Taroko National Park, the wild side of Taiwan
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CRI, August 30, 2011
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Mountain peaks emerge through clouds of mist at Taroko National Park. |
On the final leg of our journey across Taiwan, we visited Taroko National Park located along the east coast of the island. The park is named after Taroko Gorge, the park's landmark scenic spot.
The park, which covers parts of Taichung City, Nantou County and Hualien County, is known for its deep and narrow gorges formed during an orogenic movement -- a rearrangement of the earth's tectonic plates -- four million years ago.
Although walking between the sky-towering mountains can be a fantastic experience, the park is difficult to reach. It is connected only by a narrow, one-way highway chiseled between the hard marble mountains.
The Suhua Highway connecting the park to nearby cities is often reported to be blocked by rockfall during the rainy season. Several enhancement projects have been built to secure traffic on the section of highway that passes through the park, but drivers are warned to pay extra attention while driving through the area.
Perilous as the Suhua highway might be, an increasing number of visitors come to Taroko National Park via the highway. Besides the sceneries in the park, tourists can get a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean unfolding at the foot of the mountains on their way to the sight.
