Taroko Gorge
A canyon carved through solid marble, where the road tunnels along sheer walls above a jade-green river.
Taroko is Taiwan’s most dramatic landscape and, on a good day, one of the great gorges of Asia. Over millions of years the Liwu River has cut a deep cleft straight through a mountain of marble and granite, leaving walls that rise hundreds of metres, streaked grey, white, and rust, with the river running an improbable milky jade at the bottom. The Central Cross-Island Highway threads through it on a road blasted into the rock face by hand in the 1950s, ducking through tunnels and clinging to ledges. Highlights along the way include the Swallow Grotto (Yanzikou), where pot-holes in the cliff are home to nesting swifts, and the cliffside Eternal Spring Shrine (Changchun), a small white pavilion built over a waterfall in memory of the road’s builders.
Important: check the park’s status before you go
Be aware before planning a visit: the powerful April 2024 Hualien earthquake triggered major rockfalls and landslides through the gorge, and substantial sections of the park — trails, the canyon road, and some landmark sites — have seen prolonged closures and phased, partial reopenings since. Conditions change with each repair, aftershock, and typhoon, so do not assume the classic route is open. Always check the official Taroko National Park headquarters status (and any local advisories) for current access, road conditions, and which trails are passable before you travel, and treat older guidebooks and blog posts with caution.
What to see in Taroko Gorge
When access allows, the set-piece sights are clustered along the gorge road and reachable on foot or by the park shuttle bus. Save energy for whichever of these is open on the day you visit.
- Swallow Grotto (Yanzikou) — the narrowest, most spectacular stretch of canyon wall.
- Eternal Spring Shrine (Changchun) — the iconic white pavilion above a waterfall.
- Tunnel of Nine Turns (Jiuqudong) — a walkway through hand-cut tunnels hugging the cliff.
- Shakadang Trail — a riverside path along translucent blue-green pools.
- Qingshui Cliffs — sheer marble cliffs plunging into the Pacific just up the coast.
How to get to Taroko Gorge
The gateway is Hualien, on the east coast, about 25–30 minutes’ drive from the park entrance. From Taipei, the regular east-coast train down to Hualien takes roughly two to three hours; from there, hire a scooter or car, join a tour, or use the park shuttle and local buses to get up into the gorge. Note that the east-coast rail line and the highways into Hualien can themselves be disrupted after seismic activity or typhoons — another reason to confirm everything is running before you set out.
Pair the east coast with the north: the lantern towns of Jiufen and Pingxi sit on the way out from Taipei, or carry on to the lakeside at Sun Moon Lake in the central mountains.