Taroko, Yushan national park cabin fees proposed

Stays at the new Chilai Mountain Cabin (奇萊山屋) in Taroko National Park would cost NT$800 per person per night on weekdays and NT$1,200 on holidays under a proposal released on Friday, which would also raise fees at Paiyun Lodge (排雲山莊) in Yushan National Park.

The Ministry of the Interior’s National Park Service said the proposed fees would be subject to a 60-day public consultation period and that an implementation date would be announced later.

Located at an elevation of 3,345m in Hualien County near the border with Nantou County, the new cabin has 40 beds for hikers tackling some of Taroko National Park’s most challenging routes.

The Chilai Mountain Cabin is pictured in an undated photograph.

Photo: Taipei Times

It opened on a trial basis on Aug. 21, and stays are currently free.

The National Park Service also proposed raising the fee at Paiyun Lodge, Taiwan’s highest-altitude mountain lodge, from NT$480 per person per night to NT$1,000 on weekdays and NT$1,500 on holidays.

The NT$480 rate has not changed since 2013.

The proposed increase reflects the high cost of maintaining the lodge at 3,402m, where resupply and maintenance is difficult, the National Park Service said.

It also covers the cost of ongoing staffing and facility upgrades, including solar power and energy storage, drying and changing rooms, and communications and charging equipment, the service said.

The new Chilai cabin uses renewable energy and has other green features, its lightweight construction is designed to minimize its impact on the surrounding area, it said.