Private Maokong Gondola & Shiding Handmade Noodle DIY Tour
Description
This private Maokong Gondola tour combines Taipei’s tea mountains with a unique Shiding handmade noodle DIY experience. Start with hotel pickup and travel to Shiding, where guests learn traditional Taiwanese noodle-making through hands-on activities such as noodle stretching, swinging, photo time, and packaging noodles to take home. After the DIY, stroll through quiet Shiding Old Street to see stone houses, riverside village scenery, tofu dessert shops, and local food stalls. Free time for lunch is included at your own expense. In the afternoon, visit the Taipei Tea Promotion Center in Maokong to learn about Tieguanyin tea, Baozhong tea, tea production, and local tea history. Enjoy a gentle walk along Zhangshu Trail, known for seasonal flowers and tea mountain views. End the day at a mountain-view tea house or café before taking a one-way Maokong Gondola ride down to Taipei Zoo Station, then transfer to your hotel, Taipei 101, or Raohe Street Night Market.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Learn how traditional Taiwanese handmade noodles are made. With guided instruction, you will join simple hands-on activities such as noodle stretching, noodle swinging, photo time during the noodle-drying process, and packaging your own handmade noodles to bring home. *Shiding Handmade Noodle DIY requires reservations and is closed Tuesday; if unavailable, visit Thousand Island Lake instead, and note Maokong Gondola is closed Monday.
After the DIY, stroll through quiet Shiding Old Street for a local mountain village experience. You can see traditional stone houses, stilt-house scenery, the old riverside village atmosphere, tofu dessert shops, and small local food stalls. Lunch On Own (Your guide can recommend local restaurants)
In the afternoon, travel directly by private vehicle from Shiding to the Taipei Tea Promotion Center in Maokong. Your private vehicle brings you directly to the tea center, where you can learn about Tieguanyin tea, Baozhong tea, tea production, and the tea-growing history of the Muzha and Maokong area.
Camphor Tree Trail Seasonal Flower Walk. Next, enjoy a light walk along Zhangshu Trail, also known as Camphor Tree Trail. This gentle trail is one of Maokong’s most pleasant seasonal photo spots. Depending on the season and yearly planting schedule, visitors may see lupine flowers, cosmos, sunflowers, or other seasonal flower scenery. Even outside flower seasons, the trail offers a slower, greener side of Taipei, with tea mountain views and peaceful countryside atmosphere.
Maokong Tea House Experience On Own.
Ride the Maokong Gondola down, meet your driver-guide at Taipei Zoo Station, then transfer to your preferred Taipei drop-off point: your hotel, Taipei 101, or Raohe Street Night Market.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We provide pickup and drop-off services within Taipei City only. Please inform us of your Taipei hotel location. If your pickup location is outside Taipei, please contact us, as an additional fee may apply.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Local government regulations require that all tour participants possess travel insurance. Local operator will provide this ,but requires the following information for each participant.
- Passport name, gender, number, expiry and country is required at time of booking for all participants.
- Reminder: Bring cash, comfortable walking shoes, and light jacket.
- We recommend travelers in Taipei to bring an umbrella or raincoat, as the weather can be unpredictable.
- One luggage for one traveler. Please don't bring oversize luggage.
- Please note that tour itineraries may vary due to weather conditions and traffic, ensuring your safety and enjoyment.
- We offer pickup and drop-off at your desired location ONLY within Taipei City. Please provide us your hotel name and address.
- Tuesday / Fully Booked Alternative Route: If Shiding Hsu’s Handmade Noodle DIY is closed or cannot be reserved, the itinerary will be adjusted to Thousand Island Lake and Bagua Tea Plantation.
- The flowing noodle experience is not included in this itinerary.
- Maokong Gondola operation may be affected by weather, maintenance, or official schedule changes.
- Guests may choose one drop-off location at the end of the tour: Taipei hotel, Taipei 101, or Raohe Street Night Market.
- This tour is not recommended for wheelchair users or guests with limited mobility because it includes old streets, uneven walking surfaces, mountain-area stops, and gondola boarding.
- Seasonal flowers along Zhangshu Trail / Camphor Tree Trail are not guaranteed and may vary depending on weather and yearly planting schedule.
- A moderate amount of walking is involved.
Reviews(11)
Jennifer was our guide and from start to finish she made our day memorable. Her expertise, manner and knowledge was amazing and even if she was unsure Jennifer would look it up to give us every detail in her answer. We have been on many excursions but today with Jennifer was the best yet! She was so patient and understanding the whole day, assisting and guiding us. We love Taipei and even more because Jennifer was such an incredible person to show us her beautiful city and Meokong tea plantation. The gondola ride was absolutely spectacular! Thank you Jennifer for making our day in Taiwan extraordinary and also by hand drawing us from a photo she took. Special memories forever.
Thank you for this beautiful review! We’re so happy to hear that your Maokong Tea and Shenkeng day tour with Jennifer became such a special memory. Jennifer truly loves sharing Taipei with our guests, and it means so much to know that her patience, kindness, and thoughtful guidance made your day extraordinary. We’re also glad you enjoyed the spectacular gondola ride, the Maokong tea plantation, and all the little details Jennifer shared along the way. The hand-drawn portrait sounds like such a meaningful keepsake, and we’re delighted it added an extra personal touch to your Taiwan experience. Thank you again for choosing Justaiwantour. We hope your memories of Taipei, Maokong, and Jennifer stay with you for many years to come!
Jennifer was great and excellent! Highly recommended!!!
Thank you for your kind words! We’re delighted to hear you had a great experience on the Maokong tour. Jennifer will be so happy to know she made your day special. Your recommendation means a lot to us—we hope to welcome you back again soon!
Paul introduced us to a couple of new experiences- knife massage, stinky tofu, mango beer. The tour is way overpriced.
We asked for the tour to end early and for the tour guide to take us back to our hotel because his driving made us motion sick. He blamed it on the Mountain Roads, but I told him it was his slow driving. I didn’t appreciate him ignoring what I was trying to tell him. We didn’t tell him this to avoid hurting his feelings too badly, but his driving was also quite terrifying, going so slow and awkwardly that when he changed lanes, he was badly cutting people off. This also meant that the trip back to the hotel took much longer than he had estimated, despite minimal traffic. We were a little worried that he was trying to squeeze out time with us to minimize trouble he would be in with his agency. The car he picked us up in did not have seatbelts ready and working for the two main back row seats, meaning my Mom and I couldn’t sit together in the back unless one of us sat in the middle. This tour was too expensive for the vehicle to not have been prepared to be used like…a normal vehicle. Apologies for the sass here, but this was a major oversight in our opinions. Lastly, while our guide was a nice person, we felt that his English was not fluent enough to hold a conversation with him. We found we were both missing each other’s points often. He was trying his best, but we do a lot of travel and he did not meet the average English speaking level we typically encounter with professional guides in Asia. Overall, we did not see much because we were too uncomfortable to continue the tour with the tour guide. Therefore, we cannot recommend this tour to anyone.
James was an amazing tour guide. He was friendly, educational, and spoke very good English. I felt like I learned a lot about Taiwanese history, politics, and culture. Some places I had already been to but he offered new information! I was traveling by myself at the time and he made for great company while also remaining professional. I highly recommend!
High-fives and heartfelt thanks for your 5-star review. You rock!
Our tour guide Kuan catered to our needs and gave us plenty of time to enjoy the places we visited. Maybe stinky tofu is not my thing but good to try.
Thanks for your awesome review! We're thrilled that Kuan rocked your tour and gave you the VIP treatment. As for the stinky tofu, hey, it's not for everyone, but at least you can check it off your "brave foodie" list, right? Here's to more unforgettable adventures and maybe fewer smelly snacks next time! 😉
It was a terrific tour that exceeded my expectations. My family and I enjoyed the tour and learned a lot. It was such a fun day! And I can’t say enough about how great Tony, our tour guide was. He was friendly, informative, and you could tell he enjoyed guiding tours. He even took pictures of us using his camera and gave us the memory card at the end of the tour. If you’re looking for a fun day tour from Taipei, I highly recommend this tour!
Thanks a ton for your awesome review! We're over the moon to hear that our tour exceeded your expectations and that you had a blast with Tony. He's our secret weapon! We're glad he could capture your family's memories, although we can't guarantee he won't sneak in a selfie or two. 😄 Thanks for recommending us, and we hope to see you on another adventure soon!
Paul was fun and light-hearted as we explored Maokong. He shared a lot of information about the area and handled my questions with ease. The views: beautiful. The guide: wonderful. The food: delectable.
Thank you for your lovely review! We're thrilled that you enjoyed your visit, and we can't wait to have you back.
Leo was right on time to pick us up. He was a skilled, careful driver, and we felt very safe with him. His command of English was excellent; there was no struggle to have a fluid conversation back and forth. Leo was also highly conscientious, making sure that we had the best experience he could provide. He was knowledgeable and very kind. Lunch at Big Tea Pot was scrumptious—6 or 7 courses made vegan upon request, reasonably priced. What we didn’t finish, we packed and took with us in a small Tupperware container we brought with us. The day was positively packed with learning, hiking, eating, and a little shopping. We hope to take more tours with Leo and Justaiwantour in the future!
We had a very nice guide and enjoyed riding with no major Grupoe All program items hsben tuned,except the food in the Maokong restaurant was not good,but we don't blame the guide for that.The restaurant was not so clean and the food did not taste us compared to Teipeicity.Da solkte the tour operator Viator choose something better.That's the one missing point regarding the food there
Dear customer, Thank you for selecting Justaiwantour and join Maokong Tea & Shenkeng Stinky Tofu Day Tour. We're very happy to provide you with good service and good memories. Very looking forward to seeing you again! Hope you have a nice day. Best, Justaiwantour
