Next to the zoo is the Maokong Gondola station.Opened on July 4, 2007, the Maokong Gondola runs between Taipei Zooand Maokong. The total length of the line is 4,030 meters.
The line has four stations:
- Taipei Zoo outside the Taipei Zoo
- Taipei Zoo South the Taipei Zoo
- Zhinan Temple
- Maokong
When operating, the fares are based on the number of stations travelled:
- 1 Station NT$30
- 2 Stations NT$40
- 3 Stations NT$50
We took the Maokong Gondola to the final stop, to visit the tea and café houses in Maokong, in the Muzha hillside.
There are hundreds of different teahouses, most are open 24 hours, and the revelry reaches its fullest pitch only after midnight.
Visitors come seeking a cool escape from the often steamy Taipei Basin below. The view of the big city laid out (when there is a view) has been described as a scintillating carpet at the sipper’s feet is a visual complement to the flavour of the local Oolong tea specialties: Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess) and Baozhong.
We went to a small, modern tea house…
and tried the ice Oolong tea…
and had some freshly made waffles with fresh fruits. It was a nice treat!
Afterwards we walked around the area with all the different teahouses and we wanted to visit the museum, but it was already closed. All we learned from a sign outdoor was: Tea has been grown in Taiwan for more than 300 years, but it was British trader John Dodd who put Muzha on the map in the 1860s. Arriving after the second opium war he saw that the area’s conditions were perfect for Oolong tea.
bluebalu 
Just a small question – do they have English menu at least in some of those tea-houses in Maokong, or do anyone of the staff there speak English? How did you order the tea, is knowledge of Chinese abolutely a must?
We don’t speak Chinese – but we were fine. All the places we went to had English menues and most staff could speak English. Those who could not, they just pointed to menu items and that was fine too. So no problems at all. Have fun in Taipei!