We visited Taipei and Hualien, Taiwan as part of our springtime Holland American cruise. It was a great way to see two beautiful places in Taiwan. Our tour guides were booked by the cruise company as it was impossible to book an English speaking tour on our own. (Many English-speaking tours disappeared since 2020.)
Our tour in Hualien, Taiwan was a stunning day trip! We toured the famous Taroko Gorge! Marble-walled cliffs and clear green rivers flowed. They used to mine the rock from the gorge to create marble flooring and slabs. Nowadays the rock stays in the National Park. We were also lucky to observe a troop of Formosa monkeys.
The next port of Keelung is close to Taipei so we participated in a city tour. The National museum houses a few treasures from China’s Forbidden City. Our Taiwanese tour guides were excellent. We were the first cruise ship back since 2020 so they were very appreciative.