Hiking Tokoro National Park

Hiking Taroko National Park is an absolute must in Taiwan, especially for those that love nature. It’s a bit of a journey getting there, but you can do a day trip if you’re short on time.

Getting There

First, you need to stop at Hualien or Sincheng station, which are the closest points to the park. You can either take a plane, bus, or train to get there. I took the train from Taipei station to Sincheng and paid around 440 NTD for the two-hour journey. I recommend you leave as early as possible to maximize your time at the park.

From Sincheng, you will need to purchase a bus ticket at the terminal nearby and for 250 NTD for the day pass. Don’t worry about getting lost, the terminal is very close to the station exit and you’ll see tourists, both foreign and local going in the same direction. The bus runs once an hour. From here, it’s an additional hour to reach the actual park.

My friends and I arrived shortly after the bus departed, giving us about 40 minutes to spare. We stopped at a local restaurant to grab some food before the day ahead of us.

The bus will take you to the entrance of the park where you can find a visitor center. This place is pretty helpful if you need a map or just have general questions about the park, bus times, etc.

From this stop, you can either walk about 20 minutes to reach the actual gorge or take a bus. My friends and I opted to walk since the weather was nice. This was literally one of the first views we saw. Very scenic!

The park is pretty big so you will need to take the bus to reach different areas of the park. The rides range from 5 to 20 minutes depending on where you go.

One of my favorite stops and probably one of the most iconic is the Eternal Spring Shrine. This memorial complex was built around 1958 to honor that died building the Central Cross-Island Highway.

I spent one day at the park, which wasn’t enough to be honest. Ideally, you’ll want to spend about 2 days here; however, one is enough to see the main places if you’re short on time.

Overall, I’d give Tokoro an 8/10! Very scenic and well worth the visit if you’re in Taiwan.