Screams echo through the valley！ Taoyuan Bungee Jumping — Take a Leap from the Height of a 14-Story Building

Coach A-Tai, who has nearly 20 years of bungee jumping experience, says that Taoyuan is currently the only place in Taiwan where both equipment and insurance for bungee jumping are fully legal. Its safety standards even exceed common international specifications. This includes double-layer protection for both the gear worn during jumps and the ropes used. As a result, it has maintained a 0% accident rate in Taiwan.

▲Actual bungee jump at Taoyuan’s Baleng Bridge. (Video/Photo by reporter Tsai Wen-jun)

Coach A-Tai points out that bungee jumping isn’t possible just anytime. For safety reasons, jumps are not allowed on rainy days or when winds are too strong. Moreover, not everyone is suited for bungee jumping. Aside from those with health issues such as heart disease, individuals who are either overweight or underweight are also not recommended to jump. Taking Baleng Bridge as an example, participants weighing over 85 kilograms are not allowed to jump. Additionally, due to occasionally strong winds at Baleng Bridge, those weighing around 40 kilograms or less are also not advised to jump.

▲First-timers can opt for the back-facing style.

When you actually step onto the bungee jumping site at Baleng Bridge, participants first need to sign a waiver, then put on safety gear, and with the coach’s assistance, walk out onto the L-shaped platform that extends outside the bridge. Coach A-Tai explains that there are three types of bungee jumps: back-facing, back-strap, and ankle-strap. For first-timers, the back-facing method is recommended because you don’t look directly down at the valley, which helps ease nervousness. The coach can also check your condition face-to-face and stop the jump at any time if you’re not feeling well.

▲After the jump, you’ll be pulled by the rope and enjoy a “human pirate ship” ride beneath the bridge.

The thrill of bungee jumping isn’t just about the moment of leaping off the platform and experiencing the centrifugal force. There’s also the excitement of swinging back and forth dramatically beneath the bridge, tethered by the rope — almost like a “human pirate ship.” It’s another fun part of the experience. After swinging for about five minutes under the bridge, the coach will lower the rope, and the jumper must hook the carabiner in front of their waist before being lifted back up to the bridge deck with the coach’s help.

▲After the jump, you’re hoisted back up to the bridge by rope.

▲Every participant who completes the bungee jump receives a certificate. On the right is veteran bungee jumping coach A-Tai.

The Baleng Bridge bungee jumping experience at the 2016 North Cross-Island Tourism Festival currently has only four time slots left on July 30, with a limit of 15 people per slot. Registration opens on July 25. The general public fee is NT$2,000, students pay NT$1,800, and residents of Fuxing Township with proof can participate for free. For details, visit the North Cross-Island Tourism Festival official website (http://www.lalasun2016.tycg.gov.tw/event09.html).