How to Fail at Hiking Taroko National Park, Taiwan

Sometimes things just don’t break your way. After learning that Taiwan was more than just an urban destination, I was keen to explore some of the island’s mountainous interior. My target – Taroko National Park, home to Taroko Gorge as it winds its way in from the east coast. Given my love of hiking, the prospect of hiking Taroko National Park left me excited. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.

Much like my time in Taitung, nature had other plans. You see, Taiwan had just been soaked by Typhoon Khanun. This meant hiking Taroko Gorge would prove impossible during my visit. Still, I was able to make the most of my trip to the national park. Hopefully, this account will help others better prepare for their Taroko National Park visit and learn from my mistakes.

Hiking and Typhoons Don’t Mix

So what exactly happened? Well, Taiwan and other parts of the region were hit by a series of typhoons during October. One such typhoon was Khanun which made landfall while I was on the island’s east coast. 4 days before I visited Taroko Gorge, a typhoon dumped an unholy amount of water on Taiwan the morning before visiting. While it had limited my time in Taitung, I hadn’t given much thought to the effect it could have had on Taroko.

My first warning should have been the emergency alerts that came up on my phone. Once translated they would have told me that there was a serious risk of landslides in the region. But I didn’t work that out until later. Unsurprisingly, Taroko Gorge had suffered a series of landslides and rockslides, naturally calling into question the safety of its hiking trails.

Many of Taroko’s day hikes head up into the mountains and run precariously close to some cliff edges. Away from the trails, the obvious signs of rockslides were the littered debris of earth and rock found on the park roads. Certain roads, like the one out to the Eternal Spring Shine, were barricaded off, indicating even the roads weren’t entirely safe to be on.

I’m embarrassed to say that I was pretty oblivious to all this. It wasn’t really until I encountered the first blocked hiking trail that I put two and two together. A second barrier made things crystal clear, there was to be no hiking Taroko Gorge today.

Mind you, there were some trails I wouldn’t have been able to hike had the trails been open anyway. You see, some trails require you to get a hiking permit from the park headquarters or online. Not all trails, just a select few. Having stayed on the bus well past the HQ, I would have missed out on getting the permits and wouldn’t have been allowed. That is of course, if there weren’t barriers barring entry to the trails.

Sightseeing in Taroko Gorge

Even with missing out on hiking Taroko Gorge, I was relieved to learn that there were still plenty of sights to enjoy. There’s a reason after all why it’s a must on any good Taiwan itinerary. Rather than moving between points via the hiking trails, I walked along the side of the road through the canyon and made use of the national park buses.

Attractions to be found along Taroko Gorge include the gorge’s river, temples, waterfalls, grottoes and even hot springs. Of course, there’s also the Arch of Taroko that you pass on entering the national park. Safe to say, you can fill a day here without exploring even one hiking trail. That explains why full-day sightseeing tours here are quite popular.

Waterfalls Galore

The feature that immediately struck me as the bus ventured into the gorge was the myriad of waterfalls gushing into the gorge. Naturally, one of the benefits of an intense amount of rainfall in the mountains is the waterfalls that it creates. Of course, this means it’s hard to know which are commonly found and which were a special one-off.

Even if they were temporary creations, the striking waterfalls immediately set the tone of Taroko – awe-inspiring natural beauty. Throughout the great green mountains, white cascades contrasted adding to the vibrant liveliness of the gorge. Funnily enough, the best viewing point I found for the waterfalls was at the Lushui Service Centre, where I first alighted from the bus. The huge range stood before me and multiple falls could be spotted from afar.

The waterfalls may have appeared white as they fell, but the gorge river matched the grey marble of the gorge itself. Surging past, it was clear plenty of water had suddenly been added to the ecosystem.

Scenic Bridges

In a park centred on a vast gorge, there’s no surprise that Taroko is home to several bridges. The park roads often skip from one side to the other and you’ll find hiking trails on both sides of the gorge. Typically, the park’s bridges are more functional over style, but there are a few notable exceptions.

One of the more scenic bridges is the picturesque Yue Wang Ting suspension bridge. Unfortunately, it appears to be a favourite of tour groups, who seem to require individual photo shoots on said bridge. So prepare for a line and be told to wait by tour guides eager to please, sigh. Rant aside, it is a fantastic spot, especially with a large, cascading waterfall right nearby.

The other bridge that caught my eye was the cheerful Pudu Bridge leading to the Xiangde Temple. More on the temple in a second, but it’s safe to say that the red and yellow bridge stands out among the shades of green of Taroko Gorge.

Marvelous Temples of Taroko

The other important thing to remember about Taroko National Park is that it holds greater religious importance. Dotted throughout the mountains here are a great number of shrines, temples and pagodas.

Sometimes their significance was lost on me, if like the small shrine by the Yue Wang Ting bridge, there’s no English language information. What wasn’t lost on me is how special they look with the gorge as a picturesque backdrop.

During my visit, I was most impressed by the hilltop sanctuary of Xiangde Temple. Located across the gorge from the Tianxiang village, this modern Buddhist temple still holds an air of reverence about it. Crossing Pudu Bridge and the temple gate, you wind up staircases through manicured gardens and past the Tianfeng Pagoda.

In front of the buildings of the Xiangde Temple lies a wide terrace with a large gold statue of Ksitigarbha in the form of a monk. The terrace is quite a popular spot for views out towards Tianxiang and across the gorge area. Even though you’ve climbed up a little way, the mountains behind the temple still loom high over you.

Although I failed to visit it, the other spot I have to mention is the Changchun Shrine. Known in English as the Eternal Spring Shine, this highlight of Taroko features a quaint shrine sitting over a waterfall. The shrine is an icon of Taroko National Park, but sadly debris on the road prevented access to it during my visit. The above quick snap from the bus as it stopped before a tunnel is the brief glimpse I got of it sadly.

Hiking Taroko National Park, Next Time

There’s no doubt in my mind that given the chance to return to Taiwan, actually hiking Taroko National Park will be high on my agenda. Now that I have a better idea of just how expansive the park is, I know I could easily spend several days exploring its trails. Of course, I may pick a different time of year next visit to try to avoid weather interference.

Places in Taroko I’m most keen to see next time include the Swallow Grotto, the Wenshan Hot Springs and the views along the Dali Datong trail. I’m also interested in seeing some of the attractions in the park’s vicinity, such as the Qingshui Cliffs by the sea. Plus, there’s the rest of the island’s Central Mountain Range to explore with destinations like Sun Moon Lake. I’ve truly only scratched the surface, it’s that!

Best Time to Visit Taroko Gorge

So how do you avoid what happened to me? Skip the Taiwan typhoon season, that’s how. I went to Taiwan during mid-October which is the very edge of the season, normally June through early October. Autumn and winter (October – March) are often seen as the best time to visit Taiwan with cooler and dryer weather. It seems like I was unfortunate with my visit and I sure hope you’re not.

Tips for Visiting Taroko National Park

When visiting Taroko National Park, the main choices for where to stay are in Hualien nearby or one of the gorge’s campgrounds. I don’t know too much about the campgrounds given they were closed due to the typhoon during my trip. Hualien I found to be a convenient city to stay in, although I never actually saw much of it.

To reach Taroko National Park by bus there are connections on the 1133A bus roughly every hour from the Hualien train station to Tianxiang. There is also a separate bus company, Taroko Bus 302, that operates between Xincheng Railway Station to Tianxiang.

Timetables for both can be found as attachments on the Taroko website. For the bus from Hualien, you can buy a one-day pass for NT$250 and a 2-day pass for NT$400. Note, however, that it doesn’t work for the 302 bus. You buy the pass at the small ticket kiosk at the bus stop by the station.

Of course, there’s always the option of joining a tour that will take you through the sights of Taroko. Anyway, for more information on visiting and hiking Taroko Gorge, it’s best to look at the Taroko National Park website.

Have you had the pleasure of hiking Taroko National Park? Did you know that Taiwan was home to such beautiful natural scenery? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.