Advice on Express Train to Hualien and Help on applying Zhuilu Old Trail permit

Hi,

I am planning to hike the Zhuilu Old Trail in Hualien on the 1st of Nov but I have difficulty in applying for the permit.

The “emergency coordinator” for the permit has to be a Taiwanese. I tried using a mutual friend who has been working in Taiwan with PR status but it’s not accepted. I tried sending similar requests to the hotels I’m going to stay but none of them replied. I have exhausted my options. Any kind Samaritan here willing to help me out to be the emergency coordinator person?

I need advice re the express train to Hualien. I’m worried it will be sold out therefore I tried to purchase online. But it says the ticket has to be collected within a few days from date of purchase. The issues is I won’t be in Taipei until 29th Oct. Is there way to secure the ticket earlier?

Many thanks!

You may have come to the wrong place to ask for help. Most of our ID numbers will not be accepted by the National Park websites. If we’re not on alien resident IDs, we are also on permanent resident IDs. :frowning:

Nonetheless, what about your mutual friend’s local friends? Best to have someone you know because the national park admin will call the emergency contact to confirm their relationship with you AND notify the emergency contact if there’s any trail closures (if you don’t get their messages or pick up your phone)

Honestly, best to have an emergency contact that is in some way, connected to you.

There’s a bunch of threads on this in the travel forum. Give the search function on the top right a try. If you have any questions after that, give us another holler.

Are there any travel agents to get the permit for foreigners?

Dear ranlee,

Thank you very much for the info and advice . I will try my luck with the mutual friend again. If not I have to forgo Zhuilu. I will search for info re the train ticket.

Thanks again and have a great day!

There’re a few companies that organize day trip hike to Zhuilu. Everything inclusive but it’s expensive around 3000NTD if I’m not mistaken.

I wish I could help because that beautiful trail is a must see. I hiked it with students from my Chinese class so our Taiwanese teacher was our local contact.

I agree. The trail isn’t too bad but there are some places that could prove to be dangerous or fatal if you aren’t being careful.

About ordering the train tickets, it can be done online and payment can also be made online with a credit card (https://www.railway.gov.tw/en/booking.aspx?n=19679). However, this being Taiwan, be sure to note strange things like this…

cc

As an experiment I just now tried to book a ticket from Taipei to Hualien for October 30th. I tried twice and got the message that no tickets were available. That was using my Chrome browser. When I tried again using IE, voilà, I was able to book a ticket.

Here’s what the payment screen looks like…

Please note that route is very popular and very difficult to get the fastest Taroko/Puyuma train tickets for. If you are traveling on a weekday, though, you might have better luck.

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Great explanation @Steve4nLanguage

OP, if you can’t book express trains. There’s always the option of taking the local train. Quickest way, without transferring from bus to train, you can hop on an express train from Taipei to Yilan and then transfer to a local train. This way you’re not on a local train from Taipei to Hualien, it’s super nice scenary, but that would probably take a decade.

If you’re heading down to Hualien a day early, shouldn’t be a big deal to take a local train.

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Thanks @Steve4nLanguage. Cool profile pic, unusual Chinese character “Biang”

I’m using IE to do the booking. For example if I purchase it today, the ticket-taking due date (I assume is the latest collection date) is 22nd Oct (I will be in Taipei on the 29th). Fingers crossed the express ticket will still be available. I don’t mind the slow train and I’m certain the scenery must be breathtaking but time is a luxury that I don’t have.

the ticket-taking due date (I assume is the latest collection date) is 22nd Oct (I will be in Taipei on the 29th).

That Oct. 22 date is when the booking will expire if it hasn’t been paid for. If you can manage to pay online then you can pick up the ticket until the train leaves. If you can’t pay for the ticket until you arrive, you still might be able to get the fast Puyuma train–wishing you good luck!

Edit: Another option, much faster but more expensive, is Uni Air which leaves from Taipei Songshan airport.(https://www.uniair.com.tw/uniweb/index.aspx). The cheapest round-trip ticket is about NT2,000 for Adult Promo ticket and the flight only takes about 50 minutes.

I don’t know about booking online, but a workaround is to ask for the “combination ticket” at the train station ticket window, at which point they will sell you a bus ticket to Yilan, and the train ticket on to Hualien on the “local train”.

I have not tried this, but I hear a lot of people doing it since tickets to Hualien are so difficult to obtain.

I think this is via one of the bus companies?

I’ve seen flyers and commercials for it at the Taipei City Hall bus stations.

Not sure if it’s a TRA package?

I"m not sure, but I have heard multiple times that you ask for it at the train ticket window. I could be wrong.

Thanks @Steve4nLanguage! that’s the info I was looking for.