Any review on Taiwantourbus 1Day Hualien Tarako Gorge Tour

Hi everybody,

Tarako is a place appears to be a must see in Taiwan in this forum. We plan to add this place into our itinerary. However, we can only spend one day there. We intend to join an organised day tour to save all the messing around. Has anybody join the 1 day Hualien tarako Gorge Tour organised by Taiwantour bus departed from Taipei? Thanks for all the help.

Any review on Taiwantourbus 1Day Hualien Tarako Gorge Tour

The road to HL is a winding mountainous road, not exactly a luxurious trip, would suggest you take the Taroko rail or fly instead, then join a local tour that is available at the front desk of almost every hotel.

Any review on Taiwantourbus 1Day Hualien Tarako Gorge Tour

I did this tour last year and enjoyed it and thought it was well-organized. I was picked up at my hotel at 6am, and then taken to the airport with some other customers for the short flight.

We were met my the tour guide and our tour was on a large coach bus with about 25 people. Aside from the sights, lunch is also included at the Grand Formosa Hotel. We also had stops at the beach and candy shop. Of course, with these types of tours, we had to stop at the marble store where the they hard-sell you but 95% of our group didn%26#39;t buy anything.

Then we are dropped off at the train station and our guide got the tickets and made sure we were all in the correct cars/seats. It%26#39;s a quiet 3-hour ride on the electric train and most people slept---you could hear all the snoring. Upon arrival in Taipei Train Station, another shuttle driver meets you on the platform and then drives you back to your hotel.

If you don%26#39;t want to deal with planning with regards to transportation, hiring guides, etc. then this tour is a good option. I also met some nice people who were on the tour; they were from The Netherlands, USA, Malaysia, China, and Germany.

Have a nice trip!

PS: I booked my tour in advance of my arrival in Taiwan since it can get filled up in high season:

www.havefuntravel.tw/show_hotel_lobby_09.asp

Thanks for all the good advice. I%26#39;ll have a look at the tour.