didn’t stay with them, we’ve heard great things and for convenience they also speak English (which is Singapore’s main language in case you wondered). The Bivy is about 500NT/pax/night which is quite affordable, but the downside is that it’s a little far from the crag, so unless you want to walk an extra half an hour each way, you might wanna plan for the local bus service or have a car.
The Crackhouse is a new hostel in prime location, near a bus stop and just minutes away from the crag. It’s well furbished, clean and homely. It has a big common space where you can buy drinks (including beer), a kitchen (where they provide 4 slices of bread, 1 egg and some jam daily), a bouldering wall, and some climbing related books. Expect to pay about 700NT/pax/night but considering what you get I think it’s not a bad deal. They have bikes for guests to use so you can cycle to the 7–11 to get food rather than walk 2km.
Apart from these hostels, there’s also Ah Mah House (by Ah Mah I mean like granny). There’s no sign or Google entry — it’s literally this lovely old lady who stays near the Crackhouse who opens her place up for guests if they wish to stay there. While it is pretty run down, it’s cheap (400NT/pax/night) and convenient given it’s location. Just note that she pretty much only speaks in Taiwanese Hokkien.
Food
Food in Taiwan is awesome, that’s no secret. Sweet, savoury, hot or cold. You want it they got it. Do a quick Google search and there’s no shortage of recommendations. Personally, 卤肉饭 and 鸡肉饭 (braised pork and chicken rice) I love because it’s cheap, simple and delicious. Food is aplenty in night markets around cities, and bubble tea stores are by the dozens.
Unfortunately, Longdong isn’t a city. It’s a coastal town and so your food options are pretty limited. There’s a few seafood restaurants near the Bivy that look pricey, and the locals know some small eateries nearby. But realistically you’re limited to the 7–11. Not to worry cause 7–11s in Taiwan are legit. While it was quite a bit of processed food, I’d still say it was a proper meal. If you’re vegetarian or health conscious, this might not be ideal. Alternatively, time your day well and make it out to Keelung City (by car or bus 791) to eat there and then take a bus back. It’s a little time consuming but Keelung has no shortage of great food.
Personally I’d recommend is cooking, especially since the kitchen at the Crackhouse is great (probably for the Bivy too). The 7–11 is the closest to a supermarket you’ll find, otherwise you have to venture to nearby towns to shop. However there’s a truck that is loaded with groceries that makes a trip through Longdong on certain days so you can buy fresh ingredients (it stops by the Crackhouse about once every two days).
If you’re feeling some home-cooked food, Ah Mah whips up a pretty damn good meal for ~200NT/pax. We ate at her place for two days and it seems like it’s a plate of carbs (fried rice or noodles), a soup and a plate of vegetables. It’s honestly kinda nice and she even throws in her own herbal jelly drink thing that she makes. It’s not the best deal around, but it sure is quite an experience to just randomly sit in some granny’s house and have her cook for you. Feels like home.
Safety
Longdong is beautiful but also dangerous; here’s a few things to note with regards to safety.
Seawater — The sea speeds up metal corrosion; some routes have been replaced with titanium bolts, but the stainless steel ones can corrode and it has been reported that some routes have bolts that break. There’s a list online which gives the state of the anchors etc, otherwise talk to the locals who will know better. If something looks dangerous, don’t climb it. There’s plenty to climb there and it’s not worth risking your life over a climb with questionable fixed gear. Additionally, make sure to wipe down your gear every other day, and maybe wash it if you’re climbing more than 3 days or so. This includes carabiners, cams, and even the metal buckle on your harness. Ropes are okay with saltwater but a wash after the trip might make them less sticky.
4th Class Approaches — North of the crag (School Gate & Clock Tower) is accessible by walking across relatively flat ground. There’s a lot of scrambling across the crag but mostly manageable. However between Clocktower and Long Lane is a 4th class scramble. It’s easy, but intimidating due to the dropoff (~6m). I didn’t see anyone do so, but you can always rope up if you wish. Take your time and you can use some cams to assist if necessary, but ultimately don’t push yourself to do anything you’re not comfortable with. There’s an alternative which is to take the approach to the South of the crag but it’s quite a distance. The other area to watch for is Grand Auditorium and the approach especially to Via del Drago is kinda sketch, but if you’re gonna do climbs in that area you should be fine with the approach. Just take your time, and never feel like you can’t turn back. It’s okay to back out if you’re not comfortable. Better to miss a climb than risk never climbing again.
Helmets — The rock quality is pretty good but rock fall still occurs due to the elements and from other climbers. Additionally I’ve heard of bad accidents have happened due to climbers taking a fall, and the rock here is not forgiving if you hit yourself on the head. It’s your call, but I’d recommend wearing your brain bucket.
Rope Management — Most climbs here you’ll have the option of lowering, and with single pitch you’ll have a partner below to make sure you make it to the ground even if you rappel. But watch for the few multi-pitch around where you might need to rappel a fair bit — please knot the ends of your rope I don’t care if you know your rope is long enough; Brad Gobright rapped off the ends of his 80m rope to a ledge much closer than half the length of his rope and it cost him his life and almost his partners too. Please never let such a thing happen to you it’s just not worth it. Also some areas have real sharp edges so make sure to watch and check if your rope accidentally gets cut.
Recommended Climbs
Okay now to the fun bits, here are some climbs that we did on our trip that I’d suggest you give a try if you’re a beginner in trad like myself. Note that the crag is pretty quiet on weekdays so don’t shy away from the classics, they’re most likely open!
Moby Dick (5.9) — Honestly not the most spectacular climb, and there’s a lot of rope drag if you don’t extend the draws well. But the top out is beautiful, climbing up the “Whale’s Head” and there you have an amazing view of the sea, as well as a cool rappel as you walk off the head to 20+ meters of nothing beneath your feet.
Dream of White Dragon & Dragonslayer (5.9) — Both climbs are pretty easy and the moves are kinda fun. Don’t recall a specific crux section but it was just an enjoyable route overall. Dragonslayer has section up to that was kinda cool where you traverse outwards and lean out into the open which can feel a little exposed.
Disco Handcrack (5.10a) — Who knew we’d hit an offwidth in day 1? This climb had a cool but cool roof at the bottom. Good hand jams make negotiating the roof easy, but if you suck at jams like me, a lot of crimping and high hooks can get you across. That ain’t the crux tho — you have a section up by the ‘nose’ which fits a #4 and a lot of exciting screams and grunts will push you up this offwidth. The pro is great and honestly it’s a lot of fun if you don’t mind the pain. This climb is supposedly old-school grading, so be prepared to fight and feel the aches for the next few days. I sure felt it.
One Way Ticket (5.10c) — This is actually a ‘second pitch’ of sorts since it starts up a ledge that is accessible via various climbs. It’s on a big roof but doesn’t actually go from underneath but rather the side, so you traverse the roof which makes it easier. But this one is great for photos cause it looks like you climbed this mega roof and looks dope. From there, you can campus, heel hook, or stay low, I don’t really know because my beta felt like it wasn’t 10c and I’m not sure if I cheated. Nearly risked decking cause I forgot to clip myself to my draw after placing it, but I scrambled back quickly to rectify it. The climbing was okay, but the view at the top is awesome as you belay your second up.
Via del Drago (5.10c) — Was eyeing this one for a while as it was the only ‘real offwidth’ in the area. Getting to the climb takes a lot of scrambling up large boulders and a loose trail with some serious drop offs. Definitely felt a bit spooked getting up. The first pitch is easy 5.8 climbing on a not ideal belay ledge, and the second pitch up is quality climbing. Downside was we didn’t have #4s and that made it pretty stressful. I didn’t risk decking so I hang dogged it. But if you’re looking for a fight, this is it. Doubles on #2 to #4 and you got yourself one of the best climbs around at this grade. You can read my full trip report about it in this link.
Climax (5.10c) — This is one of the best climbs I’ve been on. Getting there is a bit of a scramble, right over the sea where the waves crash a few meters below you. The climb is long, and has a few sections which are lots of fun. It can be tricky but nothing feels too difficult. However for me, I had troubles finding good pro (which is there, just that I’m not good at it) so it was hard to commit to trying to send the route, cause no climb is worth injuring yourself. I one hung it in the end but it was still a great experience. Plus the view and feeling of being on top of this climb is phenomenal and I really hope you get to experience it.
Rhino Dihedral (5.11b, S) — The only sport climb I did. There’s two small roofs that you go over, which isn’t too hard but might be hard to onsight cause it relies on beta that isn’t the most obvious. The move going past the first roof was super cool and after that you get a good rest for more action on the second roof. I loved this climb and it felt good to send relatively hard climbs after doing easier trad for most of the trip.
Other things to do
There are lots of things you can do around Longdong, but it really depends if you drive. If you drive, then even going back to Taipei is doable as it’s within driving distance. Just note that driving is scary cause damn the traffic scary. But if you don’t drive, you have a few options for rest day activities given the limited public transport.
Within Longdong — If the weather is good, you could always go snorkeling or diving, but my guess is that the season is only good for either (good climbing temps didn’t have great conditions in the sea). I know there’s a pretty hiking trail that runs along the coast line but if you’re already climbing there I don’t think there’s anything particularly interesting about the hike since you get to see the view from the crag anyway.
Keelung City (基隆市)- This is the nearest big city you can easily access. There’s quite a lot to eat and shop, and we also got a much needed massage to relieve all those aches from our first day offwidth. Keelung feels a little run down in certain areas and it’s not the prettiest, but it does have its own appeal and I think it’s great for a day of walking around, eating, sightseeing, and chilling in a cafe.
Jiufen (九份) — One of the more popular tourist destinations in Taiwan cause it’s kinda scenic and has the teahouse that looks like the one in Spirited Away. Heard it’s crowded but kind of nice to walk around and explore. We didn’t get to visit but if you are going from Longdong, you need to take a bus then do a transfer. Ask the locals for the timing so you can plan your trip accordingly. Also apparently near Jiufen there’s a Cat Village? I have no idea how to get there but apparently it’s a tourist attraction and looks kinda interesting.
Outside of these there is Ruifang (瑞芳) to the East of Keelung, and Fulong (福隆) to the South of Longdong. We didn’t visit these places but they’re still cities/towns that should have a good amount to see and do for at least for a day.
Trip Highlights
There’s a lot we did and I can’t put it in words that well, but you can check out this video which might do a better job.
Taipei Night Markets — Man I love eating. People think I climb to see these amazing places but actually I just climb so I don’t feel bad eating whatever the hell I want. I stuffed myself so full in Taiwan and honestly I just felt bad at night after eating so damn much. But was it worth it? Hell yea. I had like 4 different Chicken and Braised Pork Rice over 2 days and lots of bubble tea. Man I’d probably die early if I lived in Taiwan.
7–11 Dinner — My first time eating dinner in 7–11 and it was proper legit. I felt like a kid again trying to make out what I wanted to eat from all the random processed food lying around, but it was actually a proper meal with like a 6/10 on taste, which is pretty impressive in my opinion.
Clock Tower Swimming Pool — Due to the tides and waves, there a sizable pool of seawater at the base of Clock Tower area. There’s a fair amount of marine life and its a cool place to soak in after a long day of climbing. It was a bit chilly towards the end of the day, but I’d imagine it’s great to cool off on a warm day.
Keelung City Rest Day — With the aches from Disco Fistcrack still throbbing after two days, we opted for a rest day to recover, which included an extremely painful but much needed massage which felt great (after it was done). There was plenty of good food, lots of walking around and no objective other than just exploring the city. It was kinda therapeutic and honestly I missed these days with no plan in mind but just letting the flow decide where and what was coming up next.
Ah Mah House — The aforementioned Ah Mah invited us to her place the first day after we looked around curiously at her menu outside, and we committed to eating at her place that night of our rest day. It wasn’t the best plan, but frankly it was just so homely and it kinda hit close to home, reminding me of my own grandma who passed away earlier this year. Maybe it’s a universal thing with all grandmas, but cooking and being happy to watch people eat their food really warms my heart and it was worth every cent we paid that meal.
Being Outdoors — Not so much a specific moment, but damn it’s been quite a while since I was truly outdoors like this. Batu Caves was cool, but too close to the city to really feel detached. Longdong really helped me to disconnect and remind myself what I love climbing. Being outdoors and soaking in the moment, enjoy nature with great company, and pushing myself physically and mentally on the climb. Everything that drew me into this sport I love 4 years ago has not changed. Nothing to worry about, except what I want to climb. Eat, climb, sleep, repeat. Life is simple. Life is good.
TLDR
- Longdong is a premiere climbing destination in Asia, offering sport and trad single pitch with a few exception of 2 pitch climbs
- Getting to Longdong is easy via public transport, but having a car gives you more flexibility getting around and outside of Longdong
- Airbnbs/hostels/hotels in the cities, The Bivy/The Crackhouse at Longdong
- The terrain is tricky and might be difficult to navigate if you’re not comfortable on 4th class terrain
- Watch for your safety, including your gear as seawater will corrode your metal
- Climbing is fantastic and the meat is in the 5.10–12 range
- Some of my favourite climbs: Dream of White Dragon, Dragonslayer, Moby Dick, Disco Fistcrack, One Way Ticket, Climax, Via del Drago, Rhino Dihedral
- Rest day activities include exploring different cities
- Food in Taiwan is epic, please drink lots of bubble tea
- Climbing trips are only as good as your partner and I had the privilege of climbing with Aiks which made this trip awesome
This trip to Longdong was truly what I needed to make sense of why I put in those hours to climb every week, even when I felt so lethargic, having lost the stoke of climbing. So many sessions I drag myself to the gym, usually alone, feeling frustrated about not improving, simply climbing for the sake of climbing. It’s this experience of going out on trips, to let go and truly immerse myself back in the outdoors and climbing, that remind me why I love what I do. I really do feel like I squeezed so much more “living” in that one week in Longdong than all those days I spent at the gym and days feeling lazy at home. If you get the chance, I’d recommend taking a trip over to Longdong. It’s not the grandest or the most famous, but it’s one heck of a lovely climbing place and I am definitely making a trip back someday.