To make visits to the park safer Taroko National Park Headquarters will make safety hats available for visitors to borrow free of charge at Taroko National Park Headquarters Visitor Center and Buluowan, Tianxiang, Mt. Hehuan and other Service stations until December 31. For the added convenience of visitors, the hats can be borrowed from one park service station and returned to another. Visitors are welcome to borrow the safety hats.

The spectacular high mountain and gorge scenery of Taroko National Park attract numerous visitors from Taiwan and overseas, however, amidst the breathtaking natural beauty there lurks danger in the shape of rock falls, with, in particular, the steep walls of Taroko Gorge making it a high risk area for rock falls. To strengthen visitor safety, from early May Taroko National Park Headquarters began offering safety helmets to visitors for use free of charge on Jiuqudong (Tunnel of Nine Turns) Trail, a move that met with an enthusiastic public response. Up to the present time private bodies and enterprises have donated 2100 safety hats to the park. The park headquarters has allocated its own supply of safety hats and the donated ones to the park’s various service stations for the use of visitors to make their visit to Taroko safer.

The times safety hats can be borrowed and should be returned are: they can be borrowed 8:30am-3:00pm from Taroko National Park HQ Visitor Center and should be returned before 4:30pm; they can be borrowed from Buluowan Service Station 8:45am-3:00pm and returned before 4.20pm;they can be borrowed from Tianxiang Management Station 9:00am-2:00pm and should be returned before 3:30pm; they can be borrowed from Mt. Hehuan Service Station 8:30am-3:00pm and returned before 4:30pm.Visitors can also return the safety hat to a place different to where they borrowed it. If returning a hat after the stipulated time, it can be returned to the duty office in the Administration Center of Taroko National Park Headquarters before 7:00pm. Hats can be borrowed by individuals and groups. When a hat is borrowed a three-part form must be filled out and the borrower’s copy shown when it is returned.

A park spokesperson said that most of the rocks in Taroko Gorge rock falls are small rocks that safety hats offer real protection against and requested that every visitor to the gorge wears a safety hat. Travel agents bringing a large group of tourists to the park are also requested to provide their own safety helmets for the group if possible. The spokesperson said that even if a safety hat is worn, visitors to Taroko Gorge still need to take care, follow the signs on the trails and pay attention to safety at all times.

Taroko National Park Headquarters hopes that every donated safety hat is used to protect visitors and calls on visitors to take good care of them. In particular if the strap is not fastened a safety hat can be easily blown off by the wind. Visitors are also requested to return the hats on time. If a hat is lost visitors will be expected to bear the cost of replacing it.

News issued by: Taroko National Park Headquarters
Translated by: Kevin Lax