Top Things to do in Hualien
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Top 10 Nature & Parks in Hualien, Hualien
Most people come to Hualien to visit the Taroko Gorge. And with good reason—it's simply beautiful. With rope bridges over rivers, hiking trails with astounding views, and temples cut into the mountainsides, it's an unforgettable place. Feel the full power of the ocean at Shihtiping, a two-hour drive from Hualien, where the waves crash into the rocky shore.
Restaurants in Hualien
1. Carp Lakeside Bikeway
2. Shihtiping
3. Taroko National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,385 reviews
Reviewed By gcincinnati - Tokyo, Japan
Definitely go. 100%. This park was the highlight of our 5-day trip and we are so glad we made the decision to spend 2 nights in nearby Xinchang in order to do it right. There are a few local buses that you can buy passes for to easily get around the park, with information desks or signs clearly explaining each place. It’s well managed and planned. Definitely go to Swallow Grotto before 9am if you can and walk the Baiyang trail to the spectacular falls. We’ll be back, absolutely!
4. Taroko Gorge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,630 reviews
Reviewed By Worldofg
Having a full day to kill due to a long connection in Taipei my wife and I decided to rush down to Taroko Gorge rather than staying in the city. What a great decision!! We caught train 202 from the main station at 6am, arriving at Hualien at 08:15 ($400 TWD return- $22 AUD). Based on other trip advisor posts we booked a taxi driver ( Jason Huang) for a day for a very reasonable $3500 for the car rather than per person (Taiwan; about $160.00 Australian). I hate being carted around on coaches and in large groups, you tend to see very little and it can be quite rushed, so a private hire was a perfect option considering tours were charging around $3500 pp. Our driver, Jason met us at the station as arranged, waving my name on his board, (note head towards West exit of the station and not the east). Jason is a happy chap with excellent English, as it turned out Jason was the perfect guide with very informative commentary on rock formation, the national park and wildlife so I started to feel quite smug about my choice. Our first stop was the Qingshui cliffs, absolutely beautiful known for its plunging cliffs and rugged seascapes, certainly a worthwhile stop. Look carefully in the trees on the walk up to the viewing platform and you will probably see the Formosan rock monkey, which are endemic to Taiwan. There were a number of them feeding in the trees, it was surprising that other visitors walked right passed without noticing them. Our day continued with drive up the mountain range with its spectacular marble walls arising from the Gorge’s base. Our tour stretched from the entrance Taroko National Park up to the incredible Baiyang waterfall trail, taking in the Changchun Shrine, Swallow Grotto, Shakadang Trail and Taroko Archway along the way . Jason was very good at hoping in front of the bus groups so we saw most of the main sites in peace and open to changing the itinerary to meet our requirements, rather than just following the tourist trail, as such we saw what we wanted to see and stayed at a particular spot for as long as we wished. The Shakadang Trail is a road one way shared with pedestrians and traffic but very well managed. The walk is around 2 km from one end to the other but is flat and easy with plenty of places to stop for a breather. Jason dropped us off at one end of the trail and met us at the opposite end. This is a must, there are so many impressive panoramas following the winding Gorge on foot that it’s impossible to stop taking photos- the marble cliff walls are a breathtaking sight and that’s an understatement. Probably second only the Grand Canyon, without question this was the highlight of our holiday. At the entrance to the trail stop and pick up a helmet, which are provided free by the Nation Park Authority, just in case of falling rocks or stones Our next stop was the Baiyang waterfall trail. The trial is a 4.2k round trip, and characterised by a number of tunnels, so take a small touch (Jason provided ours). The hike is very easy and for the mostly flat, the path is well maintained with informative signage on the way. The marble here has incredible the layers and patterns in the gorge walls, there is also large 5-10 metre wide marble boulders sitting in the blue river, sensational. There are great views of waterfalls, plunging cliff faces in the background, along with some colourful bird life, look out for a red tail wagtail, I’m not sure of its name but there we plenty of them and they are very pretty. At the end of the trail you can have an exceedingly cold shower if you wish to visit the Curtain Waterfall Cave (very refreshing I thought), I would highly recommend the cave, it can be a tight squeeze but worth it. My wife had a poncho and stayed dry as a bone. The walk back was as good taking in a different prospective of the scenery. The Taroko National Park is a wonder and should not be missed if you visit Taiwan. The scenery is unparalleled with captivating sights and relaxing sounds of the gorge. It is one trail that you must not missed when at the gorge . We had a fantastic day we were so happy we made the effort, Jason was brilliant and I would highly recommend him rather than a busy tour bus, which I may add looked crowded and very rushed. The ability to stop anywhere in your own time is certainly the way to go. Again, Jason was the perfect guide with very informative commentary on rock formation and wildlife. Jason's details are whatsapp 886963-800617 or [email protected]
5. Qixing Lake Binhai Bicycle Road
6. Mijhan Trail
7. Yanzihkou Trail (Swallow Grotto)
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 210 reviews
Reviewed By PaulSiow - Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
This trail is included in most tour itineraries for Taroko Gorge. It is easy to walk along the road and you need to wear a helmet. You can see the caves in the cliffs where the swallows nest. Didn't see any swallow though. Very beautiful scenery with the river below, steep cliffs and caves.
8. Yufu Bikeway
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By DavidASU - Union City, United States
Pick up our bikes at Yuli train station, we went on Yuli Bikeway to enjoy our bike ride with this perfect weather. The bikeway is great especially very few biking people. Thus we rode slowly to fully explore all natural beauties surrounding us. We stop by the intersection of Eurasia sea plate and Philippine sea plate to take the photos. Indeed, one side is slightly higher than the other side. Viewing the green rice field is kind of meditating yourself into the nature, mingling your spirit into the surrounding environment to totally venting out all negative energy out of you. You can really feel it after the refreshing and recharging. It took about about an hour and a half to complete the ride. Don’t miss this great experience if you ever come to Yuli
9. Danongdafu Forest Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 37 reviews
10. Emerald valley
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 22 reviews
Reviewed By 101donesofar - Stockholm, Sweden
Great place! But the water fall is really just a tiny part of this experience. Higher up in the valley will you will find great natural pools in the river with crystal clear water streaming thru. Tiny fishes will eat the dead skin from your feet. This is the real deal with this place and most people don’t know about this.
