Taroko Gorge is the place where the Liwu River has spent a very long time cutting through marble. The rock here is ancient limestone that was crushed, heated and turned into marble deep in the earth, then lifted by the collision of tectonic plates that is still raising Taiwan, and the river has sliced a canyon through it so deep and narrow that in places the cliffs seem to lean together overhead. Walls of grey and white stone rise hundreds of metres above the water, and the river below is a startling turquoise.
The road through it is a story of its own. The Central Cross-Island Highway was cut across the island's mountains in the late 1950s, largely by hand, by thousands of retired soldiers and labourers who drilled, blasted and carried rock on steep cliffs with primitive tools. Many of them died, and a shrine in the gorge commemorates them. Tunnels, galleries and overhangs on the road, such as the Tunnel of Nine Turns and the Swallow Grotto, show how the builders squeezed a route out of the canyon wall. The gorge lies inside Taroko National Park, and it is also the homeland of the Truku people, whose culture and place names remain part of the landscape.
Riding through is magnificent but needs care. The road is narrow, with tunnels, blind bends and sheer drops, and tour buses and trucks fill much of the width, so keep to your side and sound the horn where it helps. Falling rock is a real hazard, and sections close without notice after earthquakes, typhoons and heavy rain, so check the situation before you go; helmets are advisable even for walking in the open sections where signs request them. Mornings are cleaner and quieter, and spring and autumn are the best seasons, though typhoon season in late summer brings the biggest dangers.
Services are concentrated near the western end of the gorge, where a visitor centre and a few cafés and stalls sit by the entrance. The nearest big town is Hualien City, about twenty-five kilometres away, with plenty of petrol stations, restaurants and shops, and it is sensible to fill the tank there before going in. Take water, a rain jacket and a hat, and watch your time, as the light fades quickly inside the canyon.
Pull over where it is safe and look up. The scale of the walls will stay with you.