The Taroko Gorge in Taiwan: A Day Trip Itinerary

Taroko National Park is one of Taiwan’s top tourist destinations. A spectacular area containing marble-walled canyons, emerald vegetation and picturesque shrines, the park is a dream destination for lovers of hiking, culture and splendid scenery.

The national park’s massive mountains are awe-inspiring. They tower over the chiseled Taroko Gorge, concealing temples and rivers and waterfalls. The national park—speckled with pagodas and surrounded by green forests—is a scenic wonderland that is worlds away from the bright city lights of Taiwan’s urban centers.

Bisecting this emerald wonderland is the Taroko Gorge–a masterpiece of geologic craftsmanship that, all puns intended, puts the ‘gorge’ in gorgeous. 

 

TAROKO NATIONAL PARK IN TAIWAN

Taroko  National Park lies on the eastern coast of Taiwan, near the city of Hualien. Not only is the park one of the top places to visit in Taiwan, but it is also sometimes considered to be one of the most beautiful national parks in Asia.

A highlight of travel outside Taipei, Taroko’s scenery is varied and dramatic. Within an area of less than 60km, its landscapes rise from sea level to over 3,00o meters.

The Taroko Gorge is the national park’s landmark attraction. Its precipitous cliffs line the snaking Liwu River and practically beg to be photographed.

In addition to the gorge, Taroko National Park boasts waterfalls, shrines, sea cliffs, and 27 peaks over 3,000 meters in height.

 

TAROKO NATIONAL PARK DAY TRIP ITINERARY

Taroko National Park is a popular day trip destination from Hualien. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even visit as a day trip from Taipei.

We spent two nights in Hualien and explored the gorge over the course of a day. Taking a public bus through the Taroko Gorge meant adhering to posted timetables. Since we were visiting the Taroko Gorge as a day trip from Hualien, we didn’t have time to do extensive hiking in the area. With that in mind, we skipped the longer hiking trails in the park and opted to spend more time at viewpoints along the way.

Our itinerary consisted of five main stops along the tourist circuit: the Swallow Tail Grotto, the Tunnel of Nine Turns, Tianxiang, the Eternal Spring Shrine and Qixingtan Beach.

 

• THE SWALLOWTAIL GROTTO

The Swallowtail Grotto was the first stop on our self-guided itinerary of Taroko National Park. The grotto derived its name from the eponymous swallows that have found a home in these sheer cliff walls. Sitting smack dab in the middle of the canyon, the grotto is a narrow stretch of gorge that affords jaw-dropping views at every turn. Sheer cliff faces soar skyward and plunge into the ravine below. At the Swallowtail Grotto, Taroko National Park is at its most dramatic. A narrow canyon has been chiseled by the blue-green Liwu River over millenia, creating one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in Taiwan.

The Swallowtail Grotto Trail takes about half an hour to complete. The path runs parallel to the vehicular road that cuts through the canyon.

Beware of falling rocks. The path through the canyon has rocky overhangs that can potentially be dangerous. As a result, many pedestrians at the Swallowtail Grotto and nearby Tunnel of Nine Turns choose to wear hardhats for protection.

 

• THE TUNNEL OF NINE TURNS

Just down the road from the Swallowtail Grotto, the Tunnel of Nine Turns is another must-see attraction along the Taroko Gorge.

The tortuous course of the Liwu River has carved a narrow canyon in the heart of the national park. A highway cuts alongside the canyon, winding along the precipitous cliffs, through a series of tunnels. This area of the park features vertical marble facades and some of Taiwan’s most astonishing natural craftsmanship. The path offers views of layered stone strata, narrow canyon walls and the snaking Liwu River below.

Like the Swallowtail Grotto, the Tunnel of Nine Turns takes about 30 minutes to walk and follows the main vehicular road through the park.

 

• TIANXIANG PAGODA

From the dramatic and narrow gorge, we hopped back onto the 1137A and took the bus all the way to the final stop of Tianxiang–the largest village in Taroko National Park. Tianxiang offers limited food and accommodation options for those who choose to stay in the national park overnight.

Set amidst a dramatic mountainous landscape, Tianxiang is yet another highlight of the Taroko Gorge. The Xiangde Temple in Tianxiang is the centerpiece of of the area’s attractions and a popular spot for visitors and worshippers. A short steep trail leads to the temple and adjacent pagoda.

 

From the temple overlooking Tianxiang, 360 degree views of the chiseled limestone formations are nothing short of breathtaking.

 

• ETERNAL SPRINGS SHRINE

After about an hour of soaking in the views of the surrounding mountains in Tianxiang, we continued our Taroko Park day trip with a stop at the Eternal Springs Shrine–a haunting memorial to the workers who died while constructing the park’s Cross-Island Highway. The shrine–one of the most photographed and beloved scenes of the park– sits atop a series of waterfalls that gush into the river below.

The Eternal Springs Shrine sits near the entrance to the park, just beyond the visitor’s center. Shuttle buses only stop by the site on their return trips from Tianxiang to Hualien. Thus, while the shrine is one of the closest park highlights to the entrance, it was the penultimate stop on our Taroko National Park itinerary.

The Eternal Springs Shrine is a ten minute walk from the parking lot and bus stop. Those wishing for a longer hike can follow a 2.2km trail behind the shrine. The uphill trail leads to the Guanyin Cave and Taroko Bell Tower.

 

• QIXINGTAN BEACH

Qixingtan, about 3km north of Hualien, features a wild and rugged coastline of emerald cliffs and ebony shores. Lying just outside the Taroko National Park boundaries, this sweeping crescent of black pebbled beach was the final stop on our return journey from Tianxiang to Hualien.

Qixingtan isn’t a typical beach escape. The scenery is wild, raw and unforgiving. One of Taiwan’s most iconic beaches, Qixingtan is a force of nature. The sky-blue waters of the Pacific crash agains the black-rock beach, churning its waters into a frothy foam.

The water at Qixingtan Beach is too rough for swimming. Nevertheless, the rugged stretch of oceanfront is a fantastic spot to bring a picnic lunch and photograph the crashing ocean waves.

 

HIKING IN TAROKO NATIONAL PARK

Admittedly, my visit to Taroko National Park consisted of very little hiking. Though my itinerary included short walks to some of the park’s highlights, I didn’t have the time to complete any of the longer treks in the area. Traveling to the Taroko Gorge by public bus meant I had to adhere to a strict transportation timetable. And so with only one day to explore the stunning gorge, I had to prioritize.

Based on my independent research prior to visiting the park, however, I gathered that there are quite a few beautiful trails along the Taroko Gorge. Most popular, are the Shakadang Trail, the Baiyang Waterfall Trail and the Zhuilu Old Trail.

 

WHERE TO STAY NEAR TAROKO NATIONAL PARK

Hualien’s proximity to the Taroko Gorge entrance makes it a logical place to stay while exploring the national park. We stayed at the Flower Time Guesthouse for two nights during our trip to the Taroko Gorge. The guesthouse– centrally located near the train station in Hualien—provides a clean and inexpensive base for exploring the area.

Other highly-rated places to Stay in Hualien include the Visual Range B&B and 1999 B&B for a budget room and the Kindness Hotel for a higher-end stay.

 

WHAT TO DO IN HUALIEN TAIWAN

Hualien was a delightful surprise. Though we primarily used the city as a launching pad for our day trip to the national park, we took the opportunity to wander the streets of Hualien during our free evenings in town.

If you’ve got only a day or two to explore Hualien’s surroundings, I suggest you focus your itinerary on the Taroko Gorge Attractions.

But if you have extra time to spare, you can check out some of the places to visit in Hualien that we couldn’t squeeze into our itinerary: Pine Garden, the Manor House, and Martyr’s Shrine.

Hualien’s undeniable highlight the Dongdamen Night Market. We found the market to be one of the best we visited during our short trip to Taiwan.

 

TRAVEL FROM HUALIEN TO TAIPEI

The train journey from Taipei to Hualien takes two hours. Due to its popularity, however, tickets sell out fast–usually two weeks in advance. For those who choose to map out their travel itineraries last-minute, bus/train combo tickets are a convenient and affordable alternative.

Since we planned on visiting Hualien a mere two days before departure, we had no choice but to purchase a combo ticket. From the Taipei City Hall Station, we took a bus to Luodong, followed by a local commuter train from Luodong to Hualien. The total journey took around three hours.

If you have limited time in Taiwan and don’t want to worry about planning and logistics, you can opt to join a day tour of the Taroko Gorge from Taipei.

 

GETTING AROUND TAROKO NATIONAL PARK

The scenic wonders of Taroko National Park are accessible by both public bus and private tour. There are several bus companies that travel through the gorge. We took Taroko Bus route 1133A, which departs from Hualien’s train station seven times a day.

The public bus is an affordable way of seeing the park’s highlights. An unlimited day pass on the 1133A costs NT$250.

Alternatively, you can join a tour of Taroko National Park from Hualien. Tours of the gorge provide reliable transport and bring you to all the main highlights in the park.

 

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The Taroko National Park is one of the most beautiful attractions in Taiwan. From gushing waterfalls to black sand beaches to soaring granite peaks, the park affords photo opportunities at every bend.

Portuguese explorers in the 1500s landed in Taiwan and named the island ‘Ihla Formosa’ or ‘Beautiful Isle.’

By traveling to Taroko National Park and immersing myself in the island’s natural beauty, it was not difficult for me to understand why.

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