National Parks of Taiwan

To make visits to Taroko Gorge safer, eight enterprises and groups have donated a total of 2660 hard hats to the park headquarters. The hard hats will give visitors extra protection when admiring Taroko Gorge. This is the second time hard hats have been donated following the first similar donation in May last year. An acceptance ceremony was held on August 25 in Taroko National Park Headquarters.

The eight enterprises and groups were: the Phoenix Travel Foundation, the ROC Travel Quality Assurance Association, the Taiwan Visitors Association, Asia Cement’s Hualian plant, Silks Place Taroko Hotel, Promised Land Resort & Lagoon, Hua Lien Shu Tao and the Hualian County Travel Association. They hope the donation of the hard hats will make visits to Taroko Gorge safer.

Taroko Gorge is one of the most popular scenic spots in Taiwan for both domestic and overseas visitors. In particular, after tourists from mainland China were allowed to vacation in Taiwan, Chinese tourists have flocked to the Gorge, however, the spectacular precipices of the Gorge and the numerous faults and joints in the rock, plus the added effect of tectonic plate movement, make the rock susceptible to natural collapse, making rock falls a frequent occurrence that threatens visitor safety.

Taroko National Park director You Deng-liang(游登良處長) said that the park headquarters really cares about the safety of each visitor when they visit the park. In addition to offering the use of hard hats free of charge, sections of the Central Cross-island highway and trails that are prone to rock falls are constantly monitored and loose small stones are regularly cleared from the cliff faces. At the same time safety public information work has been straightened, including erecting “Watch out for falling rocks” warning signs, painting red lines on the ground, cordoning off areas susceptible to rock falls and building protective umbrellas. Visitors are also reminded to take care in films, books, leaflets and by interpreters.

Director You(游處長) also pointed out that wearing hard hats is the most direct way of protecting visitors to Taroko, and also the last line of defense. Hard hats offer no protection against large rocks, however, they do offer good protection against the small rocks that often fall in the gorge. The large number of visitors to the Gorge also means that the number of hats required is also very large. The national park headquarters has set aside a budget to purchase hard hats and also encourages donations of hard hats. At present the park’s staff distribute hard hats on the Tunnel of Nine Turns Trail and they are also available from Taroko Visitor Center, Buluowan Service Station, Tianxiang Service Station and the Central Cross-Island Highway entrance to Buluowan free of charge.

Taroko National Park Headquarters gave special thank you the enterprises and groups donating the hard hats. A certificate of gratitude was issued to each donating enterprise/group during the acceptance ceremony and each also received a landscape photographic work taken in the park to express sincere thanks.

News issued by: Taroko National Park Headquarters
Translated by: Kevin Lax