Taroko Village Hotel — Hotel in Xiulin

A real highlight for my wife and I on our 6 day Wendy Wu private tour of Taiwan in January 2020 was to visit the Taroko National Park on the eastern side of the island and to witness the very impressive Taroko Gorge. ||||Our overnight accommodation at the Taroko Village Hotel located in the Taroko National Park offered a rare treat for us – rustic accommodation in wooden chalets in an idyllic setting in a green valley surrounded by misty mountains. This was a very refreshing change from the glitzy, modern hotels we are accustomed to in the cities. The chalets are nicely spaced apart from each other and have been built on the perimeter of a large open grassed area and with the majestic mountain backdrop – wow! It reminded me of Switzerland in summer, except of course that we were in Taiwan. |||| Our chalet was a duplex unit that could accommodate two sets of guests, one on either side of a common staircase of 4 steps leading to a front balcony. Each unit has its own balcony space to view the spectacular scenery. We were accommodated in a Grand View Taroko Suite which has the capacity to accommodate 2 to 4 people. There are 28 of these Suites. There are also 8 Garden View Tribal Suites which can accommodate larger groups of 5 to 8 persons and one more upgraded Chieftain Suite for 2 to 4 people. ||||Our Grand View Taroko Suite was more than adequate and provided all our accommodation needs including two comfortable single beds, a small occasional table between each bed, a small television, a DVD player, a small bookshelf of reading books and tea and coffee making facilities. The bathroom was clean and efficient and included a basic walk in shower unit Indeed we enjoyed all the comforts of home here at the Taroko Village Hotel. ||||There is a knife (room key) rack in every room. Tradition has it that we must be sure to put the knife (key) back on the rack correctly. If it is put back crooked you will have dreams at night. If you leave it elsewhere and not on the rack you will have nightmares. Needless to say we decided to be like a Taroko and adhere to tradition. ||||Our overnight package included dinner and breakfast. Dinner is a buffet of interesting food delights and all guests turn up at a set time and sit down together for the meal at the hotel restaurant. Our breakfast in the morning was wholesome and there was plenty of food on offer to enjoy. I recall that their local baked clay oven rolls served with breakfast were very tasty. The staff members are all indigenous from the local Taroko Tribe and they were very friendly and helpful throughout our visit. ||||After our Dinner we were given a wonderful cultural show of songs, instrumental music, dances and military drills performed by the indigenous hotel staff and their families and local high school children in a meeting hall specially designed with seating and a stage for the purpose. These performers were not professional but they really enjoyed what they were doing and gave a wholehearted performance to entertain all the hotel guests. It was a brilliant show of much colour and excitement and it serves a good purpose to help children to respect and maintain the local aboriginal culture through music, dance and song. My wife and I felt honoured to have experienced this show first hand. ||||Outside the main entrance to where the tour coaches park there are a series of very interesting large canvas paintings around the coach parking area depicting various aspects of Taroko Village life. These are well worth a viewing. ||||There are a number of hiking trails commencing from the hotel. However we were there for too short a time to take advantage of these. We did, however, the next morning really come to appreciate the majesty of the actual Taroko Gorge – a must see Taiwan tourist attraction. ||||A highlight for me was to wake up early in the morning before sunrise and sit on the balcony of our chalet and take in the peaceful surroundings watching the daylight emerge with the soft sounds of the birds chirping their morning call. Against the impressive mountain backdrop in front of me this was a magic moment to savour. The mountains on this new day were free of the mist that partially clouded them the day before which was nice to see. ||||This was an all too short but great visit to this hotel. We felt privileged to be able to experience such idyllic rustic accommodation away from the crowded cities and to enjoy delightful aboriginal village hospitality...

An aboriginal village located in the valley of mountains within the Taroko region, is now a hotel that warmly welcomes guests from all corners of the world. Guests would be able to experience Tribal lifestyle the best way possible, in a comfortable and modern setting of course! The accommodation consists of large wooden chalets that are made of natural materials such as wood from the local forests as well as leaf thatched roofs which adds onto the experience. The room is surprisingly comfortable as it has a toilet that and shower that is comparable to those found in hotels at Taipei city. In addition, there is air conditioning and bed warmers for guests during the winter season. A nice surprise was that there was complimentary breakfast and dinner provided. Breakfast is a standard mix of western and taiwanese options such as porridge with a local touch of a wide array of local wild vegetables found within the Taroko region. In regards to the meals, there was a possible rotation of dinner options as the first night I stayed there, was an ala carte style set meal consisting of pork ribs and other wild vegetables alongside with local rice wine, (which was heavily diluted to the point children below 18 could drink it). However, the second night's dinner was a complete change, which was a buffet spread consisting of western and local options such as crispy chicken and sweet and sour fish which was super delicious accompanied by barbequed mountain boar ribs and belly. After dinner, there would be a performance, which differs every day throughout the week, as 4 groups of performers rotate each night. On my first night, the staff who did the cooking and manning the entire compound were made to perform by singing and playing local tribal musical instruments. On the second night, it was a group of children ranging from the age of 6 to 16 years old who would perform alongside the adults by singing, dancing and acting, depicting the past activities the tribe did before they were exposed to the outside world. In my opinion, this is Ecotourism as its best, the hotel practices environmental friendly habits by reducing their use of plastic as well as providing the income earned by guest stays, to the local tribe. The children who perform actually still study in local schools alongside learning a tribal musical instrument or by singing in order to preserve their heritage. Overall, I feel that it is worth staying at such a hotel, not just because of its scenic beauty but because of the fact that it helps to promote and sustain the local people of the land and their heritage, which I feel is putting your money to a good cause in helping these people to have the will and pride in preserving one of...

Our 3-night stay in this native village was awesome!. There are 37 chalets arranged in a semicircular arrangement around a large open green space, smack in Taroko National Park.

It has an abundance of natural fauna & flora. Also macaques, colourful insects & birds. A bird-watching haven with many wildlife photographers with their professional cameras! Disabled friendly; check out the Buluowan HQ Terrace Accessibility Map for the Disabled.

Our room came with raised wooden platform, comfortable mattresses, heated blankets and spring water. The room is clean but may be a little small if you have big luggage.

Meals were rich and plentiful, with interesting beverages like plum juice, plum vinegar, fragrant long life chrysanthemum herb tea, aromatic expresso coffee, hot soya milk, etc.

Dinner was particularly sumptuous with a variety of dishes including wild boar, beef steak that was nicely done (I informed the reception that I do not eat pork, including wild boar), steamed garlic prawns, aboriginal appetisers, beef curry, fried chicken, salads, steamed tilapia, & wild mountain vegetables.

We joined in the nightly native performances @ 8:00 pm. It was interesting as it helped us understand and appreciate the native culture. Staff at Taroko are all natives and they also double-up as performers / dancers. They are indeed talented.

There are 3 mountain trails, Bamboo Grove (15 min) , Meander Core (15 min), & Swallow Grotto (60 min, two-way). We walked at least 174 steps from Taroko Leader Village down to Meander Core & Swallow Grotto trails. Swallow trail is 400 metres long and with a 120 metres difference in elevation and more than 700 steps down from Buluowan HQ Terrace or more than 1000 steps from Taroko Leader Village.

Go for it if you are up to it. Check that you have sturdy non-slip footwear and a bottle of water to hydrate...