Taroko Gorge'ous!

Lin said swallows flutter through the spot in June, adding a welcoming animated display to the peaceful scene.

Jiucyudong

My favorite part of Taroko Gorge is the most magnificent part – the Tunnel of Nine Turns Trail – where several sheer cliffs face one another. The distinctive formation is immediately recognizable.

According to Lin, Jiucyudong was especially difficult and dangerous to construct because of its unexpected rockslides, especially when the wind blows from the water toward the narrow valley, putting pressure on the cliff faces.

The tunnel in the gorge, resembling a coiled dragon, allows visitors to view the marble cliffs' folds and joints. Peering across the narrow gorge at a wall of stone just ten meters away, I feel like I could reach out and touch it. As I look far away down, I watch Kelan River rushing by in the small gap.

The walk on the trail takes about 30 minutes, but I could spend a whole day there, taking in every curve and stroke on the mountain of marble stones. It's amazing to see what a breathtaking masterpiece nature and human beings together can create.

Without a doubt, being so intimate with the natural world involves a certain amount of risk, but as part of the park headquarters' safety project, helmets are now highly recommended when visiting Jiucyudong because pebbles do fall unpredictably once in a while.

Note: Helmets are available at the Taroko National Park Headquarters.

Cihmu Bridge

Near the end of the gorge, parallel to the Central Cross-island Highway, is the Cihmu Bridge, a hanging bridge with two marble lions on each side.

Beneath the bridge sits a frog-shaped rock composed of a black layer of schist and a white layer of marble. Lin said former President Chiang Ching-kuo built a pavilion on this rock in memory of his mother – I thought that was sweet. I then understood why the bridge is named Chimu – it means “benevolent mother” in Chinese.

This part of the gorge is interesting because it's the merging point of two different types of rocks, schist and marble, and two rivers, Laosi and Liwu. Standing on the bridge is like standing in between two spaces coming together to create this unique experience; without each element, the place wouldn't be the same.

Similar to an “exit” gate of the gorge, the area surrounding the bridge is the most popular picture-taking spot.

Unlike the Eiffel Tower or the Great Pyramid at Giza – both feats of engineering – the gorge is 100 percent natural and found only in Taiwan.

How to get there:

By railway:

Get off at Hualien Station (NT$480 – NT$520/trip from Taipei) and visitors have the choice of taking the Hualien Bus, renting a car, a scooter, or taking a taxi up to the Taroko National Park Headquarters.

By air:

Flights are available from Taipei and Kaohsiung (about NT$1500/trip from Taipei. The Hualien Bus is also available from Hualien airport.

By car:

The Provincial Highway No. 9 is the main freeway that leads to the park's headquarters in about four hours.

1|2

SharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Terms

Enter your comments - 3000 characters max

Type in image code

Submit

 Receive China Post promos
 Respond to this email