Job Discussion Forums

[StayingPower]

Which national parks do you like, and why? I believe there are five, correct?

I'm interested in exploring some of the ruggedness of the mountains, the remoter wildlife, and perhaps doing some camping. The sea doesn't interest me too much.

Moreover, would you give Taiwan's national parks a good grade?

[BigWally]

Taroko National Park - almost as spectacular as the Canadian Rockies, phenomenal views, incredible scenery, beautiful mountain roads, winding rivers thru monsterous mountain peaks, gorgeous waterfalls, legendary hot springs, bitterly cold mountain tops, sensational hikes....i think i'm out of adjectives, can be quite touristy during certain times, but i've been told there are times when you'll see no one for hours, driving is quite tough, but allows for stopping to enjoy the views....i doubt there is a better park on the island...you could spend a week enjoying this place

Kenting National Park - very nice, near the southern tip of the island, very close to some of the best beaches in Taiwan, very touristy, probably the hottest part of Taiwan, very enjoyable if you can get away from the crowds

Maolin - not sure if its a national park or not, but very beautiful none the less, spectacular hot springs, and natural rivers to swim in, very beautiful waterfalls, interesting aboriginal culture, very accessable for camping or hiking, can be very touristy in some spots and secluded in others...very fun for a weekend trip....


At times its hard to believe that there is so much to see on such a small island, and that there can be so much variation in landscape. I'd say that if you pick the right times to go the National parks here are just as good as those anywhere in the world.

[Taylor]

I'd like to thank BigWally for a great, positive post!

Thanks for taking the time to write an informative, interesting post that shows one bright side of living in Taiwan.

Taylor
Kaohsiung

[BigWally]

[dangerousapple]

No! Stay away from Maolin!! Terrible place, nothing to do there!!!!

Actually, I just want to keep it to myself. Maolin is my favorite mountain get-away area. Simply great.

[BigWally]

[StayingPower]

Okay, thanks. I'd heard, however, that the gorge has a lot of land pollution, is that correct?

[SanChong]

I just finished taking a GREAT scooter trip from Taipei and down through the mountains into Taroko Gorge. You would need 3 days to do this comfortably and it was really beautiful ride.

Here is the rundown of the route we took:

Day 1: We took Route 3 down into DaXi (this took about 1 hour), where we picked up Routh 7 South. This began the real mountain portion of the journey. We went up through winding mountain paths, and within a couple of hours we had to change from our tee shirts and shorts into jeans and sweatshirts. We ended up at an elevation of over 1,000 meters which is fairly significant. The change in scenery was stark. The jungle type foliage of ground level turned into pine trees and, in many ways, I felt like I was back home in upstate New York!
We were on Route 7 for most of the rest of the day. We passed through some nice towns/markets in Fuxing and Baling. It was slow going through the mountains. The switchback, up and down roads make for slow driving. The occasional blue truck taking a turn like a NASCAR driving also makes you want to be a bit cautious.

At the end of the first day, we decided to head into Ilan. This was a great decision for a couple of reasons. First, the next day we found the road to be even more remote, and there would have been no place to stay. Second, there were no gas stations and we definitely would have run out of gas. So, spending the night in Ilan is pretty much a necessity.

Day 2:
We continued our journey back down Route 7. We intended on reaching Taroko that day, but quickly realized that would be impossible. As you come to the end of Route 7, the roads become extremely slow. Essentially, they have been cut out of the side of the mountain. You see the effects of recent landslides all the time, which is a pretty intense thing to see as you are riding on a motorcycle.
I can't do justice to how beautiful some of this scenery was. The feeling of driving a motorcyle through the mountains, on the sides of cliffs overlooking mountain streams is just great. We commented many times that it felt as though we were driving through the mountains of Switzerland, not Taiwan. As you get to a higher elevation, it really feels like you are in another country. We passed through miles of rivers and farm houses. For lunch we took a winding road down into a valley where we had some delicious hot pot on an organic farm with peach wine to wash it down!

At the end of Day Two, we stayed at a nice little guest house at 2,000 meters right near Li Shan (Li Mountain). It's called "Zhang Ma Ma", in case anyone takes this trip.
It was freezing cold, and it really did feel like we were in a different country!

Day 3:
We picked up Route 8 down the mountain and into Taroko. This was the hardest part of the trip, as we went down the mountain we'd spent most of the previous day climbing. Coming into Taroko through the mountains, as opposed to the regular route from the coast, is a different feeling. You appreciate it more by having seen the landscape behind it, that helped to form Taroko.

We had a nice lunch in the village around Taroko and then headed to the coast. We picked up route 9 and headed up the coast all the way back to Taipei. The coast from Hualien to Ilan is very beautiful and you are driving right on cliffs overlooking the water for a good portion of the way.

Great trip overall and I'd highly recomend it for people who want to get out of the city for a few days!
Make sure you feel comfortable on your motorcycle though, as this trip will challenge you.

[BigWally]

[StayingPower]

That's spectacular, thanks.

[BigWally]

no problems, i've got hundreds