Behind its bustling night markets and vibrant commercial centers, there lies a place in embedded in the eastern coast of Taiwan that showcases the allure of natural beauty, a rarity in today's commercialized world. Taroko Gorge is one of the seven national parks in Taiwan and spans the counties of Hualien, Taichung, and Nantou. No wonder the Portuguese named the island Formosa ("Beautiful Island"). This is, in my opinion, a must-see when you visit Taiwan.When I visited Taiwan in the summer of 2009, I had no idea what and where Taroko was but found out about it from locals and decided to venture off one weekend with a few friends...and it was probably the most fun I had in Taiwan.
We took a train headed for Hualien from Taipei Main Station (a few hour train ride) early on a Friday morning. As soon as we got off the train, we decided that our main form of transportation around the city and to Taroko was going to be...SCOOTER!!! And let me tell you an important piece of advice...scootering is the best way to experience Taroko hands down.
And so once we got off the rail station, we headed towards the Help Center to ask for maps and advice on where to rent scooters. The guy told us that there were many shops right outside of the train station and that we would need to have an international drivers license (but there is always a way around something in Asia). So we went to one of the first shops we saw with scooters lined up on the side and asked to rent 2 scooters. The guy asked for our international drivers licenses and so I gave him my California drivers license and what do you know, ACCEPTED (I don't think he read he could read). But then next, we had to pass a "driving test," and I had never rode on a bike/scooter before. So Tim goes...he passes. Then Jade goes...she passes. Then I go...and I almost fall on my ass. So the guy was like, "These Taiwanese scooters are different...you guys don't know how to drive them. I cannot rent these out to you for safety reasons." Of course, it wasn't that formal, but you get the point. DENIED BECAUSE OF ME. Ok, so we go to a few more shops but they were a little smarter than the other guy and knew what an international drivers license looked like. But we finally found a shop that rented us two 150cc bike for 600NTD/day.
But then, none of us really knew how to ride a bike/scooter, so we walked the bikes over to an alley (SHADY) and literally learned how to ride them in a matter of 30 minutes. Then we were off on the road to our hostel...Formosa Backpackers Hostel. Once we packed our bags, we were off again and this time towards Taroko Gorge. Taroko Gorge is about a 45minute scooter ride from Hualien and the journey there is actually quite nice and enjoying.
As we entered the valley of the Gorge, I was just fascinated at how pretty and serene the surrounding environment was (unlike Taipei). With the help of my Lonely Planet, we immediately set off to see as many sights as we could such as Tunnel of Nine Turns and Eternal Spring Shine.
After hours and hours of scootering and hiking around, we found a river nearby and decided to jump in.
As the sun set, we knew we had to leave the Gorge before it got dark, but as soon as we headed for the exit, a storm brew and it started raining like none other. We waited inside a tunnel with a few other locals until the rain died down and we decided to just head out. But on our way back, it started raining again but we weren't going to stop this time. I have to say...it was a brutal ride back especially for me because my helmet did not have a faceplate and so the rain just battered my way the entire ride back. But it did stop raining as we neared Hualien, but we were hungry and decided to check out a ceremony alongside the rode the natives were having.
Bottom Line: If you are ever in Taiwan, please do visit Taroko Gorge as it is one of the world's last remaining natural wonders. From Taipei, it is only a 3hr train ride to Hualien. From the train station, rent out a scooter from a nearby shop. And from there, head over to Taroko Gorge (45min by scooter) and just relax and enjoy the beauty of Taroko.
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