Taroko: Walking Through a Marble Wonderland

Taroko Gorge is a must see when traveling to Taiwan. It's Taiwan's number one tourist attraction, but that's for good reason. The enormous caverns, crystal blue river and marble boulders make one feel wonderfully insignificant, and it is unlike a scene that you will see anywhere else. 

You have one of two options when visiting the Taroko National Park. One is the touristy route. This being a tour bus, rental car or scooter or touring taxi. In order to see all of the most popular sights, walking is not an option. The second choice is the more adventurous route. While you need to have a permit to go hiking off the main paths, there are only about 40 people allowed a permit per day so there are never any crowds and I've been told about spectacular views and cliff diving expeditions. We opted for the first choice, taking a taxi tour. It was good for us because our taxi driver knew all of the popular spots and gave us time at each place. Since there were 4 of us we only had to pay 500 NT per person for the tour. And it saved the hassle of navigating the park ourselves.

Cavern tunnels for driving through

Swallow Cave was a fun start. The enormity of the cavern put us in the perfect mindset. I was in utter awe at the size of the cliffs. The sights only got better as we continued into the gorge. The clear turquoise waters sparkled against glaring white marble in its natural form. With such massive incredible beauty it's hard to care about the swarms of Chinese tourists. The highlight of the trip was definitely the second to last stop, at the yellow bridge. While walking over the bridge we spotted a tall pagoda partway up the mountainside.  Lucia, Tobias and I decided to investigate and started to climb the stairs while Faye took a nap in the gondola overlooking the river. Once we reached the pagoda, we found that we could not only climb to the top, but could step out and see some of the most spectacular views of the trip. The final stop was the waterfall. While it is truly breathtaking, this one was marred by the hoards of Chinese tourists packed on the viewing deck so we only stayed long enough to snap a few pictures. 

Taiwan has many rare gems, all of them unique, and Taroko is unlike anything that you will ever see in your life. RThe sights command respect and inspire the truth of how insignificant you are in this world throughout your every fiber. 

Natural marble walls

Hard hats required at swallow caves

The view from the top of the pagoda

Temple and waterfall nestled among the mountains