Baiyang Trail and Cave of Water Curtain

The highlight of our visit to Taroko National Park is our trek over the Baiyang Trail. We walked around 2.1 kilometers one-way and the more than 4-kilometer experience back and forth is definitely well worth it and here's why..

This is the tunnel entrance to trail along the Central Cross-Island Highway and is the jumping point to the trail. Mr. Lu dropped us off here and instructed us to proceed as he parked his car nearby and promised to catch up as soon as he can.


Mr. Lu lent us his rechargeable flashlight as we enter the the tunnel entrance. There are 6 more tunnels ahead of us until we reach our goal, and our cabbie promised us a surprise at the end when we reach the Cave of Water Curtain.


Without the flashlight, the tunnel is pitch black but straight. My mom and I decided to walk without the flashlights as we can clearly see the end of the tunnel. From where we started the tunnel seemed short but it's actually not. It's cold inside but there's a hand rail and the floor is paved although it's wet so we didn't have a hard time walking towards the end.


On the other side of the tunnel is yet another marvelous view of a gorge, rocks and marbles over the riverbed. Pretty amazing as we gasped over the view that we pass by as we go along.


There were also some plants and flowers, that made the whole journey cool and refreshing as we enjoy the walk.


butterflies over flowers


Minutes later and we reached another tunnel. Again, it is pitch black inside but this one is curved, although shorter, so we can barely see anything inside without the flashlight.


As you go along the path, make sure you watch out for signs that warns visitors of dangers like falling rocks from the mountain.


Somewhere along the way, Mr. Lu was able to catch up with us. For his age, he seems very healthy! On one of the tunnels, it was quiet but he pointed out to us that there are actually bats inside.


still a long way to get there!


come let's go!


Other than the plants, flowers, riverbeds and marbles that we pass along the way, there were also some sights like this small waterfall.


On one of the tunnels, there were also limestone formations that Mr. Lu pointed to us.


At last, after a series of tunnels, we're almost there! I was beginning to feel wary that it has been a long walk that my mom may feel tired sooner.


One more tunnel and we saw this marker that welcomed us to the Cave of Water Curtain.


We had to fold our pants before we enter to prevent it from soaking. Mr. Lu also suggested that I remove my shoes because we will be dipping in the water so I walked barefoot on this rocky path. My mom was wearing rubber sandals so she's safe. And oh, Mr. Lu is so ready that he even have ponchos to lend us for wearing so we won't get wet!


And here we are inside the cave! At first you may think this is just another cave but you can see here our feet are dipped in the water. The place is cold but the water is colder. Stepping on the cold stones barefooted was cool at first but it started to tire me later on.


We passed by some frogs and limestones and they are simply marvelous.


And then we reached the water curtain. Falling water from overhead and it sure was a fun experience feeling the pressure hit our bodies. Mr. Lu told us the water is safe to drink but I don't drink water so I didn't bother and just let my mom taste it. She said the water is good and it's cold!


A group of youngsters are inside playing with the water curtain. Looks like a fun activity to do but I didn't have extra clothes with me at that time so I just walked over it a few times.


We didn't proceed further at the other end of the cave because it was prohibited at that time and was deemend unsafe. We went out feeling refreshed and relaxed and began to make our way back to the trail entrance.

On the way, we passed by a short hanging bridge. At the backdroup is a waterfalls going down to a river below.


a closer view of the waterfalls


and yet another waterfalls!


Another rock formation to tickle your imagination - do you see an elephant?


Wow! It's all I can think of at the back of my mind as we go along the familiar path again we passed coming in. The 2-hour walk over what's worth 4.2 kilometers of trail way was definitely worth it. Taiwan kept on giving me surprises and now I understand why Janet Hsieh is so proud of her country.

Rock Faces, Cihmu Bridge and Visitor Center

One of the interesting things to do inside Taroko National Park is to let one's imagination run and go wild. How? By staring hard at the rock formations, your creativity may stir up and an image of something may come up to your mind. Take for instance some rocks where locals and visitors claim look like a head or face of a person.

An example of this is the head-shaped rock at the right. Now you have to stare hard and keep an open mind for you to see the head. If you let your minds extract more creative juices, you may be able to see a face on the left across it.


We saw this rock formation when Mr. Lu parked his cab near a high mountain inside the park.


Here's another "face" carving from the rocky mountain. Now it gets queer!


And this scene can be witnessed from a viewing deck that has a feel of a Japanese garden zen.


me and Mr. Lu


a monument marker, not sure what it says


Furthermore, we reached the Cihmu bridge where white marbles are. It is in a point where Liwu and Laosi rivers meet. At the other end of the bridge is a pavilion where one can relax and catch a view of the surroundings.


white marbles and more faces!


river flow


stairs to the pavilion


We also dropped by the Visitor Center, mainly to use restroom. Little did we know that there is a museum inside the place and the personnel inside called (and signalled by hand) for us to come in.


me and the planets of the solar system


explanation of the natural wonder but we could not read the characters :)


the park


photos of different areas inside the park


Looking at the photos taken from the park made us realized there are so much to do and and moreso to see but we got so little time.

Eternal Spring Shrine and Swallow Grotto

From Shakadang Trail, Mr. Lu went brought us to a spot overviewing Changchun, or the Eternal Spring Shrine. Taroko National Park is so massive that one cannot visit all the places inside so we just selected a few interesting places to go to. The shrine is dedicated to 212 military personnel who gave their lives for the construction of Central Cross-Island Highway.


The shrine is said to be the most photographed place here in the park and it's understandable why. Aside from the shrine itself, spring water from Changchun falls continuously flow from the mountain adding beauty to the attraction.


on top of the hill


writings on the rock wall


This tunnel is the starting point of a 1.5km trail to the shrine. It is short but we didn't go through because some points might be too steep for my mom to climb.


Mr. Lu's cab


We then proceeded to Yanzihkou or Swallow Grotto. As we walk towards a tunnel entrance, Mr. Lu pointed us two hanging bridges, an old one and new one. Both looks scary for someone with fear of heights for they are quite long. The old one is situated on a higher altitude.


pathway and viewing deck of the swallow grotto


tunnel entrance and swallow grotto marker


inside the tunnel


These are the grottos, I didn't get it at first but apparently a grotto is a small caverns and there are lots of these naturally carved into the rocks. I confirmed this with further research later on.


And this is a swallow. I also thought swallow was an adjective to the grotto, but later did I realize that they refer to a number of swallow birds around the area.


Liwu river and the gorge


me


A nice and comfortable place, great view and more learnings for me! I also learned that the term gorge refers to a deep narrow and rocky valley, like the one above along the Liwu river.