Private Maokong Gondola & Shiding Handmade Noodle DIY Tour

We’re soooo glad we did this tour, and you will too!

Jennifer Yang is very knowledgeable and fun to talk to. We didn’t have to struggle to make conversation, she made us feel comfortable right away. The tour itself is action packed, we started the day with the gondola and there was no wait because we were first in line. For travelers like us who like to see and do as much as possible with the precious little bit of time we have in Taiwan, it was very much appreciated to see the logistics being so well planned out. We walked around the tea plantation area and had some uniquely delicious tea flavored ice cream. The tea welcome center was very educational and not boring at all. We had a tour guide there, Master Lin, who was also knowledgeable and can answer any wacky questions we threw at him, including some giant (we thought they were birds) butterflies in the garden area. Learning about the tea making process really makes you appreciate the artistry and care the tea farmers put into their work. We also met a tea farmer there at the center and had a tasting, it was clean and refreshing, we bought a tin so we can enjoy it again and again at home. Beautiful architecture and serene deity statues happen to be our jam, so we drove to a couple extra temples on top of the Zhinan Temple that’s already on the itinerary. One of them had a temple volunteer who was handing out small mochi taro balls in a lightly sweet “soup”, supposed to bring good luck. There was also free tie guan yin at the temple for some reason, it was good. Then it was a reasonable 30-min drive to the shenken old street, which honestly was a really great intermission to let our feet get some rest before we go on another adventure. Jennifer took us down the entire old street and pointed out notable stores and recommendations, then left us for 2 hrs (perfect amount of time!) so we can eat lunch at our own pace and explore the street afterwards. The lunch restaurant we went to is called Shenkung Da Shu Sha (“under the big tree of shenkung”). It was delicious and the staff were friendly. We ordered fried stinky tofu, mah po tofu, and clam ginger soup. We ate it all, would definitely recommend this restaurant too. We also had the tofu ice cream (it really does taste like tofu!) and bought some really great gifts and snacks to bring home. There was a hilariously named shop called Taiwanker that sold adorable and equally hilarious things inside, you can definitely find some super reasonably priced gifts to bring home… I personally love stickers bc they’re fun and don’t take up space, nobody needs more shot glasses or keychains. There were a couple shops selling traditional snacks, including sesame crisps which are lightly sweet, fragrant, and delicious… it will make an interesting treat to bring to the office and rock some white people’s worlds (my white husband loves them). Tie guan yin and oolong run the show at maokong tea plantation, BUT if you’re into unique teas then you can actually find Jin Shuan tea in one of the shops here, which is a oolong but has a milky fragrance (still taste like oolong though), I love them. At the end of the street close to the 7/11 there’s a shop selling wooden decorations and stuff. They have a super cool selection of beaded bracelets made of lots of different woods, including sandalwood which smells divine and serene, feels like I brought the zen home with me from the temple. Anyway, loved this entire tour. We both feel like it’s excellent bang for our buck. There were so many cool experiences packed into one day, I highly recommend it!!

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for this incredibly thoughtful and detailed review! We’re delighted that you enjoyed your day with Jennifer and appreciated the planning, comfortable pace, and variety of experiences throughout the tour. It’s wonderful to hear that the Maokong Gondola, tea plantation, tea welcome center, tasting experience, temples, and Shenkeng Old Street all left such a positive impression. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with Jennifer and Master Lin. They will be thrilled to know that their knowledge and hospitality helped make the day both educational and fun. We also love hearing about all the memorable discoveries along the way—from tea-flavored ice cream and temple treats to tofu dishes, unique teas, local snacks, and sandalwood bracelets. It sounds like you truly embraced every part of the experience! Thank you again for choosing our tour and for recommending it so enthusiastically. It was a pleasure welcoming you both, and we hope the tea, gifts, and wonderful memories continue to bring a little piece of Taiwan into your home.

via Tripadvisor

Our Incredible Day with Jennifer

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.

Response from the operator: 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!

via Tripadvisor

Great experience!

Jennifer was great and excellent! Highly recommended!!!

Response from the operator: 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!

via Tripadvisor

Maokong gondola

Paul introduced us to a couple of new experiences- knife massage, stinky tofu, mango beer. The tour is way overpriced.

via Viator

Disappointed, Cannot Recommend

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.

via Viator