Taroko Gorge

A visit to Taroko National Park should be included in any trip to Taiwan. The nature is impressive and there are many beautiful and stunning spots and hiking trails.

It is easy and fast to reach the national park by public buses. My destination was Tiansiang, the last stop of the bus lines.

First, I started from Tiansiang towards Baiyang Trail. The path initially follows a road with a great view of the river with its crystal clear, turquoise water. Unexpectedly, after about 1 km, there is a tunnel entrance in the rock wall. At the end of the tunnel, a side valley opens up with magnificent rock formations and views of the river. The trail is wonderfully developed and there are places to rest and enjoy at several points. Unfortunately, the last section to the waterfall was closed due to rockfall, so I could not reach the actual destination. Since this is not a circular trail, you have to return the same way.

After that, I went up to the temple above Tiansiang. A magnificent complex with a huge, golden Buddha statue, a beautiful building, and very friendly people. The view over the valley is worth the many stairs.

Other highlights on my way were the Shrine of Eternal Spring, built on a hill above a waterfall, the Nine Turns Tunnel, and the visit to Buluowan Recreation Area, with information about an old Ataya settlement that used to exist there.

The return journey was a bit adventurous because during my visit there was unfortunately a construction site on the narrow road, which caused delays in public bus traffic and irritation among visitors. However, this led to many interesting conversations with people from different corners of our world (e.g. Bangkok, Singapore, Texas, Spain, and also from different parts of Germany). 😊