Taiwan is an island of highs. The International Finance Centre 101 in Taipei was built to resemble a stalk of bamboo, and towers above the surrounding low-rise city. The nearby National Palace museum is a cultural high with the world's finest collection of Chinese art, while the Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai Shek memorials commemorate the high-water mark of early 20th-century Chinese nationalist uprisings before the advent of Mao Zedong and communism. Mountains are Taiwan's most dominant feature however and provide a natural high unsurpassed in Southeast Asia. Just an hour distant and with similar climate, cuisine, culture and shopping experiences, it's tempting to see Taiwan as Hong Kong writ large. This might be the reason so few long-haul tourists visit the island in comparison to Hong Kong. Taiwan's mountains stretch 170km in a series of jagged, remote peaks rising to 3,952 metres at Yushan (Jade Mountain) - which sounds even more impressive when quoted as 12,965 feet. Yushan is almost as big as Mont Blanc, Western Europe's highest peak, bigger than Mount Fuji and high enough to cause altitude sickness and boast snow cover throughout the winter months. Reaching the mountains involves a white knuckle ride along the exhilarating Suao-Hualien Highway, perched hundreds of metres above the Pacific. Consequently, the road is listed by many motorbike clubs as one of the world's great journeys: the bends are tight, the drops vertiginous and the views breathtaking. On one side, mountains rear up and crowd the road and on the other the ocean seems never to end, its flat expanse broken only by the occasional fishing boat. Eastern Taiwan also has the highest concentration of indigenous people on the island. Many still uphold tribal culture despite the rapid economic development epitomised by the urban sprawl of Taipei 100km away. Add white-water rafting, snorkelling and swimming and east Taiwan becomes beach resort, adventure paradise and cultural experience all rolled into one. The peaks of Taiwan are home to a wide range of flora and fauna, far from human contact and with boundless hiking and climbing opportunities. At the foot of the hills in the northwest of the island is Taroko Gorge. This is an accessible but untamed land where Formosan black bears can still be spotted and visitors can soak their weary bones in an abundance of hot springs. Cliffs of solid marble 300 metres tall, trails that run through alpine forests and through tunnels blasted out of the rock, and suspension bridges perched high above raging rivers are reminders that nature is on a truly grand scale here. Hong Kong it definitely is not. If all of this sounds like an environmental utopia, it is worth bearing in mind that this hasn't always been the case. Taiwan's economic miracle created growth of nearly 9 per cent per annum and a 360 per cent growth in gross national product between 1960 and 1985, due mostly to an abundance of cheap and educated workers and an absence of independent trade unions. The natural beauty of the island had long been sacrificed at the altar of greater prosperity. Urban sprawl and pollution have taken a heavy toll and vast tracts of forest have been destroyed, decimating animal habitats and causing extensive soil erosion. These problems were heightened by the completion of three cross-island highways in the 1950s and 1960s. These phenomenal roads run through rugged and unstable terrain, necessitating the cutting of dozens of tunnels through solid rock. The roads were originally conceived as military routes - enabling quick troop movements in case an invasion from mainland China cut off the coastal routes - and were built by demobilised soldiers from the civil war. They are frequently closed during wet weather when landslides and erosion are common. The Eternal Spring Shrine in Taroko is a memorial to the 450 workers who lost their lives as they blasted and dug these arteries to connect east and west Taiwan. The roads offer some amazing views and exciting driving and are a miracle of engineering yet they have damaged hillsides further and opened up Taiwan's mountains and gorges to more visitors, putting a greater strain on the fragile infrastructure. This situation is likely to become more problematic as cross-strait tensions ease and an increasing number of mainland visitors are allowed access to the island. It is worth remembering that things are improving fast. Legislation dating back to the 1970s has protected much of the natural scenery, historic relics and wildlife of the island, and a permit system limits the number of walkers and climbers allowed on the hills. Seven national parks have been created including the Taroko National Park, established to preserve the beauty of this awe-inspiring area which surrounds the Taroko Gorge. This has resulted in a better-managed countryside with fewer visitors in the more environmentally sensitive areas. The peaks are linked by a controlled number of well-maintained walking trails, and are dotted with mountain shelters that are tastefully designed and in keeping with the environment. In addition, tribal aboriginal culture is now celebrated in all its diversity and visitors have opportunities to visit local villages and share in their way of life. The best protection of all for the mountains is their scale. These hills are so big and remote most tourists never make it there. The majority of visitors to Taiwan stray no further than the museums, galleries and stores of Taipei. But it is in the hills that the real grandeur of Taiwan lies. Hiking here often requires over-nighting on the mountain and some serious legwork. Yet the rewards are immense and the views on a clear day, across the whole island towards the mainland and east across the endless expanse of the Pacific are astonishing. Short of a trip to the Himalayas, Kota Kinabalu or the high mountains of mainland China, there is nowhere in Asia with such rugged steepness, elevation and mountainous drama - all available just an hour from Hong Kong. Getting there: Dragonair (dragonair.com) and China Airlines (china-airlines.com) fly from Hong Kong to Taipei. Getting Around: The east coast and Taroko Gorge can be reached in three hours by bus or train or in less by hired car.