Mustachioventures: Klook Activities for Taipei: Maokong Gondola, Taipei Guided Walking Tour

Friday, March 15, 2019

Klook Activities for Taipei: Maokong Gondola, Taipei Guided Walking Tour

This is not a sponsored post, but I was very satisfied with the Klook deals for Taipei that we availed of that it deserves writing about.

Maokong Gondola

Regular Price: 240 NTD roundtrip
Klook Price: 240 NTD roundtrip, with Taipei Double Decker Sightseeing Bus (Night) Ticket

The Maokong Gondola (cable car) travels four kilometers up the mountains to Maokong, where there are walking trails, tea plantations, tea museum, restaurants, and tea shops. There are two cabin options: regular cabin or crystal cabin. The crystal cabin is glass-floored, but to take one takes a bit of waiting.

We waited for a crystal cabin, and by the time we boarded one, the sun was about to set. It made for a beautiful ride up the mountain with a sunset view of Taipei, but did not leave time to visit Zhinan Temple (the stop before Maokong Station). When we arrived in Maokong, it was shrouded in darkness, too dark to see anything, so we just walked around to check out the restaurants and tea shops.

Maokong Gondola

Sunset over Taipei

A night at Maokong

Taipei Double Decker Sightseeing Bus

The Taipei Double Decker Sightseeing Bus is a hop-on hop-off (HOHO) bus, with two routes: red route (east route) and blue route (north route). Since the Maokong Gondola tickets we bought came with a free ticket (for use from 5PM to 9PM) on the red route of the Taipei Double Decker Sightseeing Bus, we decided to go on a joyride. There is an audio guide on the tour bus and it tells you about the important sites the bus passes by. As it is a HOHO bus, you can get on or off at any of its stops. Most of the attractions on the red route are better visited in the day time, so we rode the entire route and only got off at its last stop: Huashan 1914 Creative Park.

On the Taipei Double Decker Sightseeing Bus

Free Taipei Guided Walking Tour: Historic Route

Klook offers three free guided walking tours: Historic Route, Golden Age Route, and Modern Route. Yes, these tours are free, but you still have to book a slot on Klook.

The Historic Route visits Longshan Temple, Bopiliao Old Street, The Red House, Presidential Office Building, 228 Peace Park, Taipei South Gate, and Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. When my sister and I visited Taipei in 2014, we visited some of the sites included in the Historic Route, but it was purely sightseeing: we had zero knowledge of its historical significance. Joining the guided tour, led by two friendly guides, Paul and Lynn, gave us background and historical information and insight into the Taiwanese culture. If you are interested in history, I highly recommend this tour.

Participants of the guided tour

Longshan Temple

An old school hand-painted poster at Bopiliao Old Street

The Red House

Presidential Office Building

At 228 Peace Park

Taipei South Gate

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall behind the huge KAWS art installation

Other Klook deals we availed of:

Pocket WiFi

Klook Price: 50NTD per day

I booked a Pocket WiFi for pick up at Taoyuan Airport. The pick up and return process was very easy, but the booth was only at the Arrival Hall. I think it would have been more convenient had they had a booth for returns at the Departure Hall. The WiFi connection was okay and the battery life was as advertised. Would rent this again the next time I get a chance to visit Taipei.

Taoyuan Airport MRT Tickets

Regular Price: 160 NTD per way / 320 NTD roundtrip

Klook Price: 280 NTD roundtrip with free gift

The reason we bought our Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Main Station and vice versa MRT tickets from Klook was because of the discounted price. It was a bonus that the process for exchanging the voucher to the actual MRT tickets or tokens was very easy to do. Plus it came with a free gift from Red Sakura!

Yehliu Geopark

Regular Price: 80 NTD

Klook Price: 80 NTD

Yehliu Geopark is a popular tourist destination, where one can see many interesting rock formations shaped by nature. There is no price difference if you purchase admission tickets at the Geopark ticket booth or through Klook. But it saves time from queueing (remember, it's a popular tourist spot!): you can already gain admission just by showing the mobile voucher from Klook.