Conveniently situated just 15km from the city of Hualien, the Taroko National Park is Taiwan's premier tourist destination. The park's primary attraction is its namesake, the Taroko Gorge. This astonishing natural phenomenon consists of remarkable marble walls tower above the lovely Liwu River; at 9km long and several hundred metres high, the gorge is truly a spectacle to behold. The area is home to some breathtaking waterfalls, verdant vegetation and impressive mountainous landscapes, which provide a haven for over half of the country's plant and animal species, including numerous species of birds, butterflies, reptiles, deer, boars and bears. With its diverse landscapes ranging from rugged coastal cliffs and subtropical forested canyons to high-elevation subalpine coniferous forests, the park certainly lives up to its name, which means "magnificent and splendid" in the language of Truku, the traditional aboriginal tribe who continue to call this park home.