Whitewater Rafting in Kaohsiung County

When you mention whitewater rafting in Taiwan, most people think of the Shiouguluan River (秀姑巒溪) in Hualian (花蓮). But did you know that only a couple hours away from Kaohsiung in the town of Baolai (寶來), there is a very good place to go rafting as well? The Laonong River 荖濃溪, which starts at Yushan (玉山), runs through Baolai on its way to Pingdong, Kaohsiung, and the sea. The rafting area of the Laonong River begins in Baolai and ends in the town of Sinfa (新發), a distance of 19 km. There are several rafting companies in Baolai that take groups down the river, and all are certified by the local government.
Before you get into your raft, the rafting company will first give the necessary safety equipment, a helmet and a life jacket, and show you how to put the life jacket on. They will also teach you how to stay safe once you are in the raft. Then they take you in a bus down to the river, give you a paddle, and away you go!
There are quite a few places on the river where the water moves very fast. These are called rapids. In these places, you must be careful, or your raft may tip over. In other places, the water moves more slowly. This is a good time to rest and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
The entire trip down the river takes between 2 ½ and 3 hours. It is a nice cool way to spend a hot summer afternoon. The rafting season is between May and October. For more information, click on this link: Maolin National Scenic Area



Click here (請點閱) to see the rafting photos.

Vocabulary

1. mention 提到
2. whitewater rafting 泛舟
3. as well 也
4. through 經過
5. distance 距離
6. several 幾個
7. companies 公司
8. groups 團體
9. certified 認證
10. local government. 地方政府
11. raft 橡皮艇
12. necessary 必要的
13. safety equipment 安全設備
14. helmet 安全帽
15. life jacket 救生衣
16. stay safe 保持安全
17. paddle 槳
18. rapids 急流
19. tip over 翻船
20. rest 休息
21. enjoy 欣賞
22. scenery. 風景
23. entire 整個
24. trip 旅程
25. season 季節