Table of Contents
Important Information
| Avg. Time Spent Here | 3 hrs |
| Chinese Name | 貓空 |
| Maokong Gondola Hours | Tues–Thurs: 9 AM–9 PM |
| Fri: 9 AM–10 PM | |
| Weekends & Holidays: 8:30 AM–10 PM |
Maokong Mountain in Taiwan hosts tea houses amidst verdant tea plantations. Tea lovers, hikers, and sightseers visit for serenity and striking views. Its gondola ride provides stunning panoramas of Taipei. This destination suits history buffs with its tea culture museum.
How to Get There
You could rent a vehicle and drive to Maokong Mountain, but I don’t recommend this. As the roads that lead up the mountain seem a bit dangerous.
The best way to get to Maokong Mountain is to take the Taipei MRT Brown Line to the Taipei Zoo Station, then walk to the gondola building. From there, take the gondola to Maokong Mountain.
The gondola will take 25 minutes to reach the mountain’s peak and will stop at these stations:
- Taipei Zoo Station: Bottom area.
- Taipei Zoo South Station: Inside the Taipei Zoo.
- Zhinan Temple Station: Leads to Zhinan Temple.
- Maokong Station: The top of the mountain.
Costs for the Taipei gondola are as follows:
| Ticket Type | Price (One-way) |
|---|---|
| 1 Stop | NT$70 |
| 2 Stops | NT$100 |
| 3 Stops | NT$120 |
| Discounted * | NT$60 |
| 1-Day Fun Pass | NT$260 |
* Discounted tickets are only available to folks who have a household registration in Zhinan, Laoquan, Zhengda, and Wanxing villages [1].
The 1-Day Fun Pass gives you unlimited rides on the gondola, Taipei’s MRT and buses, and 4 Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes. Best for anyone who’s visiting many places in a single day.
Groups of 10 or more folks could get a 10% discount on their tickets. Groups of 40 or more get a 20% discount.
Pay for your cable car ticket at the counter or by ordering online. I recommend getting a smart card like an EasyCard, icash, or iPass. These are cashless cards that’ll give you quicker access to the gondola, along with every other transportation method in Taipei.
There’s also bus S10 that begins at the Taipei Zoo MRT Station. It’ll take you to National Chengchi university.
What to Do & Eat
If you’re into hiking, there’s a hiking path that starts at National Chengchi University and will eventually end at the area with tea houses.
Otherwise, you’ll find places to visit, like:
- Tianen Temple: A buddhist temple.
- Zhanshan Temple: Another buddhist temple.
- Sanxuan Temple: A temple surrounded by tea plantations.
- Old Quanli Apricot Forest: Apricot forest divided into a few zones.
- Century-old banyan tree: A really old banyan tree.
- Zhinan Temple (Xiangong Temple): Combines Confucianism, Taoism, & Buddhism into 1 place.
- Superstition says not to visit this temple as a couple, because the deity will try to break you up.
- Taipei Tea Promotion Center: Use this place to learn more about Taiwan’s tea culture.
This place is mostly a great place for exploring nature and drinking fresh tea at various tea houses. It’s also a fantastic place to view fireworks in Taipei City during New Year’s Eve.
What to Eat at Maokong Mountain
The upper area of the mountain has many tea houses that also have food. It’s also an amazing place to grab a cup of tea and view the fireworks from Taipei 101 during New Year’s Eve. So long as the weather’s nice.
Most places are filled up, but I’ve found that Sun Yang Tea House tends to have available seats. This place serves great-tasting tea and hot food like chicken and soup.
Otherwise, I don’t recommend specific places. Explore tea houses until you find one that has the best view of Taipei City or the mountains.
FAQs
How Long is the Maokong Gondola Ride?
A 1-way ride on the Maokong Gondola through all 4 stops is 17 to 37 minutes long [2].
