Maokong Gondola Itinerary
Maokong Village is a quaint town nestled in the mountains surrounding Taipei. It's known for teahouses and hikes, and is a really accessible way to slow down and step outside of the city for just a few hours.
Whenever I'm feeling stressed or bogged down by work, I take a quick ride on the Maokong Gondola and spend an afternoon recharging in nature.
Contrary to popular belief, rest isn't the state of doing nothing.
Rather, true and deep rest is the act of doing small things that restore your energy levels and give your working brain a break.
So, unplug with nature therapy. Here's a full itinerary for how to spend a day at Maokong.
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About The Maokong Gondola
→ Getting To Maokong Gondola
→ Planning Your TripHow To Explore Maokong
→ Maokong On Foot
→ Maokong Tour Bus
→ Maokong By GondolaWhat To Do At Maokong
→ Riding The Maokong Gondola
→ Tea Promotion Center
→ Go For A Hike
→ Visit Apricot Grove
→ Grab Lunch At A Teahouse
→ Tea Ice Cream + Shopping Near Maokong Station
→ Zhinan Temple
About The Maokong Gondola
The Maokong Gondola operates between Taipei Zoo MRT Station and Maokong Station. It is a 4.3 km (2.7 mi) line that has four passenger stations and offers sweeping views of Taipei from a distance. The entire ride takes approximately 25 minutes and is a peaceful start to your day in Maokong Village.
Getting To Maokong Gondola:
The easiest way to get to Maokong Gondola is by MRT. Take the Wenshan-Neihu Line (Brown Line) to Taipei Zoo Station and then walk 350 meters to the gondola.
Alternatively, there are a multitude of busses that run to the station. Just check your favorite maps app to find the route that works best for you.
Planning Your Trip:
Opening Hours: Tues - Thurs: 9AM - 9PM | Fri - Sun: 9AM - 10PM | Closed on Mondays except for national holidays and the first Monday of every month
Ticket Options: Adults: NT$70 (1 stop), NT$100 (2 stops) and NT$120 (3 stops). Discounts are available for children, seniors, and disabled people. Purchase your tickets at the counter, use your Easy Card, or pre-book your tickets on Klook. Full details on the Maokong Gondola website.
Crystal Cabins vs Normal Cabins: About a third of the Maokong Gondola cabins are "Crystal Cabins" with transparent floors. These carriages gives passengers the chance to look below and see all the trees and buildings that they're floating above. I definitely recommend that you try a crystal cabin during your adventure!
✨ Tip: Take a normal cabin to Maokong Station and a crystal cabin back down to Taipei Zoo Station. The line is much shorter!
How To Explore Maokong
Maokong Village is best broken down like this:
You have the surrounding village area located near Maokong Station (at the end of the gondola line) that's best explored on foot or by tourist shuttle bus.
And then you have additional attractions near the different gondola stations (Taipei Zoo South Station and Zhinan Temple Station) to explore.
I recommend taking the gondola all the way up to Maokong Station and exploring the village first, before riding back down on the gondola and taking multiple stops along the way. The itinerary described below will follow this pattern.
But first, a quick overview of the different transport options near Maokong.
Maokong On Foot
Maokong Village is pretty walkable. You can get to most of the hiking trails, restaurants, and teahouses on foot but the region is pretty hilly and if you're checking out multiple attractions, it can be pretty exhausting.
That leads us to your second transport option...
Maokong Tour Bus
Taiwanese people love convenience and accessibility. So to make exploration a little easier, there's a Maokong Tour Bus that takes people to the most popular destinations. This bus runs in a two-direction loop and can be helpful when you're too exhausted to continue walking. You can view the full details of the tour bus on the website here.
Maokong By Gondola
When you're done exploring the main Maokong area, make your way back to Maokong Station and you have the option to explore the two remaining stations.
Zhinan Temple Station: peaceful and photogenic area featuring a nice park, a temple, and a pagoda. One of the best spots for taking photos of cherry blossoms in the spring!
Taipei Zoo South Station: located near the Wetland Park at the south of Taipei Zoo. Stop here if you plan on visiting the Taipei Zoo before or after your Maokong adventure!
If you plan on taking more than two trips on the Maokong Gondola, I recommend getting the one-day pass to save some money!
What To Do At Maokong
Maokong is pretty far into the mountains with limited food options so start your day bright and early with breakfast in the city! Once you're all fueled up, head to your nearest MRT station (or bus station) and make your way over to Taipei Zoo MRT!
Riding The Maokong Gondola
We'll start our day by riding the Maokong Gondola (obviously). From Taipei Zoo MRT station, walk five minutes until you reach the Gondola transfer station. While it seems like a short walk on Google Maps, trust me, in the midday sun, even five minutes is draining.
Once you arrive at the station, purchase your tickets or head directly up the stairs if you plan on using an Easy Card or Klook voucher.
At the top of the stairs, you'll line up to take an ordinary cabin or a crystal cabin. As I mentioned earlier, a crystal cabin features a glass-bottom car that allows you to peek down at the trees below you as you ride the gondola.
My recommendation is to take the ordinary cabin up to Maokong Station and then a crystal cabin back down on your return trip. This will allow you to circumvent the long lines.
I have a huge fear of heights so riding the gondola was scary at first. But after 10 minutes or so, you get used to the swaying and begin to settle into the rhythm of it all. The entire ride up takes roughly 25 minutes.
Alight at Maokong Station and take in the views. You're finally out of the city!
Fill your water bottle and grab some snacks from the convenience store (if you plan on hiking) because we've got a long day ahead of us!
Tea Promotion Center
Before we head into the mountains, take a quick detour to the Tea Promotion Center.
Maokong is located in the Wenshan District of Taipei which is famous for its Tie Guanyin and Baozhong teas. This small cultural center features exhibitions and guided tours about the tea-production process and different tea-tasting methods.
The Tea Promotion Center is free to enter and should take about 15-30 minutes to explore. It's a great way to learn more about the local agricultural practices and try some tea while you're at it!
For a deep dive into tea culture in northern Taiwan, you might want to check out this guided tour of Pinglin and Maokong! It features visits to three major tea-growing regions in Taipei and includes a ride on the Maokong Gondola.
Go For A Hike
The main attraction for today!
Maokong is famous for its tranquil, shaded hikes. Most trails are accessible to the regular able-bodied individual so here are some of the most popular options to check out.
Yinhe Cave & Waterfall Trail: by far the most popular hike in Maokong featuring a 2.2 mile (3.54 km) moderately challenging trail to a stunning waterfall with an 1900s temple built into the cliffs.
Camphor Trail (Zhanghu Trail): casual 1.4 mile (2.25 km) out and back walking path with pretty views of a lake along the way. Option to extend this into a 5.4 mile (8.69 km) loop through the tea village.
Maokong Loop: moderately challenging 6.5 mile (10.46 km) loop that takes you through the Wenshan district.
Maokong Healthy Trail: relatively short simple staircase trail shaded with plenty of foliage.
Maokong Potholes: Maokong was named after these riverbed rocks that have holes in them. This short 10-minute walk takes you down to the rocks.
Most of the trails in the region connect to each other so you can make your outdoor session as long or as short as you'd like.
Visit Apricot Grove
If you happen to be visiting during apricot blossom season (Jan - Feb), I highly recommend you check out Apricot Grove Farm!
It was originally a private tea plantation but has since opened up to the public. The farm features over two hectares of 2,000 apricot trees that put on a magnificent show of red, white, and pink flowers each year.
We even stopped by neighboring teahouse after our quick photo session for a quick snack and some tea!
✨ Tip: Both the farm and teahouse are seasonal, so I recommend checking Google Maps before you visit to check the quality of the blossoms and the shop hours. Just click "reviews" and sort by "most recent."
Grab Lunch At A Teahouse
After an exhausting day of hiking, it's finally time for lunch. Refuel at one of teahouses in the area that offer delicious food, fragrant tea, and incredible views of the surrounding mountains.
I spent my afternoon at Yao Yue Teahouse, one of the oldest establishments in the region. This multi-storied restaurant is a 25-minute walk from Maokong Station and features classic ReChao (熱炒) stir-fry options and dim sum dishes.
It's a little overpriced in my opinion, but still, it was nice to be able to have an entire table for myself. I ordered a beef set, tie guan yin tea, tea dango, and spend the afternoon sipping tea, reading, and enjoying the mountain breeze.
Some other popular Maokong teahouses include:
Yingyue Teahouse
Uncle Well Tea
Sunyang Teahouse
Longya Tea House
Tea Ice Cream + Shopping Near Maokong Station
It's time to head back to the station! Wrap up your meal with a delicious oolong and green tea ice cream or hot cup of tea to go. I always visit Maokong Tea House because it's right outside the station and has the cutest soft serve ice cream with kitty cat cookies.
Zhinan Temple
One severely underrated attraction near Maokong is Zhinan Temple.
Take the gondola down one stop to Zhinan Temple Station and once you step out, you're greeted by this stunning golden pagoda. We visited during February and it was wonderfully flanked with pink cherry blossoms.
Walk 10 minutes up the road until you hit Zhinan Temple. This Daoist temple was built in 1890 and is dedicated to Lu DongBin, one of the eight immortals of Chinese legend.
Unfortunately, it was under construction when we visited but it was still nice to walk around the grounds and admire the architecture.
The area also features a smaller Fude Temple which is dedicated to the local Land God.
Wrap your day up by exploring the temple grounds and when you're ready, take the gondola all the way back to Taipei.
To be frank, Maokong really is a simple sleepy town with very little to do outside of hiking. If you want a more activity-packed day, I recommend stopping by the Taipei Zoo in the morning and checking out a night market in the evening. For more on Taiwan, here are further guides on Hualien, Penghu, Lanyu, and Green Island!
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