Taroko National Park Day Tour: Hiking, Culture, and Natural Beauty
Located in Taiwan’s Hualien County, Taroko National Park is a stunningly beautiful canyon that attracts outdoor enthusiasts from around the world. Famous for its near vertical mountains, lush forests, and turquoise blue rivers, Taroko National Park is a must see natural attraction when visiting Taiwan. A Taroko National Park Day Tour is the perfect way to explore this park, stress and hassle free.
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Geological
The geological history of Taroko National Park is far to complex for me to go in depth.
Taroko Gorge was formed by erosion and uplifting occurring over millions of years. The Liwu River caused most of the erosion seen at the gorge today.
Taiwan sits on top of the Philippine and Eurasian plates. The collision of these plates is still uplifting much of Taiwan. There are 285 mountains in Taiwan that are 3,000 meters or higher.
While exploring Taroko Gorge, you will notice a lot of limestone and marble. What is especially interesting is marble is found on one side of the road while limestone is on the opposite side.
Cultural
Although the geology of Taroko Gorge is fascinating, I found the cultural history even more interesting.
While on our day tour to Taroko National Park, our guide gave us a lot of great information regarding Taiwan’s history and the people that first settled Taiwan.
There are 16 indigenous tribes that call Taiwan home. One tribe, The Taroko (Truku) inhabited the area we now call Taroko National Park, according to our guide.
The Taroko tribe lived in the Taroko Gorge area using the steep mountains as protection. Their huts were fairly advanced and well suited for hot summer months and cooler winter temperatures.
Males in the tribes hunted game while the women excelled in weaving. Each gender had facial tattoos that were only achieved by excelling in their crafts and hunting skills.
There is a great museum with displays of what the Taroko Tribal members looked like and their homes at the Buluowan Suspension Bridge. You can also visit the Taroko National Park Website for more information.
Getting to Hualien from Taipei
Traveling to Hualien from Taipei? It’s actually really easy and cheap.
Obviously, there are numerous ways to travel to Hualien. You can rent a car, cycle (I’ve had friends that have done that), or take trains. I recommend the latter.
We took a train from Taipei Main Station directly to Hualien Station. Depending on the train, the trip to Hualien can take anywhere from 2 to 4 or more hours.
We ended up taking the Express Trains, the T. C. Ltd Express to Hualien and the Taroko Express back to Taipei for a whopping NTD 440 or about $14 a person one way. The express trains take about 2 – 2.5 hours and make very few stops along the route.
How to Get to Taroko National Park
Hualien is the nearest and most accessible city to Taroko National Park. You can visit Taroko National Park from Taipei as a day trip, but I recommend staying in Hualien and making the most out of a day at Taroko Gorge.
Taroko National Park is free to visit and there are a couple ways to visit the park as a tourist. The main options to visit the park are by bus, taxi, rental car, scooter, or through a tour.
Visiting by Bus
If visiting Taroko Gorge by bus, there are a few routes within the park with bus stops. Using the bus is a cheap option, but does take planning. Visitors have to come up with a plan, know the bus route, and know the bust stop locations.
The Taroko National Park website does have a Bus Timetable.
Visiting by Rental Car or Scooter
Car and scooter rentals are other popular means of transportation to access Taroko National Park. In fact, we did see quite a few rental cars and other travelers on scooters. The positive of having your own rental car is it gives you flexibility within the park.
Note, many of the roads are narrow and traffic picks up late morning into the afternoon. If you are not an experienced driver, the narrow roads, sharp corners, buses, and other hazards can be a bit challenging to navigate.
Visiting by Tour
My recommended way to see many of the top sites and attractions within Taroko National Park are through Private Tour. Booking with a private tour allows you to see the main sites stress free at a steady pace. Not to mention you learn a lot about the park and Taiwan in general if you have a good guide. The next section is all about our tour we booked for Taroko Gorge.
Taroko National Park Day Tour
I personally think the best way to experience the magnificent Taroko National Park is by booking a day tour with a local guide or company.
Lately, all my trips have been booked through Viator.
Viator is easy to use, you can view the trip itinerary, and read through reviews.
I ended up booking the Full-Day Private Taroko National Park Tour from Hualien City and could not have asked for a better day and tour guide.
Our guide, Jason picked us up promptly and took us to all the Taroko National Park highlights listed below. He had a nice car, was very knowledgeable, and was passionate about his home country of Taiwan. I learned more from Jason regarding both the park and Taiwan then I have on all my previous trips to Taiwan combined.
Jason did a great job hiking with us. He wasn’t to quick or to slow, he knew the perfect spots for photos, and gave us separation so we could explore a bit on our own.
Here are some tours to Taroko National Park through Viator.
Taroko National Park Highlights
There are so many highlights and must see sites that make Taroko National Park a must visit destination in Taiwan. A day tour to Taroko Gorge is sufficient to see the main sites and most tours will make the same stops within the park. Below are the Taroko National Park highlights that we stopped at on our day tour.
Shakadang Trail
The Shakadang Trail in Taroko National Park follows the Shakadang River. This trail was actually built by the Japanese during the Japanese occupation.
The Shakadang Trail was the first stop on our Taroko National Park day tour. There is a parking lot with a toilet on the opposite side of the bridge were the trail begins.
The Shakadang Trail is an easy trail, no experience required. It is well maintained, flat, and very scenic. The trail follows the turquoise water of the Shakadang River below.
About a kilometer or so from the entrance there are a couple huts here that sell food and souvenirs. Make sure to try the world famous sausage from one of the stalls. Apparently a 3 star Michelin chef came here and raved about the peppercorn sausages made here. I’ll be honest, it was a really good sausage.
Eternal Spring Shrine
The next stop on our Taroko Gorge day tour was the Eternal Spring Shrine.
This picturesque shrine was built as a memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives while building the Central Cross-Island Highway.
If looking at the shrine, to the right is a steep cliff with evidence of landslides. The shrine was destroyed twice at the same location, so they moved the location of the shrine to the left above the waterfalls.
Indigenous Lunch at Dnamux Truku
Want to try an Indigenous lunch? Our guide took us to a local restaurant called Dnamux Truku. Dnamux Truku specializes in indigenous meals using local ingredients and traditional methods to prepare the food.
The lunch was incredible. I had the Wild Boar lunch with bamboo rice. I could not have asked for a more satisfying meal. The platter came out on a giant leaf with a nice mix of fresh fermented vegetables and just enough meat. The banana rice served with the meal was incredible as well.
Buluowan Suspension Bridge
After lunch we headed to the Buluowan (Shanyue) Suspension Bridge. Our guide mentioned this was his favorite part of the Taroko Gorge tour and after visiting the bridge I can see why.
The Shanyue Suspension Bridge crosses the Liwu River and is considered to be the longest bridge within the park. According to a sign at the park, the bridge is 196 meters in length, 2.5 meters wide, and sits 152 meters above the river.
The bridge is free to access. Apparently it gets crowded in the afternoon since they only allow a few hundred people on it at a time. My recommendation is, have an earlier lunch and beat the afternoon crowd. We did and there was no wait time and hardly anyone on the bridge.
Tunnel of Nine Turns
One of my favorite stops on our Taroko Gorge day tour was the Tunnel of Nine Turns. This is or was a part of the Central Cross-Island Highway and was a busy road. Due to the condition of the road and environmental events the road was turned into a trail.
There is no parking at the trail, visitors must be dropped off and picked back up.
The trail to the end was not long but the scenic viewpoints were absolutely incredible. Sheer cliffs gave way to crystal clear water below and waterfalls.
Swallow Grotto
The final stop on our Taroko Gorge tour was at Swallow Grotto. Strap on your helmets and pay attention to the safety signs because this area can be dangerous.
This narrow section of the canyon is lined with sheer cliffs towering over the Liwu River. Visitors can walk a road that turns into a suspended walkway right over the cliff. The views and scenery here is incredible. But watch out for falling rocks.
Taroko Gorge Facts
- The park was established on November 28, 1986.
- According to the Taroko National Park website, the park is 36 km north to south and 42 km east to west.
- Many of the rocks found at Taroko Gorge include: Marble, Gneiss, and Schist.
- There are many animals that call the park home. Some animal species found here include: Asian Black Bear, Rock Macaque, Sambar Deer, snakes, and many types of birds.
- Many mountains within the park are 3,000 m or higher.
- The indigenous Taroko tribe called the area home.
- Be careful of falling rocks. Wear protective gear. There are signs all over the place warning about falling rocks and not to linger.
Conclusion
Taroko National Park is truly one of the most beautiful destinations I’ve visited. The near vertical marble cliffs, turquoise river, and dramatic landscapes make Taroko Gorge a must visit destination, especially when visiting Taiwan. If you love the outdoors, hiking, and exploring, Taroko National Park is for you. Learning about the history and culture of the indigenous people that called this place home add to the park’s allure. I highly recommend visiting Taroko National Park and Taiwan in general.
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4 Comments
Nicole Brewer
This looks incredible! I really need to get back to this region so I can visit Taiwan. This guide is great.
zimminaround
Thanks! I highly recommend visiting Taiwan. There is so much to see and the transportation is great and cheap!
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