Nan'ao

Nan'ao is where the Central Mountain Range comes down to the sea and the coast has almost nothing on it: a rail line and a highway threaded between cliffs and water, a wide stony river mouth, and Atayal villages up the valleys behind. Inland there are river gorges with clear pools, old hunting trails and a historic path over the ridge. It is one of the emptier stretches of the Taiwanese coast and used mainly by walkers and river tracers.

What you actually see

• The river mouth - a wide stony delta where the Nan'ao river reaches the sea.
• The gorges - clear pools and rock narrows in the valleys inland.
• The Atayal villages - communities up the valleys behind the coast.
• The Suhua coast - cliffs and sea along the highway north and south.

When to go

October to April is the driest and safest for the rivers. Typhoon season brings flash floods to the gorges. Summer is hot and humid on the coast.

Honest expectations

River tracing here has killed people; flash floods come down fast and guides matter. Some inland areas require permits and cross Atayal land where permission is needed. Facilities are minimal.

Nearby

Su'ao is north, and the Suhua highway runs south into Hualien.