Spilling the tea on MAOKONG

Despite visiting Taiwan many times, I’ve never been to Maokong (猫空), one of Taipei’s largest and most scenic spots to enjoy locally grown tea. Maokong is well known for their Baozhong and Tieguanyin varieties!

Getting there:

🚆 Taipei Zoo MRT ➡️ Maokong Gondola 🚡 (~30 mins)

Alighting at the MRT stations, follow the signs towards the Gondola! You can pay with the usual travel card and it costs NT120 each way for adults.

There are special crystal cabins fitted with glass floors, offering passengers a unique viewing experience enroute! Do bear in mind that these come in limited quantities, so be prepared to wait if you opt to queue for these!

🍵 Tea appreciation:

There are many traditional tea houses offering wide selections of locally grown teas and special tea infused dishes! Located ~20mins walk from the gondola station, 邀月茶亭 (Yao Yue Teahouse) is a popular teahouse open 24/7 for tea lovers to sip and appreciate tea all day. Both indoor and outdoor seatings are available, with the latter offering unrivaled views of the mountains and tea plantations surrounding it. Don’t miss their unique tieguanyin flavoured mantou and xiaolongbao!

🥾Go hiking:

There are multiple walking trails in Maokong that you can choose from. A popular option is the Zhangshu trail, which is a beginner-friendly walk through the tea fields.

🍦 Taste tea-infused dishes:

When you are finished with your hike, why not grab a cone of delicious tea flavored, soft serve ice cream at 觀鼎休閒茶園(Kuang Ting Tea Garden)? Or perhaps you might fancy tea fried rice served at 貓空大茶壺茶餐廳 (Big Tea Pot restaurant)? 🍚 Go ahead and be adventurous!

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