Yanzikou Trail — Attraction in Xiulin

This place gets so packed with tourists, I literally saw a thousand people walking with helmets to avoid falling rocks while I was there. No rocks fell on my head. I did not wear a helmet. It looked more like a fashion statement. Helmets are free, by the way. You pick them up en route to this location.

No parking available. You must have a designated driver that drops you off at the beginning of the trail to pick you up afterwards after the 1KM short walk through caves. Police are stationed there to enforce these rules.

Beautiful view, no doubt. Bring a wide angle if you are a photographer.

We saw a couple sparrows, but sadly they are disappearing from the are because too many tourists come by and the noise is disruptive to their environment.

At the end of the trail is a shop that sells meals with chicken, some ice cream and drinks. Please do not litter. I saw a cup purposefully thrown over the balcony into the canyon and wish I saw who it was so I could tell them off. People like that ruin it for everyone.

Spectacular marble to witness. Naturally forming caves are a marvel. The site creates awe but the people gave...

This trail is a good hike for half a day of activity. If you're staying in Taroko, it doesn't take long to get here, so we went as soon as the park opened in the morning. You have to have pre-booked entry into the park (so that they know if they need to send search parties out for you), and the people at the check in desk spoke no English, so having a Mandarin or Taiwanese speaker is helpful. The hike itself is quite steep, with a flatter section roughly every 400m. On the trail, we saw wild monkeys, many birds and black deer. There were also several waterfalls that crossed our path. Near the top, it becomes a narrow ledge along a cliff. If you have bad balance, hold on to the guide ropes for your own safety. Currently, only the first 3 kilometres of the trail is open to the public. The rest has been eroded by typhoons. We saw some white people break into the eroded section but they decided it was too dangerous...

For self-drivers like me, you can’t park anywhere near the entrance of the trail. 2 options based on what I’ve done/seen:

1. Park at Buluowan Terrace, take the Ida Trail from the terrace. The trail is just about 10-15 minutes of non-stop stairs cutting through the greenery from the top at Buluowan Terrace to the bottom road level. You will land at the entrance of a tunnel towards Swallow Grotto trail, just walk about 10 min through the tunnel and you’ll be at the trailhead.

2. If you are pressed for time, drive your car directly to the Swallow Grotto trailhead. You can’t park, but I’ve seen someone get off the car and take photo every few meters while he kept driving his car forward lol. Just make sure your car ain’t blocking any other cars.

Anyway, this is my favourite trail in Taroko just because of the sheer majesty of the rock formations! And the turquoise waters flowing through Liwu river are also a...