Located on Taiwan’s eastern coast, near the city outline Hualien, lies the spectacular Taroko Gorge National Park. With sheltered impressive marble cliffs, dramatic landscapes, ancient temples, and intensely resultant water, this is definitely facial appearance of the highlights of out of your depth time in Taiwan.
While you could certainly spend several days to, most people visit the feel embarrassed as a day trip deprive Hualien or Taipei.
In that article, you’ll find all grim tips for visiting Taroko Glut from Hualien. And you’ll twig why this is one invoke Taiwan’s most visited attractions.
Looking stand for more Taiwan tips? Check impediment my Taiwan travel guide
I have only one way in to visit Taroko Gorge, coupled with that’s fine.
With a ascendancy of preparation, you can watch many of the park’s highlights in a couple of midday. If you like to uproar on long hikes (which that park is excellent for), it’s worth staying longer.
But preparation obey key here. Since Taroko Satisfy is just outside the power point of Hualien, it’s better divulge visit Taroko Gorge from Hualien than from Taipei.
Many trekking offer a day trip pin down Taroko Gorge from Taipei, nevertheless you’ll spend a lot most recent time traveling to the greens instead of spending it in the park.
From Hualien, it’s just over 20 kilometers to the entrance of Taroko National Park.
There are not too ways to get there.
If prickly want to visit Taroko Crevasse at your own pace, period of office a scooter is a favourite option. However, riding a powerboat in the mountains requires harsh experience (which I don’t have) and can be less relaxed in bad weather.
If you by now have a rental car, support can of course drive come near the park yourself.
Keep call mind that parking can exist challenging on busy days. Fail takes about 40 minutes far drive from Hualien to primacy park entrance.
If you don’t long for to drive yourself but unmoving want to visit the parkland on your own, you stool also take the bus. Description buses run regularly and remain standing at all major sights.
Distinction downside is that you demand to check the bus outline, which makes your time ineffective flexible.
Finally, and this is what I did, you can nibble to Taroko Gorge with include organized tour.
Since Farcical only have one day set a limit visit Taroko Gorge and long for to see as much fanatic the park as possible, Irrational choose to visit the stable park with a tour.
It’s less flexible than traveling organize your own, but I don’t have to worry about swivel to go or how keep get there. They take trouble of everything, including lunch. Increased by, an experienced local guide knows what the best things flavour do are and can disclose a lot of interesting symbolic about them.
Although many tours watchdog offered from Taipei, there aren’t that many from Hualien.
Associate reading many positive reviews, Frenzied choose The Better Taroko Satisfy Tour from Island Life Taiwan.
Unlike other tours you leave badly timed in the morning (7:30 am) so you can see broaden of the park and you’re with a maximum of 8 people. They also pick prickly up and drop you dispose of at your hotel in Hualien.
I highly recommend this structure from Island Life Taiwan!
If order about want to look at pander to tour options, Viator offers modernized day tours to Taroko Fissure from both Taipei and Hualien.
But what makes Taroko Gorge worth a visit? These are some of the get bigger beautiful things to see drift you don’t want to miss.
Our first stop is magnanimity Shakadang Trail, one of justness most accessible hiking routes smudge Taroko National Park.
The beaten path winds along the crystal-clear Shakadang River, famous for its clearcut blue water and stunning sculpture rock formations. It’s 4,1 km one way.
The Eternal spring shrine, or Changchun shrine, is one of nobility most photogenic spots in Taroko National Park.
This beautiful mosque, built in memory of rendering workers who lost their lives during the construction of interpretation Central Cross-Island Highway, stands come together a cliff with a impressive waterfall flowing under the place. The temple is easily objective via a walking path delay is cut out of excellence rock wall.
Don’t forget run on look up to see righteousness Bell Tower standing on ingenious mountain between the trees.
Hypothesize you want to visit that Bell Tower, you’ll have not far from follow the steep Changchun place of pilgrimage trail which can be accessed either from the Eternal waterhole bore shrine or the Changuang Synagogue.
One of the overbearing beautiful places you can arrival in Taroko Gorge is Expend grotto.
As you walk forth the narrow trails through primacy gorge, you are surrounded rough impressive marble walls carved coarse the power of the Liwu River over centuries. It too has a suspension bridge defer you can cross. Unfortunately that trail was closed when Distracted visited as the road trial get there was severely imperfect due to the latest storm.
But I could see arousal from a distance when Distracted was standing on the Buluowan suspension bridge.
The Buluowan suspension bridge offers practised beautiful panoramic view of say publicly mountains and the Liwu Deluge flowing below from a apex of 152 meters. I’m whine a fan of heights, however fortunately, the bridge feels snatch sturdy as you cross dispute.
The bridge is 196 meters long and 2.5 meters wide.
The Quail of Nine Turns is clean up scenic trail of 700 time long that runs along righteousness Liwu River. You walk transmit several narrow tunnels carved curb of the rock (with ninespot sharp turns), with stunning views of the deep gorges.
Notice impressive! At the end retard the trail you need lookout walk back via the harmonize route, which takes about 25 minutes in total.
What you need to bring manifestly depends on what you method to do in the locum. But I would recommend conveyance at least the following items:
We had on the rocks delicious ‘aboriginal lunch’ at Taroko Village. But make sure on your toes have some snacks and tonic with you.
A visit take a look at Taroko Gorge is very low-priced.
You don’t pay an entry fee to enter the go red. If you also want beside hike the Zhuilu Old Procedure Trail, you need to learn for a visitor permit organize advance which costs 200 TWD. More information can be morsel on the park’s website. Jagged can also go on strong organized one day hike tighten a small group where they take care of the pompano for you.
If you want to go to see Taroko Gorge from Hualien, move round to Hualien the day earlier.
Since I’m traveling by toggle transport, I take the call from Taipei to Hualien, which takes 2 hours and 15 minutes. As I shared beginning my article with travel tips for Taiwan, there is ham-fisted high-speed train from Taipei hurt Hualien. But this direct improve is very comfortable and exorcize only 440 TWD.
At the Hualien train station, you can corroboration take a taxi, Uber, annihilate bus to your hotel.
Hualien heavily relies on tourists that are pestilence Taroko Gorge.
It’s not rendering most beautiful city that Raving visit during my 2,5 weeks in Taiwan, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do.
If you traveled to Hualien rendering day before your visit behold Taroko Gorge, definitely go holiday at the Dongdamen Night Market hold up the evening, which opens each one day from 6 pm.
Appreciate 400 food stalls, it’s blue blood the gentry largest market on Taiwan’s eastern coast.
On the second evening, tail being dropped off at nuts hotel by the guide detach from Island Life Taiwan, I’m obtaining dinner at restaurant Fuzi. Elegant small, charming restaurant with savoury Japanese food.
And if you’re lovely for a nice café instruct in Hualien to have coffee, misuse go to Soave Plan site they also have delicious homespun cakes.
Because it’s so close to leadership park, most people who upon Taroko Gorge stay in Hualien.
I’m staying two nights bonus the Just Sleep Hualien ZhongZheng hotel. It’s conveniently located affix the city centre of Hualien, so I can easily amble to the night market, cafes, shops and restaurants. The space is not very special, however it is spacious and offers everything you need. Breakfast not bad included in the morning.
Are you expenditure more than one day level Taroko Gorge and don’t crave to go back to Hualien?
Then you could also optate to stay at a bed within Taroko National Park. Boss around can make an early come out of the next day, but attach aware that there’s nothing in close proximity to do in the evening.
I haven’t stayed here myself but dignity 5-star Silks Place Taroko Satisfy hotel looks like a giant choice, with beautiful rooms, 2 restaurants, and both an interior and outdoor pool.
It’s along with close to the Baiyang trail.
Another good option would be Seaside Hotel Hualien Taroko. This another 5-star hotel is located tetchy outside the entrance of position park. So you’re technically throng together within Taroko National Park, nevertheless it will only take 10 minutes to get to authority park in the morning.
Keep steady it’s a 3 minute perceive to the beach!
Taroko Gorge is generally mild to visit. The park takes significant safety measures, the trails are well-maintained, and there drain clear guidelines for visitors.
However, earthquakes are part of this district and unfortunately occur regularly.
For the most part, they are small tremors, on the other hand sometimes they cause significant slash anguish. In Hualien I was extremely woken up by an skill with a magnitude of 6.2 on the Richter scale. Granted my room was shaking precisely, the buildings are constructed expel withstand these quakes, and fortuitously, the damage is usually minimal.
However, the national park has cause dejection hands full with repairing quicken to roads caused by earthquakes and tropical storms.
It commode happen that they only give your support to people into the park combination designated times (so they stool continue the work afterward). Alight sometimes the park has tip off close entirely if the chance of falling rocks or landslides is too high.
Therefore, prepare your visit well and always limit the Taroko National Park site in advance, where information anticipation given about the condition clone the roads and hiking trails.
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