Our family of five had an incredible day in Taroko Gorge with Iris. We expected the views to be stunning, and they were, but we didn’t know we were visiting on the first day of a four day Taiwanese holiday, so the crowds were huge and could have ruined the trip if not for Iris’ inside knowledge of every aspect of the tour. She juggled the itinerary to keep us away from the worst of the crowds and worked magic to find parking and accompany us on the visit to each spot, providing background information about everything we saw. It was so much more than a sightseeing tour, and we would trust Iris to take us anywhere, and I wouldn’t want to see Taroko Gorge any other way.

The tour was EXCELLENT! Our tour guide was Iris and she was extremely knowledgable and personable. I have a food allergy and she went out of her way to ensure that I could eat something at lunch. We were also on a tight timeline given our train schedule and she made sure that we were able to see all the sights and get to our train on time. All in all a very nice day. Would highly recommend this company.

1st class Tour!!
We took this tour as a family group of 3 adults in October and had a wonderful day, Iris showed us many spots and was full of information which she willing shared. Her bright personality and knowledge really made the day special. So pleased we chose this tour over others, being in a private vehicle was very comfortable and allowed more flexibility with time to take photos etc at places of interest. Lunch was delicious and filling. An added adventure of the the day was catching a very lost and scared dog who was dodging buses and cars on the main highway on the way home. Her willingness to stop to allow us all to catch him in my book says volumes about her and the company, he certainly would have been run over otherwise. His owner was so pleased to get him back!! If I get back to Taiwan I would not hesitate book with this company again, everything was well organised and as advertised. It was a refreshing change from the usual organised tours. Go with them you wont be disappointed and have a fabulous day out!! Thanks again Iris for a very special day.

What can I say, an amazing experience we wont soon forget! Our family of four did a private tour with Iris and she made us feel like a part of her Taiwan family. In Taroko she even bought us some magow (sp) sausages, an aboriginal specialty of the local tribe. What a great day. Everyone at Island Life deserves a thank you. Good experience all around.

Experienced guide really make the difference. Yes, we could have taken the public bus and visited many of the same places for cheaper, but having a guide there to tell us about the history and geology of the place, and point out things we never would have noticed, made it a very special day. This is definitely a highlight in Taiwan and Island Life made it a highlight of our holiday.

Iris is amazing! We are a family of 5 and took a private tour of Taroko with Iris and she was a joy throughout the day. We were worried about the weather, but when it began raining in the afternoon, Iris had umbrellas and took care of everything. A very friendly local with lots of love for her local community. We also met another Island Life guide Alan at lunch and he seemed equally fun and accommodating. Highly recommend Island Life!

Island life Taroko tour. OMG, we had the best tour! Our tour guide Alan was wonderful. He was full of interesting informaion, loved to joke around and was very helpful with different information we needed for traveling in Taiwan. We ended our day laughing and in high spirits that lasted the rest of our time in Taiwan. I will recommend the tour and Alan as a tour guide to all of my friends. I’m so lookig forward to going back for other tours.

Incredible day with Island Life! We had guide Alan who is a local but speaks great English. We had so much fun hiking and checking out the sites with Alan telling all kinds of great stories. Highly recommend Island Life!

I took the Taroko tour with Simon and had a wonderful time. I’m a solo traveller so it was great to find a reasonably priced group tour to join. They definitely give you great value with a nice hot lunch at a place in Tianshiang. Fine for vegetarians like myself. I highly recommend this group as they go above and beyond to show you an excellent time in the park.

This tour was the highlight of our trip to Taiwan! Taroko Gorge was stunning (of course), but it is always the guide who makes or breaks the tour, and Iris was phenomenal — very knowledgeable about the area but also extremely personable and enthusiastic. She grew up in the area and seemed to take a real delight in showing visitors around. Her English was also excellent. Highly, highly recommend this tour. Thank you Iris!

P.S. We actually booked our tour at the last minute and the company was incredibly responsive and helpful in answering our questions and getting everything confirmed. They were willing to work with us and also offered an option for a private tour that would allow us to leave and return to Taipei on the same day. So definitely worth checking availability and talking to the company even if you are like me and have trouble planning ahead, or if you are short on time!

Spectacular day in a spectacular place! Taroko is an impressive place unto itself, but going with a great guide made it that much better. Santa was a great local guy with a good sense of humor and an amazing English name! I mean… Santa?! How great is that! Every part of the day felt well planned, and Santa made a great effort to keep everyone in the group happy and engaged. I can certainly recommend Island Life Taiwan and also definitely Santa.

The Taroko Gorge full day tour gave us a good mix of active and sightseeing for the day. The guide was knowledgeable and friendly. She was also accommodating while not losing track of the schedule she had planned for us. There was some light hiking throughout the day. We can definitely recommend Island life’s tour of the Taroko Gorge.

Our tour guide Iris is what made this day tour absolutely fantastic! Her local knowledge and enthusiasm for the region coupled with an always cheerful nature ensured that my wife and I had a memorable stay in Hualien. Rather than us just looking at the passing (fantastic) scenery, Iris was able to provide a commentary that described the history and interesting features of each area that we passed through. We were not rushed along and had plenty of time to look around at each place.
We were so impressed with the day, that we immediately booked a second day tour (East Coast Explorer) for the following day with Island Life Taiwan and Iris.
If staying in Hualien, you simply must take the Island Life Taiwan – Taroko Gorge Day Tour – you will not be disappointed.

This tour is AMAZING. First of all, Iris (our tour guide) was great. She’s so cheery and so excited for everyone to experience how wonderful the gorge is. When I told her about all of the great reviews she has online, she said “I love taking my tours around Taroko Gorge. I feel like I’m on vacation with them!” She’s also VERY knowledgeable. We learned so much, and she answered all of our questions. The few things that she didn’t know, she even looked up on her phone for us (like helping us coordinate watching the nation’s fireworks for the following day). The tour itself was stunning. There was some hiking and some driving. Unlike the other tours that we saw (which were very few, since Iris did a great job at spontaneously deciding where to take us in the gorge, so that we wouldn’t have to experience everything with a million tourists around us) Iris drove us around in a sedan. There were only 3 of us, which made our group very tight-knit. The tour highlighted all of the beautiful aspects of the gorge. Even if you are looking for an intense and long hike (which this isn’t – although the short trek up the mountain to the bell tower can be exerting), I recommend doing this as well, so that you can make sure to see all of the sights that the gorge has to offer.

Best way to experience natural wonders around Hualien
My boyfriend and I started with the Butterfly Valley tour and loved it so much that we then booked two more day trips with Island Life (Taroko Gorge and mountain swimming holes). Every guide was delightful company and made the days fun, informative, safe and unforgettable. You will leave relaxed and a bit in awe of the natural beauty of Hualien. These guides will take you places other tours won’t and when you see their warm and friendly exchanges with other local businesses, you realize that they’ve fostered great relationships throughout Hualien.

Our experience was amazing. Our tour guide was Iris. She worked so hard to make sure we had a wonderful tour. She really went above and beyond. The sights were breathtaking. I am so glad we did a small group tour with a guide that knew the area. We got to see so much that we would not have any other way. I highly recommend the tour and you will be luck if Iris is your tour guide.

What an incredible day! Iris is a joyous soul and went out of her way to make the day extra special for us. She personalized the day to our interests and needs, took lots of fun pictures, told us many interesting stories, let us try local foods, and even took us to some secret spots! It was a day I won’t soon forget and was one of the highlights of my trip to Taiwan. Ana also gave great service and answered all of my questions before the tour. I couldn’t have asked for more….except to do it again one day! You won’t regret booking this tour, it’s definitely the most authentic experience you will get.

Excellent trip
I joined a group tour to the gorge at the last minute and it wasn’t a problem. There were 4 of us as well as our guide Simon. He was extremely friendly and knowledgable about the gorge and Taiwan in general. I liked that he knew the routes and timing’s of large tour groups which enabled us to avoid them for most of our trip together. We saw all the main sights of the gorge and did some of the shorter walking trails too. The car was comfortable and well stocked with extra water. I would definitely recommend this tour! I felt glad I wasn’t one of the people walking along the roads in the heat or on a massive coach full of people. Worth it!

Great tour with Iris
We had a great day out at Taroko Gorge with Iris, she was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about Taroko and Hualien; she had an infectious energy which negated our grumpiness from waking up early (which we actually do highly recommend in order to miss the crowded tour buses). Iris showed us a great secret spot for a river swim, which was certainly the highlight of our trip, even my 61-year old dad gamely jumped into the clear blue water! Our pre-trip queries were also promptly dealt with by Ana. Highly recommend this wonderful little tour company.

What an incredible day we had! Our guide Iris took us on some excellent trails and to all the best spots in the park. She knew so much about the local culture, it was a blast hearing her stories during the day. We left our hotel early, so we missed most of the big crowds which was great and got lots of the trails done before the midday heat got bad. Overall an excellent tour and we would highly recommend Island Life!

This was an excellent tour of Taroko Gorge. Our guide, Iris, was thoughtful, caring and knowledgeable. We stopped at a great sample of spots in the park to see spectacular scenery. The included lunch was delicious. This is a great way to see Taroko Gorge if you only have one day to visit!

100% Worth It!
We initially were going to self-drive the gorge, but because it was a Saturday we didn’t want to worry about finding a place to park. We are super glad we found Island Life tours! Iris was so lovely, she clearly loves Hualien and her passion as a tour guide shows. She took us to all the key places, plus some little gems that are off the beaten track, and was happy to adapt the schedule to our needs (we were a small group, myself and my partner plus three other people). Time in the car was kept to a minimum. Highly recommend!

Great one day trip from Hualien to Taroko Gorge. Good if you want to get to see all the great sights of the Gorge but not wanting massively long hikes. Host Iris was so friendly, catered for return train times and took our group to several extra little hidden gems as well. Great fun!

We had a fantastic experience doing the Better Taroko Tour with Simon. From start to finish all the staff were super friendly and helpful, and overall we felt very well prepared and catered for and wouldn’t hesitate to do it all again. Thanks so much!

Awesome day at Taroko National Park with Island Life Taiwan! Highly recommended!