Liouguei Tunnels and Maolin National Scenic Area

Moving on from Meinong, we arrived at Liouguei Tunnels serving the Japanese to get to the area till better transportation came up.

I must say, I was not impressed, it’s, well, it’s just tunnels, and not very pleasant ones at that. So I couldn’t quite figure out why this is a tourist destination. Still, the tourist center there has some minor attractions like the lucky Bi Xi turtle dragon.

and the dragon stones (only Buddha knows how this is related to dragons)…

The highlight of the whole area is definitely the scenery. It’s gorgeous, and the closer you get to the Maolin National Scenic Area the better it gets, sometimes feeling a bit like Taroko Gorge and Hualien.

We made our stops at two nice trails. One leading to a typhoon hit Meiya Valley Waterfall running cool fresh water…

and one leading to the Duona Suspension Bridge offering stunning views of the wide canyon and river below.

The aboriginal town of Maolin offers some good food and interesting monuments, as well as being home to the Purple Butterfly almost all year around.

Gorgeous area. Try and plan for more than a day, if you have some free time.