There is a reason this is a favorite Taipei attraction. It’s beautiful, novel and fun! Not to mention somehow both relaxing and exciting. And it doesn’t hurt that its cheap and super convenient to get to.
I love how it transports you from city to mountainside village. We took the gondola all the way to the final stop at the top. That area is known for its quaint, high quality tea houses overlooking the city and it also offers a bunch of hiking trails.
The first time we went, we ate at a semi open-air food court located on the road to the left when exiting the Gondola. Eating out at this point in our Asian expat life was (and still is) a bit of Russian roulette every time we point at the menu and hand over our NT dollars. But we came out on top with this one. The sweet potato fries were DELICIOUS. They are dusted with some kind of lightly sweet crack powder that I beelined back for the next time I went.
If you do take that left road when walking out of the gondola and go past the open-air food court a few minutes down the road you will see many lovely tea houses, shops and open air cafes to enjoy.
Double check that the Gondola is running!
The first time we tried to return to Maokong, the gondola ride was cancelled due to high winds. And this is important to note as that’s not terribly unusual. So definitely check the Maokong website or your MRT app to make sure its running before you make the trip. And check the weather forecast. Just because the gondola is running when you go up doesn’t mean it will be running all day. If there’s an afternoon or evening storm in the forecast plan to go back down well before it hits. (Worse come to worse, There are taxi’s and busses that will take you back down to Taipei, but from what we hear its a long windy road back down!)
Go on a weekday if you can!
As always non-holiday weekends are best. Both Maokong and the zoo are very popular with the locals so we hear it can get pretty packed on the weekend! Plus if you are like us and want to experience the “Crystal cabin” with the glass bottom floors, the line for that is MUCH less daunting on a weekday! (BTW the Crystal cabin doesn’t cost any extra! It’s just a longer line)
Consider the Secret back route to the Top!
There is also a little known hike you can do up the back of Maokong mountain! The hour or so hike takes you by way of a temple chiseled into the side of a cliff with a waterfall that falls over it. From there you can hike up to Maokong. There you can take the gondola back down the other side after enjoy a tea house or cafe. And then if you’re still up for more, hit the zoo before jumping on the brown line back home.
Don’t forget the zoo!
Take advantage of how close the zoo is to Maokong. Even if you’re not feeling up for a full day at the zoo, it’s so cheap and close that you really can just pop in for 40 minutes. Check out the famous Panda Bears or the great Butterfly house!
Directions straight to Maokong: take MRT’s Brown line all the way to the Zoo exit, then follow signs or gondoals, to the station.
Directions to Silver River Cave Hike: Take the Green line to Xindian Station. From there we suggest taking a taxi to the trail head ($200NT or less) There is a bus that can be taken closer to the trail (Green bus 12, I believe) BUT where it drops you off leaves you to walk a long ways on the side of the tarmac road before before arriving at the trailhead. Either way, once there, the path is clearly marked. Walk a bunch of stairs and in 20 minutes or so you will be at the temple/waterfall. From there, follow the path as it veers right away from the falls, then take the next left fork in the path. After a little while you’ll see signs pointing you in the right direction for Maokong.
