Maokong Gondola And The Best Views In Taipei

Maokong, literally meaning  ‘cat empty’, sits on the southern edge of the Taipei basin and is widely known as the most scenic spot in the city to drink quality, locally-farmed tea. Maokong used to be inhabited by many tea farmers who created various footpaths to transport tea to the city.

However, during a period of decline, many of the tea farms were abandoned and most of the domestic cats fled, hence the name ‘Maokong’.

Today, the footpaths have been transformed into hiking trails and the area has become a destination for tea culture, food, and views of the entire city of Taipei, most notably, the iconic Taipei 101 rising above the rest of the city into the clouds.

The Maokong Gondola is a gondola lift system starting at the Taipei Zoo and brings visitors up to Maokong Station, a quicker alternative to driving the winding roads up the mountain and provides incredible views of the city along the way. Tickets are 50 NT (1.60 USD) each way.

A quaint village and the smell of fresher air and tea leaves greets you at the top of the gondola. The atmosphere is much more relaxed than the constantly bright and bustling city below.

I wandered through the streets, cooed over the local animals, and sat down for some locally-grown tieguanyin tea and dinner at a local restaurant.

 Cat’s Got Nothing To Do Cafe

Full, yes, but as I wandered along the paths around Maokong village, I came across the Cat’s Got Nothing To Do Cafe truck perched almost precariously on the side of the mountain with such clear views that I had to sit down for more tea.

‘Kong’ usually means ’empty’ but can also mean ‘bored because of emptiness’, therefore Cat’s Got Nothing To Do is a very fitting name for a tea truck in Maokong.

To complete my evening, after my tea at the Cat’s Got Nothing To Do Cafe, I literally stumbled across the cat who got nothing to do on my way back to the city.