A fun day on the Maokong Gondola

Making your own schedule is a lot of fun.  Yesterday, I took advantage of my empty afternoon and decided to go for a ride on the Maokong Gondola in the southeastern part of Taipei City.  Comprised of only four stations, the gondola stretches for about 4km along the mountain ranges surrounding Taipei.  For about $3 - $4.50 CDN, you get a return trip (depending on where you stop on the gondola line).  

The view of Taipei City from
the Gondola

From Taipei Zoo station to Maokong Station takes about 12 minutes - sit back and enjoy the spectacular views and the heights you'll reach and dip throughout the ride.  There's only two stations that you would want to stop off and walk around - each walk around should take no more than an hour to see all the fun sites.

To really enjoy the ride, I suggest that one take a full trip up to Maokong first - there are also a special Gondola called Crystal Cabins that have a glass floor for you to have a great view of the jungle canopy below - you'll have to wait 15 to 20 minutes for those carts though, regular carts are every 30 seconds.  I didn't want to way, and besides, the regular gondolas provide great views anyway.

The tea plantations.

Maokong station has a great hiking trail that takes about 30 minutes to walk - provides great views of the countryside and the tea and rice plantations that climb up the mountain.  I have a phobia of mosquitos and there weren't that many up there, thankfully.  If you're a tea lover, there's plenty of tea houses and tea museums for you to visit.  If you're tired from all the walking, there are a series of great cafes along the hiking trails that have patios that overlook the sprawling metropolis below.

After your hike, take a rest at lookout point at the base of Maokong station - a breathtaking view of greenery is a great R&R stop before getting back onto the gondola.  Grab a drink and a bite to eat before hopping on the Gondola as there's no food consumption within the vehicles.

The Pagoda at Dachen

I suggest a stop by Zhinan Temple station, the first stop on the way down from the mountain.  Two Taoist temples flank the gondola station, one right when you get out of the exit and another about a 10 minute stroll down a hill.  Dachen Hall is marked by a gate and a pagoda at it's base.  But it is not as breathtaking as the Zhinan temple.  This temple sits at the edge of a mountain overlooking Taipei.  It is enormous, with large steps to climb and spacious temple rooms reserved for the statutes of Taoist faith.  

Make a small offering to the temple and stroll around the grounds taking in the smells of the incense, the notes hanging from the prayer trees.  Finally, take the time to stand by the white bannisters that hold you back from falling off the cliff to the city below and marvel at the juxtaposition of nature vs urban sprawl. 

Zhinan temple

Wandering around the grounds of the temple some more and you'll discover neat statutes, many more adorned prayer trees, large golden incense urns and beautiful exotic flowers and century old trees that wind its way around the architecture of the temple.

All in all, a great way to spend an afternoon - three to four hours of incredible sights of Taipei and its surroundings, and all for under $5.

Here are some other photos:

A view of Zhinan Temple from the Gondola with the Sunset.

A prayer tree

The Lanterns at Zhinan Temple