Yuli trip report

Excursion into Yuli here:

travelblog.org/Asia/Taiwan/blog-64898.html

Your account brought back fond memories of my hikes up there. The furthest I’ve been is a few kilometers beyond Walami. On my last visit the wife and I saw lots of macaques and Muller’s Barbets (which the Taiwanese call “five-color birds”).

Great place, but does rain rather often.

I regret not making it a few meters (3) beyond the Walami trailhead. Those waterfalls are spectacular, though. Well, it’s not going anywhere. I imagine that part of the earth will remain the same for a long, long time.

Fine report. I’ve been that way a few times and it really is a wonderful place.

It makes living in Taiwan worthwhile just to know it exists.

Nice story and pics in your blog…I remember my first trip down there in 1990, loved it so much I went down more than a dozen times over the next couple of years. Mostly by motorycle. I’ve gotten older and have done most of the remaining trips by car, but now with the new big wheels can’t wait to ride the rift valley road once more.

Magical place.

Now, if it would JUST STOP RAINING…Arrghhh :help:

An excellent read. Can you post a few practicalities? How was the B&B in Ruisui? Worth recommending? You say you rented a scooter in Ruisui? Did you need a Taiwanese scooter license? I’m going to get mine soon but I’m planning a trip down there in the next couple weeks. I was going to rent a car but a scooter would be more fun.

Practicalities, yes:

They made a copy of my Taiwan driver’s liscense. They # to the place is:
0921861970, 03-8872770 When my wife called them, she told them I had a liscense. I don’t know if they asked.

B&B I stayed at was: 03-8871840, 0910660986 (Mrs. Hsu)

I paid 2,000 NT for 2 nights in the B&B + the rafting trip (nice scenery, but, not so exciting), with an additional 150 NT charge for the ride back to the minzu.

Scooter was 400NT per day. Yuli-Nanan-Walami is an easy ride from Reuishui. Wonderful trip.

Mucha Man, btw, you can get your scooter liscense very quickly in Shi-Lin at the Taipei DMV. I went in there at, honestly, I had it in hand in about 45 minutes. Eye test, English multiple choice test on a computer, and then a little driving test around a circle, which is a little bit tricky because you have to drive about 10 meters in 8 seconds, I beleive (someone correct me if I’m wrong on those specs) -with the goal of trying to see if you can balance. I crossed the line and set off an embarassing alarm (you get one test run, then 2 chances) my first time. After that, they’ll print it off and laminate it on the spot.

Thanks. I will.

Very nice report. Thanks. I’ve been in the general area a couple of times but never really explored it much. I’ll make a point of doing so next time I’m there.

Hmm, would this be your article Mr. Alazaskan? :wink:

chinapost.com.tw/travel/deta … 5014&GRP=g

For those interested,the route from Yuli to PaTungKuan has been considerably improved in the last few years with new bridges, huts, sign posts and information boards about the old colonial Japanese outposts, flora and fauna in Chinese and English. No more scary bridges with all the wooden boards rotted out leaving you to edge along on the wire framework. This route needs a permit and it takes about seven days to go across from Hualien County to Nantou County.

I’ve been trying to get clear info about this for a while. Have you done it? Do you need a guide?

And Jah, you’ve obviously been around for a while, so are you a new forumosan, or an old one under a new name, or should I just mind my own business?

Found a decent map online of that and other routes. If the trail is well-marked it looks pretty straightforward, if long. Looks like there are lots of spots to get water along the way which is the real issue.

english.ysnp.gov.tw/upload/20060 … ap2006.jpg

You need a permit and a guide as it is a National Park. Some mountains like Chilai Shan, HohouanShan don’t really have anyone checking, but the route from Yuli has a checkpoint just after the last aboriginal village. Mucha Man, you might be more up to date on the permit system than I am. I’m not sure what the criteria is for being a guide, but I’ve heard it is being able to prove you’ve climbed 30 or more peaks over 3,000 meters. There are six huts from Yuli to Patungkuan meadow, but a tent is still essential as there are long stretches between some of them. The park on the Hualien side goes down low enough in altitude to include the habitat favored by monkey, barking deer,wild pig and bear.
About me, I’m a new poster on this message board, but I’ve been hiking pretty regularly (60 to 90 days per year) for the last 11 years.

[quote=“Jah Lynnie”]You need a permit and a guide as it is a National Park. Some mountains like Chilai Shan, HohouanShan don’t really have anyone checking, but the route from Yuli has a checkpoint just after the last aboriginal village. Muzha Man, you might be more up to date on the permit system than I am. I’m not sure what the criteria is for being a guide, but I’ve heard it is being able to prove you’ve climbed 30 or more peaks over 3,000 meters. There are six huts from Yuli to Patungkuan meadow, but a tent is still essential as there are long stretches between some of them. The park on the Hualian side goes down low enough in altitude to include the habitat favored by monkey, barking deer,wild pig and bear.
About me, I’m a new poster on this message board, but I’ve been hiking pretty regularly (60 to 90 days per year) for the last 11 years.[/quote]

Don’t have much info on being a guide. You could contact Jean Marc of Freshtreks to find out as he is one of the few foriegn guides around.

As for permits, you need them, but not guides for most mountains now. Even Yushan doesn’t require one, though some trails in the park do. It’s not at all straightforward on the websites unfortunately.

I will be meeting with people from the foresty bureau soon to talk about the national trail system. Hopefully they can also give me clear guidelines for which trails still need guides, and so on. I can ask them about becoming a guide if you like. If they don’t know I’m sure they know exactly who to ask that does.

About water on this route; the stretch from the DashuiKu hut right on the spine down to the next campsite (about 8 hours walk downwards in the direction of Yuli or 10 going in the reverse direction) has no water sources that are reliable and easy to find. Also at DashuiKu hut itself, the water supply is only rain water or lake water there, both of which are unreliable. Therefore, the best water source is about half an hour beyond the Dashuiku hut on the route that contours around the mountain and heads back to PatungKuan.There is a side stream right by the path. (Don’t branch off to the other path that goes steeply up to DashuiKu peak). Coming up from Hualien side, take a lot of water from the last campsite which is about an hour after the last hut (sorry,can’t remember the name but it’s the third one, Walami being the first one) before you leave that valley and start climbing up to the spine. There is a large plastic pipe set up for this purpose,so it’s easy to spot.

So you’ve done the whole route? Did you go with a local group? Guided? Do you have any pics? It sounds pretty amazing, if long.

Yes, I did the whole thing in March. No guide. I think the permit system doesn’t need a guide as you said just someone in the party should have some experience. Perhaps, when you meet the Forestry or National Park people, you could clarify that as I tend to avoid form filling and such and I’m not currently up to date on all that.

Yeah, I’ll try to get it all straight. I also want to get a sample filled in permit from them and have it printed in the new Lonely Planet so people can follow it. Even in English they are not very easy to interpret.

Anyway, good to hear that route doesn’t need a guide. I may try it next spring.