▲The unique landform on the West Coast Highway is nicknamed "Linkou Grand Canyon" by locals. The story behind the special scenery is breathtaking. (Picture/Photo taken by reporter Li Ziyi, the same below)
Reporter Li Ziyi/Interview report
A large group of buffaloes can be seen drinking water and eating grass in the greater Taipei area. Can you imagine it? Located on the West Coast Highway and next to the Linkou Power Plant, there is an area of quite eye-catching and sparse peculiar hills, with groups of buffalo grazing and drinking water. It is nicknamed by the locals as the Linkou Grand Canyon and the Bali Buffalo Pit. During holidays, it is an arena for off-road vehicles and jeeps, and its unique landscape has also become a popular secret spot for wedding photos and dating.
The Linkou Grand Canyon is composed of sand and mudstone layers about 200 meters wide and 40 meters high. There is a sad story hidden behind such spectacular scenery. Decades ago, this place was originally a hill. Later, due to serious illegal mining of sand and gravel, it turned into a strange and bare appearance in just a few years. Along the West Coast Highway, close to the Linkou Power Plant, you can see the blue sky, the sea, and the rotation of windmills. Suddenly the scene changes, with buffaloes grazing and drinking water in groups, abrupt bare hills, large expanses of yellow sand, and small hills. The greenery and unique landform are quite rare in northern Taiwan. If you look closely, it looks a bit similar to the Grand Canyon in the United States, so it is nicknamed the Linkou Grand Canyon.
▲You can see buffalo herds along the West Coast Highway (Provincial Highway 15). It is hard to imagine that you can see such a scene in the greater Taipei area.
Every afternoon, 200 or 300 buffaloes will appear in the waterhole nearby to graze. There is such a scene right next to the highway. People who drive by for the first time can't help but exclaim and slow down, or even park the car and walk in to take pictures.
Huang Jianbang, the head of Jiabao Village, said that a farmer surnamed Li lives here. Due to the background of the old times, the economic value of raising buffaloes is relatively high. He started raising a few buffaloes, and later he started to breed more and more buffaloes by himself. Many animals are raised here using large natural resources.
▲The special terrain has also become an "exclusive track" for off-road vehicle and Jeep enthusiasts. There is only a small amount of greenery here. In addition to the illegal quarrying of sand and gravel in the early years, and also because it is close to the Taiwan Strait, the plant growth and survival rate is not high. It depends on the tree species, adaptability, etc., so no one developed or planted crops later. . Huang Lizhang said that the Linkou Grand Canyon has maintained such a special scene for nearly 20 years. It is very suitable for watching the sunset and taking wedding photos. Film production companies have also come here to shoot scenes. Linkou Grand Canyon (Bali Buffalo Pit)
Address: On the Xibin Highway in Jiabaoli, Linkou District, New Taipei City (located between Linkou Power Plant and Linkou Town Nangong)
