How safe is Taroko National Park’s Wunshan Hot Spring? Based on an assessment, the grotto of the Wunshan Hot Spring area has a high probability of disastrous rockslides, which means massive rockslides may occur suddenly with a direct impact on the area. Even small falling rocks can kill people. Therefore, without proper protection measures, it is a very dangerous place.

Taroko National Park Headquarters commissioned Dr. Jhang Shih-Jiao of the Chinese Institute of Environmental Engineering to conduct a safety assessment of the area around the Wushan Hot Spring. Of the 365 meter Wusan path, four sections were designated “dangerous”, five sections “unstable” and four sections “stable”. Of these sections, the cliff above the hot spring is quartz-mica schist, which was given the highest danger rating. As for sections which are “dangerous” and “unstable”, Jiang urged “Protection measures should focus on tourist safety“ and safety facilities should “effectively protect tourists“, “allow a clear view of scenery“ and “not harm the ecology“.

However, in accordance with Article 6 of the Hot Spring Act stating that “a defined area surrounding the source of the hot spring may not be exploited“, and given concerns about the safety of the pristine area of the Wunshan Hot Spring, more evaluations should be conducted on the extraction of Wunshan Hot Spring water for use on the Wushan terrace and the feasibility of increasing the output of spring water.

Taroko National Park is famous for its spectacular gorge, attracting countless domestic and international tourists every year, but this also raises concerns regarding the potential risk from falling rocks. Professor Jiang pointed out, “Taroko National Park Headquarters has a good grasp of the situation regarding the mechanism and the areas at risk from rockslides, but the ability to predict a rockslide is still impossible, and these matters are understood legally as force majeure, or acts of God. Even National Geographic’s expedition contract for fulfillment of performance excludes force majeure events from its scope of responsibility.

Inside Taroko National Park, many sections of the Central Cross-Island Highway and nearby trails are prone to rockslides. Tunnels have gradually been built in these areas of the Central Cross-Island Highway in recent years, and most of the original roads have been made into National Park trails, resulting in problems with highway traffic now shifting to paths that pose threats to tourists. Under such circumstances, the National Park Headquarters faces a very difficult test with management of tourist safety.