Taroko Gorge is a major tourist attraction in Taiwan. The gorge gaps a rift in the mountains with shear cliffs rising up from the river bed. The best way to enjoy this area is to get away from crowds by exploring one of the many hiking trails in Taroko Gorge.
Eternal Spring Shrine, Mysterious valley, Houran Pavillion, Baiying, Meiyuan, and Lotus Lake are the popular trails available here. Jiangkou Mountain Trail or the Tali Trail are the best if you wish to go for an adventuresome hike.
Eternal Spring Shrine:
The Eternal Spring Shrine is one of the most photographed sights in Taroko Gorge. What most people don’t know is that it hides one of the most pleasant short trails (1.5 km/50 minutes) in the park. This shrine is dedicated to the hundreds of workers who lost their lives during the four-year construction of the Central Cross Island Highway, which opened in 1960.
Taroko Gorge National Park:
It is the second largest national park in Taiwan. Taroko is famous for its spectacular mountains and marble canyons. Cliffs and canyons stretch along Li Wu River.
The waterfalls characterize Taroko National Park and the most famous ones are Pai Yang Waterfall, Yin Tai Waterfall, Chang Chun Waterfall, and Lu Shui Waterfall. Yen Tze Kou and Chiu Chu Tung are the most impressive natural scenes in Taroko and the canyons here are the narrowest.
Swallow Grotto:
Swallow Grotto is a part of Taroko Gorge that is composed of marble cliff faces covered with small holes that are the result of long-term erosion by river and ground water. House swifts and Pacific swallows often forage and nest here.
Tunnel of nine turns:
This is one stop that you should not miss. It cuts through the rocky mountains of the middle of Taiwan that separates the eastern part of the island from the western part. A walk through the Tunnel of Nine Turns takes about 30 minutes and gives access to enchanting scenes of the gorge, the river, stone strata, the tunnel and the surrounding vegetation.
Tiansiang Lodge:
This is the site of an old Atayal village at the convergence of the Liwu and Dasha rivers. Scenic spots at Tiansiang include Siangde Temple, Tianfong Pagoda, a suspension bridge, the Wen Tian-siang Memorial Garden, the Plum Garden, and Tiangsiang Church.
Chi Hsing Beach:
Just north of Hualien is the obscure coastal village of Chi Hsing Bay. The beach here is still largely undeveloped and boasts a spectacular backdrop of mountains. It would have been a great place to relax but it has one drawback. The sand has high gravel content, making it uncomfortable to sit on. On the south side of the village is a large teahouse that overlooks the sea.
East coast National Scenic Area:
This area is known as “Taiwan’s last unspoiled land” that stretches 170 kilometers down the east coast of the island from the mouth of the Hualien River in the north to Shiauyeliou in the south.
Stone Umbrella:
Shihyusan, or “Stone Umbrella,” is a narrow spit of rock that projects approximately one kilometer into the sea, like the trunk of an elephant, at the 106-kilometer mark of Highway 11. The “stone umbrella plus the beautiful scenery here; make Shihyusan a popular spot with photographers.
Taroko Gorge is an awesome place with lots of scenic beauty which is sure to make your journey worthwhile!
Source: WikiTravel
