Taroko National Park Travel Guide 太魯閣國家公園懶人包 – The World’s Deepest Marble Gorge

Historical Background

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. Later the Eurasian plate was uplifted where Taiwan is today, and a gorge was cut out of the limestone thanks to the Liwu River. 
Taroko means “human being,” from the Truku tribal language. Originally the Tupido Tribe settled in the area of what is now Tianxiang Taiti mesa. They built the Tupido Tribe Trail which was only 30 cm wide, and resided there until they were massacred by the Japanese in 1914. In 1917, the Japanese expanded the original trail made by the Tupido Tribe to 1.5 M and forced aboriginal tribesmen to carry goods along the trail to the east coast. This is now the Zhuilu Old Trail. Currently, the trail is not open to the public. The Japanese created a national park in the Area in 1937, which was disestablished by the ROC in 1945, and then reinstated it as a national park in 1986.

When to visit?

Hualien is great year-round, but it can get a little hot in the summer, and the Typhoon season and heavy rain season last from about May to October. If you are afraid of the heat and rain then you can visit during winter when the temperatures are mild and the climate is usually dryer. 

Where to stay?

The best hostel I’ve ever stayed at is “When Happiness Knock Your Door” “幸福來敲門” in Hualien. The hostess will go out of her way to make you comfortable and her rooms are kept extremely nice. Also, it was one of the few hostels I’ve ever been to that had an elevator. Her price is well below the quality you will enjoy. She has almost a perfect rating on Booking.com and Agoda.
You can book When Happiness Knock Your Door on Agoda here or Booking.com here.
We have also stayed at and recommend Dream Taiwan Homestay (Agoda / Booking.com), a high-quality hostel for the money in downtown Hualien, Farglory Hotel (Agoda / Booking.com), right next to Farglory Ocean Park with amazing views of Hualien, and Goldenflower B&B (Agoda / Booking.com) in Yuli right next to Sixty Stone Mountain.
You can find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

How to get there?

By Car: From Taipei, Take National Highway 5 to Yilan and then drive on the Suhua Highway 9 to Hualien. A few miles before Hualien City, the gorge will be on your right.
By Train: Take the train to Hualien station, and from there you can rent a scooter or car, or take a tour bus to the gorge.
​For more travel information see here.
You can book tickets to travel to Hualien via inter-city bus on Klook here.  
Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.

How to get around in Taroko Gorge:

As always, we recommend renting a scooter as the best way to see Taiwan. However, you can also a great deal of Tainan by taking the train, inter-city bus, local bus, biking, or just walking. Getting around in a car is also a convenient option as there is plenty of parking pretty much everywhere in this less crowded county. 
By Bus: You can book a shuttle bus to Taroko Gorge from Hualien on Klook here.
Scooter Rental: Looking for scooter rental in Hualien? You can search KKday here or Klook here to look for options.
You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
Car Rental: If you are looking for car rentals in Hualien, you can also search Klook here or KKDay here. 
You can also check out our car rental guide here. 

Tours: 

You can find more tours and activities in Hualien such as Surfing, Paragliding, SUP / Paddle Boarding, Kayaking, Canoeing, River Tracing, River Rafting, Whale Watching, Snorkeling, Diving, ATV / 4-wheeling, Paintballing, Farm Dream Estates Zoo, Water Biking, Oyster Harvesting, Shrimp Harvesting, Indigenous Experience, Glamping, Cycling, Ziplining and much more on Klook here or KKday here. 

Hours:

Hours: 8:30AM-5PM (Zhuilu old trail is usually open from 7AM to 10PM, but for now is closed indefinitely).
The road through Taroko Gorge up to Hehuanshan is open if you have your own vehicle, but only three times a day: 8 AM, 12 Noon, and 4 PM. You need to leave the park by 5:30 PM. There are many parts of the road that are just dirt or covered in potholes. Currently, only the Taroko National Park visitor’s center is open. 
However you can check out a list of other things you can do and see in Hualien besides Taroko Gorge here. 

Flying a Drone? 

Apply for a drone permit here.

Price:

Free! (Except Zhuilu old trail, which is 200 NT per adult. See below for more info.)

Map:

Please see the map below for the areas we will cover in the blog.

Drone Video

360 Pano

For a 360-degree view above Taroko Gorge, please see below or via this link.

 

 

 

 

 

First view from inside the gorge.

Changguang Temple 禪光寺

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liwu River Dam 立霧溪水壩

 

 

Liufang Lookout (​流芳橋觀景台)

 

 

Yuewangting 岳王亭

 

Yuewangting is another scenic lookout, that leads to an old logging trail via this suspension bridge. 

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Buluowan Recreation Area 布洛灣遊悠區

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tianxiang Recreation Area features the widest and most flat terraces within Taroko Gorge. Here you can find Xiangde Temple, Tianfeng Pagoda, Pudu Suspension Bridge, and Silks Place Taroko, which are all surrounded by amazing high canyons and beautiful deep river ravines. It is a must-see spot inside Taroko Gorge…(read more)

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Baiyang Falls 白楊瀑布

 

 

 

 

Tunnel of Nine Turns 九曲洞 

The tunnel of nine turns is one of the most breathtaking parts of the Gorge. Here you can find a trail along an old section of the cross-island highway with amazing views of the gorge right next to you.

Shanyue Suspension Bridge 山月吊橋

Shanyue Suspension Bridge (aka Buluowan Suspension Bridge) in Taroko National Park was completed in May 2022 and is 153 meters tall, making it the highest pedestrian suspension bridge in Taiwan and in East Asia.

Places and activities in Taroko National Park that we missed (hopefully to visit next time):

• Jiangkoushan 江口山
• Wenshan Hot Spring Trail 文山温泉步道
• Bridal Veil Falls 新娘婚紗瀑布
• Bilu Giant Tree 碧綠神木
• Yugong Cliff 愚公峭壁
• Zhuncun Village 竹村
• Tayuling 大禹嶺
• Tianluanchi 天巒池
• Mt. Qingshui 清水大山
• Surfing
• Paragliding
• SUP / Paddle Boarding
• Kayaking
• Canoeing
• River Tracing
• River Rafting
• Whale Watching
• Snorkeling 
• Diving
• ATV / 4-wheeling
• Paintballing
• Farm Dream Estates Zoo
• Water Biking
• Oyster Harvesting\
• Shrimp Harvesting
• Indigenous Experience
• Glamping
• Cycling
• Ziplining
  And much much more for you to explore.

You can find more tours and activities in Hualien on Klook here or KKday here. 

Again, Taroko Gorge is closed. However, you can check out a list of other things you can do and see in Hualien besides Taroko Gorge here. 

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You can also check out our full guide to Hualien here.
You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here.