Ziplining Beside the Chompoo Wildlife Sanctuary

Image by arwcheek

I’ve never gone ziplining (soon to be remedied) but I am in love with them. They are one of the most low-impact and exciting forms of eco-tourism out there. They require few materials, prevent people from disturbing the surrounding environment (after they’re set up) and look like an amazing way to the nature.

Flight of the Gibbon is a pretty class act. They run a well-constructed 3km system of ziplines that connect 24 tree platforms beside the Compoo Wildlife Sancturary, about two hours outside of Bangkok. They will pick you up in Bangkok, hurl you across lines as long as 300m, then take you for a trek through the jungle, and drop you off for around $110 USD per person. Or, if ziplining isn’t your style, you can monkey around in their treetop obstacle course for $65 USD.

Biking from City to Shore

Image by Irvine-

This tour by Grasshopper Adventures, a well-known bicycle tour company in Asia, will take you by ferry and train out of the city cycle along the Gulf of Thailand in fishing communities. You will see mangroves, salt pans, fish farms, and, if you’re lucky, a water monitor or two. At the least,  you’re likely to encounter some mudskippers, those little cuties. The tour has received rave reviews on Trip Advisor.

This tour costs $200 USD for one rider, $100 USD each for two riders, and $85 USD each for 3 or more riders. Be warned, the 52km bike ride does require some physical ability.

Rafting Beneath the Bridge on the River Kwai

Image by FelixR

Surprisingly, the infamous bridge from the 1957 movie is very close to Bangkok. Although many companies like this one offer tours that will transport visitors to Kanchanaburi and then allow them descend the river by canoe, kayak, or bamboo raft, most of the tours are bundled with elephant rides. Many people feel that the elephants used on such tours are not treated well, and they encourage visitors not to partake in them. So, if you would rather take the trip on your own, you can catch the bus to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal. Busses depart every 30 minutes and tickets for seats on air-conditioned busses run about $3 USD each. Once in Kanchanaburi  you can rent your preferred mode of river transport from one of several local shops.

If you’re in Asia and looking for flights to Bangkok then be sure to check out my travel hacker’s guide to finding cheap flights.

Lead image by arwcheek

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Please note, I’m not talking about hiking OR biking the gorge. I’m talking about first hiking high in the gorge and then biking to the bottom. This can easily be done with the help of a kind fellow named Rihang who runs a guesthouse at the bottom of Taroko gorge. He speaks a bit of English (enough to get by). If miming and interpreting choppy English are not your idea of a good time, then you would be wise to contact Richard from Barking Deer Adventures to help you arrange your trip. He is the guy who originally introduced me to the area. Full contact information for both Rihan and Richard can be found at the bottom of this post.  But first, the details.

Getting To Taiwan

Many people who go to South East Asia skip Taiwan for two reasons: 1) its (undeserved) lack of reputation for tropical beauty and culture and 2) the fact that budget overland travel to Taiwan is all but impossible. Neither of these is a good reason not to visit. First, Taiwan is as beautiful as any other country in the vicinity (it’s old Portuguese name, Formosa, actually means “beautiful island”). Second, Taipei flights are not all that expensive. Below is a list of budget airlines that provide cheap flights to Taiwan and the best destinations to fly to Taiwan from:

Cebu Pacific Airlines (Philippines)

At the time of writing the cost of a normal one-way from Manila to Taipei (or vice-versa) was $70 USD. Cebu Pacific also has cheap international flights to other destinations around SE Asia, such as Bangkok, for similar prices. This airline is great if you want to visit both countries.

Dragon Air (Hong Kong)

At the time of writing had round trip tickets from Bangkok to Taipei for $360 USD and round trip tickets from Hong Kong for $160 USD.

Air Asia (Malaysia)

Air Asia is an excellent budget airline with a wide variety of destinations. Look here for flights to Taipei from Malaysia and India, or even Paris or Perth.

Getting to Taroko Gorge

The train system in Taiwan is excellent. After arriving at the airport you will need to take a shuttle, bus, or taxi to Taipei’s Main Station where you can buy your ticket. You will purchase a ticket the Xincheng Station in Hualien County.  You will want to take an express train which takes 2.5 – 3.5 hr depending on the train you take and costs about $13 USD.

You can also check schedules and buy tickets on the Taiwan Rail Website quick search page. Just go to the page I linked to, leave your starting destination as is and change your arrival destination to “Hua-lien Xincheng”, choose the date of your trip, make sure “Express” is selected, and hit search.  You will then be shown the times of all the express trains on that day.

If you are staying with Rihan, he can pick you up from the train station. His guesthouse is nearby.

Alternatively, you can drive from Taipei to Xincheng, which usually takes 3 hours or more.

The Hike and Bike Hookup

You may or may not decide to stay at Rihan’s guesthouse (about $20 USD for a room at the hostel. I’m not sure, but I think that’s per person). It’s very convenient because it’s right at the foot of the gorge (most other accommodations are a forty minute drive away in Hualien). If you ask, he or his wife will also cook dinner for you. It’s a great way to try real Taiwanese home-style cooking.

Even if you don’t stay at Rihan’s, you ought to take advantage of his shuttle and bike service. Rihan will rent you a bike for about $10 USD per day. He has a fair selection and, although they’re not new, they’re in pretty good shape. For another $10 per person he will drive you up the gorge so that you can ride down it.

If you’re looking for a bit more adventure than just cruising down this geographic wonder, he will drop you off at the beginning of one of the many trails that line the sides of the gorge (a list of trails is forthcoming) and lock your bike up at the end of it so that you can hike all day, and finish it off by cruising down through the majestic gorge.

I seldom seen more natural beauty from more different vantage points than I did in the three days I spent hiking and biking Taroko Gorge. If you don’t believe me, just check out this video of the Vertigo Trail–a trail carved out of a sheer cliff hundreds of meters above the gorge.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the free riverside hot springs?

Taroko Gorge Hiking Contacts

Rihan’s Guesthouse and Bicycle Rental

Phone: (+886) 922-938-743 (if dialling from inside Taiwan, the first ‘9’ must be preceded by ‘0’)

Email: rihangsu (at) gmail (dot) com

http://rihang.wordpress.com

Barking Deer Adventures (Richard)

Email: barkingdeerinfo (at) gmail (dot) com

Phone: (+886) 938-337-710 (if dialling from inside Taiwan, the first ‘9’ must be preceded by ‘0’)

http://www.barking-deer.com

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