Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
you want to explore some of the narrower chasms, as well as the waterfall pools at the
bottom of the gorge.
Taichi Gorge is 15km south of the town of Jhushan (Zhúshān) - itself about 20km
southwest of Jiji - on Township Rd 49. It's best to have your own vehicle to get there but
public transport is also possible.
Yuanlin Bus Company
( 264 2005)
has three buses
(each direction) running between Jhushan and the entrance of Taichi Gorge (NT$71, 50
minutes) daily at 8.20am, 12.50pm and 4.20pm. Buses back from the gorge to Jhushan
depart at 9.10am, 1.40pm and 5.10pm. Jhushan itself is connected by buses to and from
Jiji, Sitou, Douliu and Taichung.
sheng.98inn.com.tw
;
125 Jhushan Rd; d from NT$850)
has very decent rooms. From Yuanlin
bus station, walk north for one block and turn right on to Jhushan Rd. The hotel is oppos-
ite a 7-Eleven.
WORTH A TRIP
HUASHAN COFFEE AREA
Locals claim coffee has been grown in the foothills of Gukeng Township (Gǔkēng
Xiāng) since the Dutch occupation of Taiwan. If true, it was only after - you
guessed it - the 921 earthquake in 1999 destroyed everything that locals turned to
coffee as their saviour. The timing was fortuitous, to say the least: coinciding with
Taiwan's recent coffee craze, Gukeng has since become one of its most prosperous
rural townships.
The Huashan Coffee Area (Huáshān Kāfēi Yuánqū) is built on the steep hillsides
east of National Fwy 3. It's all narrow roads lined with orchards, betel palms and
coffee fields, with the occasional house offering a deck or a garden for sipping a
pot of Gukeng coffee (gǔkēng kāfēi). A number of B&Bs in the area rent out rooms
should you want to spend the night.
To get to Gukeng, take County Rd 149 towards Caoling and then follow the signs.
HIGHWAY 14
Although it begins just south of Taichung in the bland town of Caotun, Hwy 14 makes up
for a poor start in no time. After Puli, the elevation rises and one turn after another brings
stunning mountain views. Along the way you can break for sightseeing and some of the
best hiking in Taiwan.
Hwy 14 ends at Tayuling, just north of the forest recreation area of Hehuanshan
(which sits at over 3300m), and from here you can go east to Taroko Gorge or north to
