Maolin Eco Park (The Hidden Valley of Purple Crow Butterflies)

The Maolin Eco Park is tucked away in Maolin Alley in Maolin District. It is where the Butterfly Sighting Festival is held. The park features a butterfly-sighting trail, which can be accessed by the passage in the park.


The park is known for the so-called Hidden Valley of Purple Crow Butterflies. The term refers not to a physical place but large swarms of purple crow butterflies migrating in winter. The migrating butterflies can be spotted in Kaohsiung, Pingtung, and middle to low-altitude areas in Taitung from October to February of the next year. Over a million purple crow butterflies will arrive at the warm valley at the bottom of Dawu Mountain, the holy mountain worshipped by the Lukai Tribe and Paiwan Tribe living in the region.


Maolin's purple crow butterfly swarms, together with the Monarch butterfly swarms in Canada, are identified as the two largest butterfly migration events in the world, and the two are viewed as world-class natural assets. The Michelin Green Guide Taiwan even gave the Maolin butterfly swarms a three-star rating, meaning that it’s a must-see for tourists visiting Taiwan.


Visitors are recommended to spend three hours here. We suggest a stroll along the butterfly-sighting trail in the Maolin Eco Park and the Zishalishali trail; you can see purple crow butterflies of different kinds and other species of butterflies along the way.