As it turned out, the beauty of the waterfall itself, the magnificent, wild scenery of the surrounding area, and the realization that we were walking where not so many people have been, made it a richly rewarding, if long day’s trek (nearly eight hours!).

Having given up a previous attempt at trekking out to the waterfall, in the face of impenetrable jungle which blocked the trail that once threaded the spectacularly scenic valley of the Dasi River up to the fall, we decided to give it another try only after hearing from a well-connected friend that the trails in the area had been “cleared” by a local hiking group.

Armed with this encouraging information and determined to explore an area that has intrigued for many years, we left Taipei at dawn one sunny Sunday, zipped through Hsuehshan Tunnel, and reached the southern edge of the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area by eight o’clock. Turning off the coastal road in the center of Dasi village onto county route one, we climbed high into the steep, grassy hills that rise so impressively out of the Pacific along this stretch of coastline.

Enjoying the fabulous views over the deep gorge below as we climbed ever higher, we finally reached the trailhead a few meters after passing a concrete obelisk beside the lane, marking the border of Taipei and Ilan Counties. Leaving the car in a small parking place beside the road a few meters further, daypacks were packed and then we set off down the track opposite. Reaching Shipanliao Waterfall from this direction should only take an hour, we thought. After all, according to our hiking map, the trail from the road to the waterfall is less than three kilometers, which surely can’t be too bad.

Indeed the first leg of the journey was very pleasant, walked in the company of a friendly if voluble local farmer and his wife. Arriving at a ramshackle metal building called Jinhuang Temple, however, the wide, easy track turns into an overgrown and very steep trail, tackling the precipitous face of the gorge straight on, and progress slowed to an awkward and precarious clamber, made even more unpleasant when we walked straight into large, sticky cobwebs every ten minutes. Proof, if any was needed, that we were the first hikers to come through for a while.

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