If you ask most visitors to Taiwan what surprised them most, hot springs rarely make the shortlist — but they probably should. Taiwan is one of the most geothermally rich places on earth, yet it rarely gets credit for it. Japan and Iceland tend to dominate the conversation around hot spring culture, partly because they market it so effectively. Taiwan, by contrast, just quietly gets on with it.

Taiwan sits at the collision zone of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate, which places it squarely in the Circum-Pacific seismic zone — the so-called Ring of Fire. The result is one of the highest concentrations of geothermal springs in the world. There are over 100 known hot spring areas distributed across an island of roughly 36,000 square kilometres, giving Taiwan a spring density that exceeds both Japan and Iceland.

What is perhaps even more remarkable is the variety. Within a north-to-south range of roughly 400 kilometres, Taiwan offers virtually every major spring type found on earth: acidic sulphur springs, alkaline sodium bicarbonate springs, carbonic acid springs, iron springs, seabed springs, cold springs, and — uniquely — mud springs. You are unlikely to encounter this range of geological diversity anywhere else in a comparable geographical area.

It is easy to approach Taiwan’s hot springs as a spa amenity — a tick on a checklist of things to do. That is a legitimate way to experience them, and nothing is lost by treating a private room soak as simple relaxation.

Go in comfortable with the water, comfortable with the company, and without any particular agenda. That is probably the best advice this guide can offer.