Island Life Taiwan Adventures & Experiences
Island Life Taiwan Adventures & Experiences
Island Life Taiwan Adventures & Experiences
5
Cultural ToursSightseeing ToursHiking & Camping ToursPrivate ToursNature & Wildlife Tours
Full view
About
More Amazing Places, Less Crowds. That's the Island Life Way! Island Life Taiwan is an English Language Tour Operator, specializing in amazing places to go and wonderful things to do in Hualien City, Taroko National Park, and all along Taiwan's Majestic East Coast.
Hualien City, Hualien
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingSimilar Experiences
Island Life Taiwan Adventures & Experiences
Booking unavailable on Tripadvisor
Want other options you can book now?
Show optionsTravelers talk about
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
520 reviews
Excellent
502
Very good
12
Average
6
Poor
0
Terrible
0
SJL
3 contributions
Mar 2020
A seamless experience from start to finish! Sam, our local guide originally from Hualien, picked us up from our Airbnb in the early AM to drive us into the park, stopping at a convenience store on the way for us to grab and purchase our own lunches and snacks and have some breakfast since we hadn’t yet. We started the trail at 9am sharp with him handling every detail for check-in/parking etc. and providing an overview of the area and adding some personal touches in his extensive knowledge of the area’s history. During the entire time he took a bunch of photos for us and sent them, and afterward he took us to the local food and drink spots that were his favorite, which we very much appreciated and couldn’t get to otherwise on foot! Additionally, the Island Life tour company was so helpful in trying to get us our Zhuilu passes in time (be sure to book earlier than we did since they often sell out at fewer than 100 on the weekdays!). Thanks for the great experience!
Written March 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are ecstatic you had a great time with us! Come back again soon so we can show you more of Taiwan's Wild Coast!
Written March 14, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Andy G
Bromley, UK12 contributions
Feb 2020 • Friends
We visited Taroko Gorge and were excited to take the Zhuilu Old Trail. Our guide, Jimmy, was excellent - knowledgeable about the route and flora, and caring to ensure all members of our group were careful and safe throughout the experience. The walk along the rim of the cliff at the top is spectacular, if a bit scary! A 5-6 hour hike in all but well worth the effort for some fantastic views!
Written February 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for joining us on the Zhuilu Old Trail Hike! It is an amazing place, and safety is our top priority. We hope to see you again!
Written February 26, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Watsson
Annapolis, MD467 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
The Island Life tour of the Taroko Gorge is one of the pricier ones out of Hualien but it is worth every dollar, shekel, yen or euro that it costs. You’ll get to see a good part of the park, will be fed an excellent lunch, and will be carted around in a van that doesn’t hold that many people (there were 6 in our group). Alan, our guide, was the best. Thank you Island Life and Alan for a wonderful day!
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
So happy you had a wonderful time! Thanks for joining us and come back any time.
Written March 11, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sam S
8 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Our tour of Taroko was one of the highlights of our two week trip around Taiwan! We opted for “The BETTER Taroko Gorge Tour” and would highly recommend it. While the itinerary is similar to what many of the big bus tours offer, we’re glad we booked a more intimate experience with Island Life. The whole process from booking to coordinating pick up from our bed and breakfast on the morning of was seamless. What really made the tour special though was our guide, Alan. As a native of Hualien, he was able to share loads of interesting insights into the local area with passion, enthusiasm, and plenty of humor. He is worldly and well traveled which allowed him to explain things (in very fluent English!) with more nuance and cultural context than we were expecting. All the other tour guides and park staff that we passed by all seemed to know and respect Alan, which was heartening too. The itinerary was well-paced. We were able to stop at 5-6 different spots throughout the park and have ample time to explore them before meeting up again at the van. The aboriginal lunch was also tasty and a perfect break in the middle of the day. Alan even took photos of us throughout the day and shared them with the group afterward. We highly recommend Alan and Island Life for any travelers looking to explore Hualien!!
Written October 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wow! Love the extensive review. Thank you so much!
Written November 2, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Christine
1 contribution
Jan 2020
Iris was a wonderful tour guide and it was so nice to not have to worry about transportation/schedule/itinerary. She knew so much about the history and culture of Hualien and she was so accommodating - translating her English descriptions into Chinese for my mom even though the other tourists were all English-speaking. This was probably our favorite activity on our entire Taiwan trip and I definitely recommend booking the Better Taroko Gorge Tour. Iris even threw in an extra stop to Qixingtan Beach which was not originally included on the tour because we had extra time and we so appreciated that! We barely encountered many other tourists on our stops since she scheduled the timing of our stops so well.We couldn't have asked for more!
Written January 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. Iris is one of our superstar guides that does whatever it takes to make our guests have an extra special day. We hope to see you again soon!
Written January 23, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Daphne L
Australia3 contributions
Dec 2022
With Alan as our guide, my husband and I had a really enjoyable tour and the best time. There was just enough time for every activity - some walks, some hikes, some rest, some uphill and downhill steps, with views and scenery. Our group size of 7 (4 Aussies, 2 New Yorkers and 1 Indian expat based in Malaysia) was just nice. Alan has a good-natured and patient manner, and kept us informed and amused. He took many pictures of us which he shared after the tour. The emails we wrote to make the booking were also answered very promptly, which we appreciated. I highly recommend this tour for anyone with 8-9 hours to spare at Taroko Gorge.
Written January 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the wonderful review! We hope to see you again soon.
Written January 14, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Daryl T
5 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
We went for the Better Taroko Gorge Tour and had Allen as our tour guide/ driver. Allen has really good knowledge of the place and his explanation of its history and indigenous people was really insightful. We really enjoyed ourselves during the tour!
However, at the same time we were not sure if having a small group tour was really worth the large price difference compared to tours offered by other tour agencies! In the end once the tour buses arrived, we inadvertently ended up walking together with a large crowd of people anyway.
There were also some points which could have been improved on Island Life Taiwan's part:
1. One of the highlights of the tour which we were really looking forward to was the Truku tribe aboriginal restaurant for lunch which Island Life Taiwan spoke so highly of. We were really disappointed to find out on the day of the tour that the restaurant was fully booked and there were no slots left. Why was this not communicated to us through email earlier by Jamella? I'm sure the reservation wasn't made on the day itself.
2. The tour details like pick up time etc could be communicated earlier to us. We only received the details the day before at 6.30pm. Would have been reassuring to receive the information earlier in the day!
However, at the same time we were not sure if having a small group tour was really worth the large price difference compared to tours offered by other tour agencies! In the end once the tour buses arrived, we inadvertently ended up walking together with a large crowd of people anyway.
There were also some points which could have been improved on Island Life Taiwan's part:
1. One of the highlights of the tour which we were really looking forward to was the Truku tribe aboriginal restaurant for lunch which Island Life Taiwan spoke so highly of. We were really disappointed to find out on the day of the tour that the restaurant was fully booked and there were no slots left. Why was this not communicated to us through email earlier by Jamella? I'm sure the reservation wasn't made on the day itself.
2. The tour details like pick up time etc could be communicated earlier to us. We only received the details the day before at 6.30pm. Would have been reassuring to receive the information earlier in the day!
Written November 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First of all, I'm very happy that you enjoyed the tour and got to experience the park with us. As to the issues you experienced, I'll try to address them as best I can. Firstly, our tours tend to visit numerous places that the large tour busses can't access. This allows you to see parts of the park you wouldn't be able to see otherwise. Also, our guides speak English and spend time with you explaining the history and showing you the unique features in the park. The tour buses aren't like that at all, and most don't have English speaking guides at all. They just herd you off the bus at a few stops in the park and then take you to high-pressure gift shops on the highway. We take you to zero gift shops to maximize your park time.
As for the restaurant issue, I am deeply sorry that you weren't able to visit. I'll find out why, but occasionally they have events scheduled and aren't open to the public during a certain timeframe. It's rare, but does happen. I hope Allen took you to a nice alternative! We will be sure to communicate that better with guests going forward if it happens again.
Typically the pick up schedules go out the evening before on group tours as some people book the day before and we schedule pickups in geographic order to get you to the park as fast as possible in the morning. On private tours, pickup can be scheduled for any time. I hope I answered everything! Thank you again for joining us.
Written November 29, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Micah
2 contributions
Apr 2023
Iris was the best tour guide! She was fun, accommodating, and extremely knowledgeable. She’s lived in Hualien her whole life and her wealth of experience really adds so much to the tour.
We had initially booked the Taroko Essentials Tour, which is meant to be half-a-day long. However, our plans to paraglide had to be cancelled the same day due to the cloudy weather. Iris had no issue switching us to the full-day tour. It wasn’t exactly the easiest thing since the full tour included lunch, and that had to be reserved beforehand. She made several calls, and we were so lucky that she was able to arrange for us to eat in a restaurant run by Taroko Tribe people. The food was absolutely amazing! And Iris also treated us to superbly delicious custard apples for dessert!
During the tour itself, she shared a lot of information about the Taroko Tribe, their traditions, their current situation, and their history. We really appreciated this since Taroko Gorge isn’t just a nature park but is, more importantly, home to some people. In every story and anecdote that Iris shared with us regarding the Taroko Tribe, you could hear her respect and admiration for them.
At the end of our day, Iris surprised us by driving us to the coast. The waters were amazing with a clear line made by the shallow turquoise coastal sea and the dark, almost black, deep ocean. Even Iris was shocked to see this, and she said that we were lucky because this was a very rare and unusual phenomenon.
Overall, we had an amazing day. We started off feeling slight disappointment since we couldn’t go paragliding, but we ended the day fully satisfied and happy that we got to spend the whole day with Iris!
We had initially booked the Taroko Essentials Tour, which is meant to be half-a-day long. However, our plans to paraglide had to be cancelled the same day due to the cloudy weather. Iris had no issue switching us to the full-day tour. It wasn’t exactly the easiest thing since the full tour included lunch, and that had to be reserved beforehand. She made several calls, and we were so lucky that she was able to arrange for us to eat in a restaurant run by Taroko Tribe people. The food was absolutely amazing! And Iris also treated us to superbly delicious custard apples for dessert!
During the tour itself, she shared a lot of information about the Taroko Tribe, their traditions, their current situation, and their history. We really appreciated this since Taroko Gorge isn’t just a nature park but is, more importantly, home to some people. In every story and anecdote that Iris shared with us regarding the Taroko Tribe, you could hear her respect and admiration for them.
At the end of our day, Iris surprised us by driving us to the coast. The waters were amazing with a clear line made by the shallow turquoise coastal sea and the dark, almost black, deep ocean. Even Iris was shocked to see this, and she said that we were lucky because this was a very rare and unusual phenomenon.
Overall, we had an amazing day. We started off feeling slight disappointment since we couldn’t go paragliding, but we ended the day fully satisfied and happy that we got to spend the whole day with Iris!
Written April 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the wonderful review! Come join us again soon.
Written April 11, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
grace454
Sunnyvale, CA11 contributions
Feb 2020
We had a small van tour with Iris to Taroko Gorge. She is a very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and thoughtful guide. We took many mini hikes and on the ones she walked with us on she gave very thoughtful backgrounds on the geology, vegetation, the local tribes that lived in the area. At the end she even went out of her way to get us some delicious hualien green onion pancakes from a vendor which didn't have a long line! We enjoyed the tour tremendously.
Written February 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your review. Iris truly loves showing our guests around Hualien, and always goes the extra mile to ensure people have the best day possible!
Written March 2, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Liz P
2 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
Thank you once again for your wonderful service!
We had a great time at Taroko Gorge National Park and Iris provided exceptional service to us. She was very friendly and knowledgeable. She is also an excellent communicator who gave us all the necessary information without having to ask for it. We will definitely consider booking with your tours in the near future and would highly recommend to our friends.
This has been a very positive customer satisfaction experience.
Cheers
Liz
We had a great time at Taroko Gorge National Park and Iris provided exceptional service to us. She was very friendly and knowledgeable. She is also an excellent communicator who gave us all the necessary information without having to ask for it. We will definitely consider booking with your tours in the near future and would highly recommend to our friends.
This has been a very positive customer satisfaction experience.
Cheers
Liz
Written April 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for the great review! So happy you had a wonderful time with us.
Written November 16, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi! I want to book this tour but i will be staying at Xincheng which is near the park entrance. Can the driver pick me there? And on the way back, i don t mind... I just don t want to go to Hualien for the pick-up in the morning
Written October 20, 2019
Hi, for our Better Taroko Tour and our Zhuilu Old Trail Tour, we can pick up in Xincheng because it is along the way to Taroko National Park. Thank you!
Written December 26, 2019
Such a wonderful tour. Alan was the best guide ever. He is so enthusiastic about the beauty of his country and willing to show you the best places. I had really good time. He was also so kind to let me visit the beach that was out of the tour. For sure I will be back for another tour with them. Highly suggested
Written October 28, 2019
Hi, do you have any green island or orchid island tours available in the next few months? I wasn't sure how soon "coming soon" is. :) Your website and reviews look great, so I'm very interested! - Devon
Written October 23, 2017
Hey Devon, are you looking to go Scuba diving or just take a visit to the islands? We are hoping to have tours planned in the next few months. Feel free to email us and we can chat about what interests you. Thanks!
Written November 1, 2017
Showing results 1-3 of 3