Taiwan is blessed with surprisingly diverse landscapes and climate for such a small landmass. The island nation is a combination of fascinating cities with non-stop entertainment and highly respected cuisine, and natural landscapes of staggering beauty, with lush forests and picturesque mountains and beaches. The western side of the island is an almost uninterrupted chain of cities and urban settlements (one of the most densely populated stretches of land in the world), while the east is largely uninhabited mountains boasting picture-perfect cliffs, gorges and dense tropical forest, each side offering plenty of wonders to discover. It’s not hard to see why the Portuguese dubbed it ‘Ilha Formosa’ (‘Beautiful Island’).