TAIWAN
Farmlands tucked away in Pinglin District, New Taipei City
painted steel frame, incense mingles with the humid air as we gaze out over black-sand beaches rising over scrubby hills into peaks. On towards the darkening horizon,
by the time we enter the final stretch to Taitung, the road is black and slick with rain. The streets are darker and their fringes more expansive than those of Taipei or even sleepy Hualien, as we skirt the edge of town to our guesthouse which is set among orchards of fruit and chillies. Aſter a day soaking up Taitung’s laid-
back atmosphere, the inland Highway 9 takes us back up north, passing the Tropic of Cancer mark before plunging down into a wide-open basin of paddy fields and dotted settlements, pumping the throttle once more to zoom through Guangfu and Fenglin, Hualien and then west inland to Taroko Gorge.
ON THE TRAIL The gorge is a 12 mile-long marble canyon that stretches like a great scar through Taroko National Park, Taiwan’s premier natural wilderness. Having secured permits in advance (a must if you want to attempt any of the more interesting trails in the park), we rise shortly aſter dawn to hike the notorious Old Zhuilu Trail. Although a round trip of only four miles, the trail is one of the most hair-raising in the country — a
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natgeotraveller.co.uk
steep two-mile ascent from Swallow Grotto leads to a 1,600ſt-long path cut into a vertical cliff, its widest point a metre, narrowing to two feet in places. Creeping gingerly along the path,
always leaning to the right, I gaze down an unfathomable distance to where the Liwu River winds its way between imposing, landslide-scarred buttresses of rock that rise up to challenge the clouds for their place in the sky, their peaks flickering in and out of view as the grey pall crawls by. By the time we edge back along the ledge, the gorge has disappeared, lost in a sea of fog. Two hours later and back in the
real world, I’m lying on my back in Wenshan Hot Spring, my still-spinning head resting on a flat stone, my aching backside submerged in a rocky pool of hot, sulphurous water, my feet dangling in the icy water of a gushing river that splashes cool relief into the pool sporadically. The experience tugs my nervous system in various directions, but the overall effect is one of utter relaxation — a far cry from the stress of navigating the smooth, steep, perilously slippery sandstone steps down to the river’s edge. Here there’s no roar of traffic, only the buzz of cicadas and birds jostling in the trees, of the rush of water and rustling of leaves on the breeze that sweeps the sulphur from the air.
ESSENTIALS Getting there & around
AIR CHINA flies Heathrow to Taoyuan Airport from £450 return. Regular trains and buses run between Taipei and Taitung, departing from Taipei Main Station.
airchina.co.uk
When to go
Taiwan is affected by two monsoon seasons: the northeast monsoon runs from around October to March, while the southwest monsoon runs from around May to September. April is the best time to visit, with average temperatures of 23C. Winters are largely mild (16C) but cold in the mountains, while summer is stupefyingly hot (30C).
How to do it
Motorbikes can be rented in Taipei from BIKE FARM from £12.50/day. They can also be rented from Taroko Gorge from just outside the Xincheng Taroko train station from £15/ day. Highway 11 is a highly popular cycling route; bikes can be rented from £12.50/day through GIANT, which also organises personalised cycling tours.
bikefarm.net
giantcyclingworld.com
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