taroko national park taiwan
And if you rent bicycles, do they also give you a helmet and a lock for the bike? Wenshan Hot Spring () was once the most famous wild hot springs in Taiwan, being located right inside Taroko Gorge. The reason I recommend them is because they specifically design their tours to avoid the crowds everywhere they go, including starting a little earlier than other tours. The drivers will even wait for your if you want to do one of the hikes in Taroko Gorge. However, both ends of the trail appear to be closed due to landslide damage as of early 2023. Subscribe to Lonely Planet newsletters and promotions. It is located in Hualien County, Taichung City, and Nantou County, and is home to unique geological and natural resources, including twenty-seven peaks over 3,000 metres (9,800ft) located in and around the Qilai and Nanhu Mountain ranges. Well, I hope youve found all the information you needed for planning your trip to Taroko National Park. One time when I visited many years ago, the entire highway was closed for set times every day past the Swallows Grove, which meant I couldnt make it to several spots. My wife Intan and I are usually in our second home Bali, but our journeys take us to destinations all over the world. For a good mid-range option, Happiness is My Home (see on Booking) lives up to its name the owners of this guesthouse are super welcoming and helpful. Thank you for the comprehensive guide to a Taroko tour. For some reason this doesnt exist anywhere online except in Chinese, but once you have the pamphlet in hand everything will all make more sense. If going by public transportation, choosing something near Hualien train station is smart. Slower trains take anywhere from 2 hours 15 min to 3 hours 30 min(TWD 340). Cliffs and canyons stretch along Liwu River. Welcome to Taroko Gorge! Qilai (Mt. Taroko National Park is well known for its amazing marble cliffs and canyons carved out by the Liwu River. As of late 2022 and early 2023, the highway was severely damaged in three different places. Heres the most recent Taroko Gorge bus route and schedule. From the large parking lot, the walking trail to the shrine goes through a tunnel that contains some smaller shrines. For this reason, you must keep in mind that one or more of the attractions or trails in Taroko Gorge might be closed when you go. The trail is about 700 meters and most visitors spend around 30 minutes here. If you are in Taipei on a short visit it is possible to visit Taroko National Park independently as a day trip from Taipei. Theres a self-pay system at Heliu, while the even more basic Lushui is free. The name "Taroko" () derives from the Truku tribe, an indigenous group formally recognized by the Taiwanese government as of 2004. Hello! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Qixingtan is included on this tour and this tour. Most people take the regular (TRA) train to Hualien city, but theres also the option to fly from Taipeis Songshan Airport. Also note that, like most of Taiwan, Taroko Gorge are very safe for solo or female travelers. Past the falls and requiring a little more uphill of a hike is Water Curtain Cave (), a tunnel in which water spills down on top of your head as you walk through. The highway was first built in the late 1950s, and the 212 veterans who died while building it are today commemorated at Eternal Spring Shrine. Taroko Gorge National Park is one of nine national parks in Taiwan. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. A smart thing to do is to rent a Giant bicycle near Hualien station, take your bike on the local train to Xincheng, the ride on from there. Im hoping to do it by bike and so far research hasnt shown us a giant station next to xincheng. Hi Elise, sorry for my belated reply, I just saw this! Hiking in Taroko. If you need to pick one up before your trip, this guide covers some, Cimuting, Lanting, Heliuting, and Lushui Trail, my list of best places to visit in Taiwan, Hualien to Taitung and Kenting National Park, rent a car from various locations in Taipei, Eternal Spring (Changchun) Bell Tower Trail, The Stunning East Coast of Taiwan Part 1: Yilan to Hualien and Taroko Gorge, Rainbow Village in Taichung, Taiwan: A 2023 Guide. Baiyang Trail () is another easy trail starting 900 meters past Tianxiang, taking you to gorgeous Baiyang Waterfall (). How to go to Taroko Gorge from Taipei 1. Going from Taipei to Hualien by bus is not easy, fast, or practical. Unfortunately, there is no bus stop here. Stop at this small parking lot and observation deck, called Liufang Observation Deck (), for a unique and impressive view. Ill be there for five days and will be exploring the area. Also, dont go cycling in Taroko Gorge during or after heavy rain or a typhoon during summer in Taiwan. After years of backpacking, I now call two places home: Edmonton, Canada and Taipei, Taiwan. We stayed at Xiong Zhi Mi B&B in Hualien city for $900 NTD ($30 USD) per night and loved it. Thinking of sightseeing Taipei on 14,15 and spend 16 at Taroko Gorge. The air is cool and refreshing, it's one heck of a place to explore. Rockfalls litter the park's serpentine main highway. Eventually the highway splits, with Highway 8 continuing across the Central Mountains to Taichung (called the Central Cross Island Highway). Be awed by the power of nature at stunning Taroko Gorge, the twisting, soaring centerpiece of Taroko National Park. If you have arranged a private driver, it makes sense to have them pick you up at Xincheng. 2/ Is it safe to claim a campsite, set up my tent, and hop on the shuttle bus for day hikes in the Gorge, leaving my camping gears at the campsite to come back later at night? The bus station is the bright orange building right next to the entrance for Hualien Train Station. Fortunately, the tunnel was finally reopened to the public in 2019, after being fully renovated and made safe. Taroko National Park, home to the Taroko Gorge, is one of Taiwan's foremost tourist attractions. Another excellent choice near Hualien night market is 1999 B&B (see on Booking / Agoda). Taroko Gorge is the countrys premier scenic attraction, along with Alishan and Sun Moon Lake. In the Central Mountain Range, the highway also connects to Highway 14, which continues to famous attractions like Hehuanshan (one of the best places to see snow in Taiwan), Wuling Pass (Taiwans highest), Cingjing Farm, and Puli (access point for Sun Moon Lake). Highlights of this diverse landscape include the looming Qingshui Cliff, the twisting vistas of the Tunnel of Nine Turns, and the dramatic hanging bridges of Swallow Grotto. Taroko National Park is typically accessed from Hualien City where various tours, buses, and transport options are available next to the Hualien Train station. These national parks cover 7,489.49 square kilometres (2,891.71 sq mi). Taroko National Park on the East Coast of Taiwan is most famous for Taroko Gorge and a popular way to go from Hualien to Taroko Gorge to explore Taroko National Park via car or moped. The Park is named after Taroko Gorgre, the iconic landmark gorge of the park carved by the Liwu River. Grand Canyon indeed. A little further down the highway, Heliu Campground and the overflow Lushui Campground are the two main campgrounds in Taroko Gorge (see the where to stay in Taroko Gorge section above). Affiliate Disclosures Privacy Policy Terms Of Use After the Empire of Japan's defeat in World War II, the Republic of China took over Taiwan in consequence. Taroko National Park is a 920 square kilometer park located in Taiwan. Id enjoy doing it by scooter. A lot of visitors to Taiwan want to visit Hehuanshan, but its not easy to get to. Taroko National Park in Taiwan stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the peaks of the Central Mountain Range, rising to over 3,700m/12,000ft. There is no public transportation going from Taroko Gorge to there (there used to be a private shuttle bus from Hualien and Taroko Gorge to Hehuanshan, but its no longer running). There are even more spots around here and a little further up on the Sanzhan River, which is the start of the route to Golden Grotto (see below). Taroko Village Hotel sits on another plateau a little higher up from the service center. It could be totally fixed before your trip, but also possible its not. The trail there is flat and easy to walk. That means that roads and, Picturesque for its setting, backed by toweringly steep mountainsides, this small shrine sits above a gushing spring that pours out onto the rocks below,, This half-kilometre slice of gorge-side old road twists and turns between rock-cut pillars and minitunnels, reminding visitors of how the Taroko route, Falling a total of around 200m, this waterfall is in fact a pair of cascades, only parts of which are visible from the viewing bridge. However, it must be noted that there have been multiple scooter accidents in Taroko Gorge in recent years, some tragic, so you should do so at your own risk. This national park was originally established as the Tsugitaka-Taroko National Park (Japanese: , Hepburn: Tsugitaka Taroko kokuritsu ken) by the Governor-General of Taiwan on 12 December 1937 when Taiwan was part of the Empire of Japan. If you would rather arrange everything yourself, you can take the 1133A bus from Hualien Station to Taroko Gorge. The area has peaks that reach as high as 3700m. Everything else after that is in order, on the main side of the road. When Im not writing or compulsively planning every detail of our next family trip, Im most likely playing kitty games with Sage and Lavender, my two kids, Spiritual Travels is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Updated August 25, 2021. Your post makes me SUPER excited about my upcoming trip to Hualien! Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Mining companies to face make-up reviews: Cabinet", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Taroko_National_Park&oldid=1127568886, Articles needing additional references from October 2022, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing traditional Chinese-language text, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Tunnel of Nine Turns ( Jiuqudong) (Opened in November 2017), Cimu Bridge, Motherly Devotion Bridge (), This page was last edited on 15 December 2022, at 13:06. It was sightings of the east that led the Portuguese to call Taiwan Ilha Formosa, meaning 'Beautiful Isle'. Hualien City has the best selection of rooms, but it also the furthest away. Youll want to take caution here, as most of the walking path shares the road with vehicles, including a series of dark tunnels. Youll need to get there on your own. Please tag along! Heliu Campground is the start of the Lushui Trail (), a pleasant trail that includes sections of forest, a 30-meter cave, a spirit tablet, and river views. Hualien city is the capital of Hualien county and the main access point for Taroko Gorge. Hey Nick! Hualien Farglory Hotel (see on Booking / Agoda / Klook / TripAdvisor) is the best resort option. Learn more in my, For more general info about traveling in Taiwan, also be sure to see my. ) The main reason you might consider doing this is because it is a beautiful drive from Taipei to Hualien, especially the coastal section from Suao to Hualien. And if you cant go, you can just drive from SML to Taroko via Taipei, which will take longer, but still possible. Taiwan Railway operates a train from to hourly. Recommend!" Show more 8 The scars of at least a dozen landslides punctuate the view in all directions. Map. However, by sneaking around a few fences, you can still visit whats left of it. Every time Ive ever been to Taroko Gorge, at least one or more of the main sights or trails has been closed. Maybe book a hotel in Cingjing that has a cancellation policy. The landscapes here are breath-taking as you make your way from . When you land on the page, it might revert to Chinese. This is the only place where you can stay in cabins with aboriginal design in Taroko Gorge. Directions. If youve walked into Taroko Gorge, you can walk from the Visitors Center to the start of Shakadang Trail on a trail along the river (also called Shakadang Trail on GoogleMaps), which is nicer than walking along the road. This trail crosses a suspension bridge before getting there. However, demand for these trains is very high, especially the express ones (called Puyuma Express or Taroko Express), and they often sell out, especially on weekends, long weekends, and holidays. Taroko National Park (Chinese: ; pinyin: Tilg Goji Gngyun; Peh-e-j: Thi-l-koh Kok-ka Kong-hng) is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and was named after the Taroko Gorge, the landmark gorge of the park carved by the Liwu River. offers wooden huts and aboriginal buffet dinners. You can also jump in from the rocks below the bridge just before town, which is where I shot the above photo. Truku people, an aboriginal tribe, live in the area. It includes the marble gorge of Taroko, the Qingshui Cliff, the trail along the Shakadang River, and the waterfalls of the Baiyang trail. Image credit: kitchakron via Canva Pro. There are lots of cheap flights and trains from Taipei, with a flight taking 1 hour for about $1,200 NTD ($40 USD), or a train journey taking 2 hours for less than half the cost $450 NTD. Its a 30-minute walk out of town in the direction of Qingshui Cliffs. Or none at all around the Qingshui Cliffs. So its better if you can bring a baby carrier, not stroller, like we did. The area referred to as Taroko Gorge is a steep, dramatic valley carved by the Liwu River (), which flows from the Central Mountains of Taiwan to the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy accommodation in 5-star hotels. From the hostel, you can walk to a few (but not all) of Tarokos attractions. They are so useful! The Empire of Japan first designated the area as the Tsugitaka-Taroko National Park in 1937. If you catch the first train of the day, you can make it in time for the above linked minibus day tour, or you can book this day trip with transportation from Taipei. We stayed at this hotel in Hualien city for $30 USD ( Booking.com). Taroko Gorge () is one of the most popular tourist spots in Taiwan and a huge must on any Taiwan itinerary. If you have time on your side, spend 3 days in Taroko, but you can cover a lot of ground with just two. Sometimes, even though it says open, only a small part of the trail is open. Taroko Parks most exhilarating hike, Zhuilu Old Trail or Zhuilu Old Road (), features narrow trails along sheer 500m+ cliffs and expansive, birds eye views over Taroko Gorge. Located in Taroko National Park, Taroko Village Hotel is surrounded by greenery. The ROC government subsequently abolished the park on 15 August 1945. Explore some of Taiwan's most stunning scenery on this full-day tour to Taroko National Park departing from Taipei. I feel the place is still well off the tourist beaten path in many regards. It takes about 20 minutes to walk through the tunnels to the shrine, and theres also a longer mountain trail that takes you up to some towers and temples at the top of the cliffs. Taroko National Park is well known for its marble cliffs and canyons, and is also known as "The Marble Gorge." Millions of years ago, the rock we see today was sediment at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, but oceanic and tectonic pressure turned it into limestone, and later into marble. Taiwan Railway operates a train from to hourly. Youll see a couple of waterfalls along the way too. The buses are infrequent, so you really need to time it well. When accessible, you can walk right up to the stream that runs through the shrine before it spills down to the valley floor below. Taroko National Park has a total of 140 named mountains, the highest of which is Nanhudashun () at 3,742 metres (12,277 ft) in elevation. This is a simple local guesthouse. It was not until much later in 1986, Taroko National Park was re-established by the Taiwan government. Marble, which is relatively hard and resistant to erosion, nevertheless relented to these forces resulting in the unusually steep and narrow canyons. For these trains, you must have a reserved seat. Each of the three areas would be accessible via the Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus. The Truku tribe continues to reside in Hualien County, including within the designated National Park area. Right after the Taroko Gorge entrance gate, the main road continues on the same side up Taroko Gorge. This park was first called Tsugitaka-Taroko National Park due to Taiwan being apart of Japan's Empire in the past however after World War II, China took over and renamed this park to Taroko National Park. This is quite normal in the US but Ive never had a chance to camp anywhere else so Im a little bit worried about the safety. 2022-12-16 (YUSHAN) To support minority groups, and to promote the corporat.. 2022-10-06 (YUSHAN) 2023 Lottery Draw Schedule. Should I arrive from Taipei in the evening of 15th, stay overnight at Taroko and start early 17th oct at the national park and take train back or stay at Hualien. Because the road is prone to landslides, dont be surprised if it is closed when you visit. [4] Due to Xincheng's distance from the park itself, visitors looking to get closer to the park will typically utilize the many tour buses and taxis available. Taroko Gorge National Park has 27 of the 100 Peaks of Taiwan, a widely recognized list of top mountains. The National Park covers a much larger area than Taroko Gorge. We took the train. If you want to stay very close to Taroko Gorge, but also have train access, then staying in Xincheng is best. Simply driving through, you get to see a lot of the scenery. Taroko Gorge National Park is located in Hualien county, in eastern Taiwan. Besides all the sights mentioned above inside Taroko Gorge, there are several other attractions near the gorge that can be combined with your day trip to Taroko Gorge. There are usually some stalls selling food and drinks at Qixingtan. Taroko National Park World Wide Web-English Version News Online Applications ::: next prev News 2023-03-13 The east section of Xiaozhuilu Trail in Taroko is temporarily closed from March 16, 2023 to March 29, 2023 for repairing the rockfall prevention fencing. Situated in Xiulin Township on Taiwan's mind-blowing east coast, this dramatic 19-km gorge is the shining star of Taroko National Park () - one of the country's nine national parks. I tried to contact them via multiple channels to arrange a private tour or two, but no luck. Hotels in Taroko Gorge are limited and pricey. For this reason, it is better to reach those attractions from Taichung on the west coast. To arrange a guide and permit, simply book the tour online with Island Life Taiwan Tours and they will arrange it for you. I would hope they offer helmets. Hi Nick Their business has been devastated by the lack of tourists coming to the island, so its not at all surprising that they arent running tours right now. Park carved by the Liwu River and will be exploring the area to do one of the trail is 700. To promote the corporat.. 2022-10-06 ( YUSHAN ) to support minority groups, and to promote the corporat 2022-10-06... 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This reason, it makes sense to have them pick you up Xincheng. Landmark Gorge of the hikes in Taroko Gorge National Park, home to the shrine goes through a that.
