Hiking Taroko National Park

Make time for Taroko. You can get in most of the highlights in a day for very little cost. Of course, Taroko Gorge is a massive canyon that was made by the Taroko river, which lets out in the Pacific Ocean. As you ride through (by bus or taxi), you’ll see beautiful marble cliffs, boulders and long thin waterfalls, which vaguely resemble veins inside the cliffs. You’ll also zoom in and out of tunnels that are cut right into the marble. There are some beautiful walking trails in Taroko as well that are easy to access by bus or taxi. Also, there’s no entrance fee for the gorge itself, which is kind or crazy. I guess they make enough money off of the buses.

If you get hungry while up in the gorge, Buluowan and the Taroko Visitor Center both offer some food choices as well as other public facilities. The receptionists at the Visitor Center speak wonderful English and are very helpful. They can call you a taxi as well as help you organize your trip by letting you know which trails are closed. (This proved very useful on our trip since last minute rock slides can literally put a bump in your plans.) FYI, you can hire a taxi chauffeur for an entire day for about $2,500 NTD and the receptionists will even help you bargain.

While visiting the gorge, I recommend staying in Hualien, but make sure you’re somewhere near the Taroko bus stop, which is right behind the Hualien train station. Buses leave for the gorge hourly, starting at seven o’clock. The tickets are expensive for Taiwan, but still decently priced. You can get a day pass for $250 NTD or a two-day pass for $400 NTD. The bus will take you straight to the visitor center and then continue on, stopping at different trail heads and scenic spots. Be warned, the last bus leaves the Visitor Center for Hualien at 5:20 in the evening. On holidays and weekends, it is recommended to just buy a cheaper one-way ticket from the bus driver to the Taroko Visitor Center and from there hire a taxi. Otherwise, you risk spending half of your precious time waiting on buses that are too crowded to stop.

If you would rather stay in the gorge, itself, Silks Place is a popular choice and it’s also located near a bus stop. That’s it. If you make it down to Hualien, check out this great BBQ place and get the ribs. Hualien is, also, just a great place to explore. While walking around, we would casually stumble into many treasures such as this cultural and creative park. This massive complex is entirely dedicated to local artisans and performance artists. The first night we happened upon a giant craft fair. Of course, we went back the next night and sat down to enjoy an intense street fire dancing performance.

Shakadang Trail

This leisurely walk is the most popular trail in the gorge and for good reason. The trail is cut right into a cliff that follows the Taroko river. At 3D cabin, which is where most people stop and turn back, you can take a dip in the river and relax on the marble boulders. The path is shaded and there is a cool breeze that comes off the river.

The whole trail will take you two to three hours depending on how long you stay to play in the river. The trail is also very easy to access. The Taroko bus will let you off right at the trail head or you can walk to the trail from the Visitor Center. There isn’t a public restroom on this trail so you may want to stop in and use the restrooms at the Visitor Center anyway.

Swallow Grotto and the Tunnel of Nine Turns (Yanzikou & Jiuqudong)

This trail is often referred to as the best of the gorge and if you’re looking for views of the marble cliffs, then it is. I highly recommend this trail if it’s your first time at the gorge. It’s a very easy walk and it weaves in and out of one of the most amazing tunnel systems that the gorge is known for. Plus, there’s even a public bathroom facility located along it. Bring your own toilet paper though.

These two trails are side by side and very easy to access. Just get off the Taroko bus at the stop for Swallow Grotto and walk. You can walk both trails in about an hour, but then I suggest turning around and back tracking to catch the bus again at Swallow Grotto. There is a bus stop at the end of the trail, but buses hardly ever stop there due to crowding.

Eternal Spring Shrine (Changchun Shrine)

This is an absolutely beautiful spot. You can walk around, take pictures, grab something to drink, use the bathroom and just relax for a bit in the presence of the shrine. There is a trial that goes up to and behind the shrine, but it’s nothing special. If you’re bored, go for it. If you’re strapped for time, skip it. You’re not missing much.

Qingshui Cliffs

You’ll need to take a taxi to see these, but they are a must visit while at the gorge. The beautiful cliffs are slammed right up against the Pacific Ocean. You can have the visitor center call a cab for you. A trip to the cliffs and back should cost around $1,000 NTD. A good cab driver will take you to two or three scenic overlooks that offer breathtaking views of the cliffs and the true blue waters beneath them.

Other Trails

Along with these, there’s also Baiyang Waterfall trail, Zhuilu Old Road and the Lushui Trail. I highly recommend the Baiyang Waterfall trail. It’s a tunnel trail that ends with a beautiful waterfall curtain. Unfortunately, it was closed while we were there (stupid rock slides). Zhuilu Old Road is the best hiking experience in the gorge. I highly recommend it as well. You have to get a couple permits, but it’s worth it. Just plan ahead. You, also, need a permit for the Lushui trail, but this is supposedly very easy to obtain and you can grab it the day of. I don’t know much else about this trail other than it’s a loop and sounds cool. We were going to hike it if we had time.

Hiking Zhuilu Old Road

The best hike in Taroko Gorge, Zhuilu Old Road, offers the thrilling experience of standing over two thousand feet in the air above Taiwan's most famous gorge. The hike itself and the views from the cliff will leave any hiker feeling exposed to the sublime (aka. standing over something that is both beautiful and deadly). In fact, just a month before our trip, a hiker was caught in a gust of wind and fell to his death from the cliffs. Backing up to more mundane things, the trail was started by the aboriginal tribe living in Taroko Gorge about a century ago. Later, during their occupation of Taiwan, the Japanese developed the trial a bit more. Unfortunately, they used it to subdue the local Taroko people.

In spite of its ugly history the old road is beautiful. To access the trail, you have to plan ahead of time. You cannot just show up and hike. The national park locks it up tight and only people with the correct paperwork can get in. To get started on the paperwork, apply online for the first permit you need to access the trail. In total, you will need to apply for two permits. The earlier you start, the better, as they only allow about 60 people on the trail per day. You can apply online here.

To complete this application you will need your passport number (or ARC number), the address of where you are staying in Taiwan and a Taiwanese friend who will agree to be your emergency contact. If you’re staying at a hostel or hotel, see if you can enlist someone in management or at the reception desk to help you. Your contact does not have to be Taiwanese, but they do need to have a local phone number that is based in Taiwan. There is a possibility that someone will call and confirm the number with your contact. You will also need your contact’s national ID number and birthday.

Currently, the trail is only open for the first three kilometers. This is perfectly fine as the best views are at the beginning of the trail anyway. On the first page of the online application map your route as follows: Zhuilu Suspension Brigdge - Badagan Outpost - Cliff Outpost - Badagan Outpost - Zhuilu Suspension Bridge. Once you’ve completed the application, you will receive an email approving your permit within three days. It’s very fast. Again, there is a limit on how many permits are issued per day so it is best to apply earlier rather than later. Upside, there won’t be more than around 60 people on the trail at any given time. Not only does this help preserve the natural environment, but it also means most of your hike will be in relative privacy.

After receiving the first permit online, print out three copies. One is for you to keep, one is for the police office at Taroko and the last one is for actually entering the trail. On the day of your hike, try to get an early start and be at the trail head no later than ten in the morning. This means you should get to the Taroko visitor center by nine o’clock. At the visitor center, go to the police station and fill out the paperwork for the second permit needed to enter the trail. The station is located a short walk down the road from the actual tourist visitor center. You’ll probably see police cars parked out front. At the station, show your identification and the printed hiking permit. In return, they will give you the second hiking permit. It’s as simple as that. The whole process is very fast and completely painless. If the officer behind the desk in especially slow, it might take ten minutes.

Once you have the second permit from the police station, make your way to the trail head. There are two ways to do this. First, you can head to the visitor center and they will call a taxi to take you there. Alternatively, you can go to the Taroko bus stop. The buses run every hour and they do stop at the Zuilu Old Road trail head. It’s the same stop as Sparrow Grotto and you can see the entrance from the bus stop.

At the trail head, show your paperwork and identification to the gate keeper and he’ll unlock everything for you. (That’s right. This trail is cool enough to have a gate keeper. With suspension bridges, tunnels, ruins and cliffs, the only thing missing is the fairies.) After making everyone jealous with your apparent magical powers over the gate keeper, enjoy the hike. It’s not for the faint of heart, but the path is clearly marked. There’s no need to worry about maps or getting lost and there’s certainly no need to pay for a tour guide. The whole hike takes three to four hours. Be warned, there are a lot of stairs.