Taroko Gorge is Taiwan's most spectacular natural sight — a marble canyon carved by the Liwu River, with walls rising hundreds of metres on either side of the road. The gorge sits at the heart of Taroko National Park, which stretches from sea level up into the high mountains of the Central Range. The name honours the Truku Indigenous people, who lived in these valleys for centuries before the Japanese colonial period and the construction of the Cross-Island Highway.
The gorge is best explored from Hualien, a city on the east coast. The main road through the gorge follows the Liwu River upstream, cutting right into the cliff face in places and passing through tunnels blasted from marble. The most photographed spot is the Eternal Spring Shrine — a red pavilion built directly over a waterfall, dedicated to the workers who died building the highway. The Swallow Grotto and the Tunnel of Nine Turns are the sections where the gorge narrows most dramatically; both are walked rather than driven. The Shakadang Trail follows a turquoise tributary river along carved ledges into a quieter side canyon.
Beyond the gorge, the road climbs up into the high mountains of central Taiwan. The scenery becomes extraordinary — peaks lined with terraced slopes, clouds drifting through the valleys, and at the highest points, views stretching to distant summits. The village of Tianxiang at the upper end is the base for the Baiyang Waterfall Trail and the further road to Hehuanshan, where the road reaches over 3,200 metres.
A day trip from Hualien will give you the main gorge; a night or two in the mountains allows you to reach the upper reaches and avoid the day-tripper crowds at the lower trailheads. Start early — the gorge is crowded from mid-morning on summer weekdays and overwhelmed on weekends.