The gorge exists because two tectonic plates are pushing against each other. Taiwan was formed by the collision of the Philippine and Eurasian plates, and the Central Mountain Range is still rising a few millimetres a year. The marble began as limestone on an ancient sea floor, was buried, heated and compressed into metamorphic rock, then lifted and exposed. The Liwu River, running from the high mountains to the Pacific, cut down through the rising rock. Marble is hard, but the river had millions of years and heavy subtropical rain. The result is one of the few gorges in the world cut entirely through marble.
From the journal
The gorge cut through marble
The Liwu River has cut a canyon through marble in eastern Taiwan. Taroko is both a national park and a Truku homeland, with roads shaped by the challenges of the terrain.
In the same city · Hualien ↗A canyon in metamorphic rock
The Truku and the name
Taroko takes its name from the Truku people, who moved into the Liwu valley from the west several centuries ago and spread toward the coast. The Japanese colonial government fought a campaign against them in 1914 and built a road into the gorge, a precursor to today’s Central Cross-Island Highway. The Truku were formally recognised as an indigenous people in 2004. Communities still live within the national park area, and the park works with them on land use and interpretation. The name is not a description of the landscape but the name of the people who know it.
A park that is still recovering
The earthquake that struck on 3 April 2024 changed access to Taroko’s roads and trails. Conditions vary by route and can change during recovery work. Check the park’s latest road and trail notices before travelling.