Flying Cow Ranch 飛牛牧場

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Flying Cow Ranch is a recreational farm in Miaoli County that is open for tourists. Activities there include cow milking, pony rides, as well as feeding ducks, goats, and rabbits, making a trip to this farm fun for the whole family. 

Background:
​Flying Cow Ranch was originally created in 1975 by the government, using students that were sent to America to learn the art of raising dairy cows. After they graduated from schools in the US, the government set aside land in Miaoli for a dairy farming model in Taiwan, known as the "Central Taiwan Youth Dairy Farm" (中部青年酪農村). In 1985, it was converted into a recreational farm, and in 1995 it was opened to the public. 

Hours:
7 AM to 10 PM every day

Price:
220 NT per person (including a free dairy product)
50 NT per car

Accommodation:
3000-5000 NT per night (1000+ NT per campsite), you can book a room here. 

Website:
https://www.flyingcow.com.tw/en/

How to get there:
By Car: From Taipei, take National Freeway 3 to Miaoli and get off at the Tongxiao exit. Then take county road 121 east until you see the signs for Flying Cow Ranch, the Ranch is up the mountain about 2 KM. Car parking is 50 NT, scooter parking is free. 
By Bus: Take Miaoli Motor Transport bus 5820 from Tongxiao Station two and a half hours(!) to Qixia Bus Station. From there it is a 2 KM walk uphill to the farm!
By TRA: You can take the HSR or TRA train to Tongxiao Station, then take the bus or a taxi (300 NT) to the farm.
By HSR: You can take the HSR to Miaoli Station, then switch to TRA, or take a taxi directly from the station (about 400 NT).

​Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:

We have been to Flying Cow Ranch once and we loved our experience. I took my two year old daughter with me and she loved it. It was also the first time in my adult life I had milked a cow, despite my grandfather and uncle both being dairy farmers. In fact, my grandfather's dairy farm was recently torn down for developers to build a suburban neighborhood. It had been a long time since I've visited a real farm, so it was high time that I get back to my roots. 

Once you far enough west on county road 121, you will eventually come to these signs pointing to Flying Cow ranch. At this point, you turn and go up the hill to the farm. 

Tickets are collected at the entrance, 220 NT per person with kids under 3 free. Each ticket comes with a coupon to trade in a dairy product of your choice. 

We chose two small bottles of whole milk that were delicious. 

They also provide a map of the place. The entrance actually requires a bit of a climb but is stroller friendly. I guess the place is in the shape of a cow?

For more information, check out the Flying Cow Website here. 

A western style house near the parking lot. 

It is pretty steep to get the to top but there are long switch back roads and sidewalks to get up there. 

Some different areas of the Ranch. 

Instagrammable tractor. 

Off limit cow statues. 

Main entrance to the Ranch after a long walk uphill. 

Just past the main entrance is perhaps the best view of the whole farm, a long strip of grass leading to a red and white barn. 

"Flying Cow Stream"
"Wastewater from human usage is processed in the water treatment facility until it has passed the benchmark for water release quality. Thus begins the first step in the water purification process."

The flying cow stream that once was flushed from someone's toilet. 

Bent tree in the way of the path. 

A cute pond to the side. 

View of a cow's mouth. 

A lone mini pony on the grass. 

Cows lining up to me milked. One of the cows licked my leg here as I posed for a photo. 

Ducks being let out to be fed. 

People lining up to see the ducks. 

Explanation of Barbados Black Belly Sheep. 

I paid 10 NT for some feed and started feeding the goats. It was fun. 

People beginning to feed the ducks. 

"Barn Activity Information"
"Hand miling demonstration: 7:00, 11:00, 14:15, 17:00"
"Calf feeding demonstration and experience 9:30, 15:00"
"Duck parade 10:00, 13:45, 16:00"

We got there just in time for the 4:00 duck parade. We would have to wait another hour to milk the cows. 

More goats further up the trail. 

Goats eating hay. 

Looking back at the dairy barn. 

Goat scratching his head. 

A goat waits on a cat walk for people to pull feeding buckets up to him. 

Rabbit house. 

Rabbit feed is 10 NT, and you are on your honor to pay. This would only work in Taiwan. 

You can ride a mini pony for 100 NT.

Another view of the rabbit house. 

View of the surrounding area from the top of the farm. 

Another view from the top of the hill. 

Even though the whole farm is hilly, there is a nice paved path throughout, except for the butterfly trail where there are some steps.
Also it was super cold on this February day, and the wind was blowing super hard. I imagine this farm would be a little more enjoyable in the summer.  

Paved road through a wooded area of the farm. 

The flying cow stream below. 

Another barn on the far end of the ranch with more cows. 

Cows enjoying the grass on the far side of the Ranch. This place looks nothing like the rest of Taiwan. 

We then circled back to milk some cows. 

The sky was beautiful at dusk. 

We wasted some milk on the ground, but we had some fun. It was an unforgettable experience. 

Pink sky over the goats. 

People enjoying the cute little ducklings. 

A man feeds milk to some baby goats. 

And then they let the goats run wild back to another pen.

A lady herds goats with two broomsticks. 

Another view of the beautiful sky. 

There is also a playground  in the middle of the farm, perfect for little kids. 

Now that it was getting dark out, we decided to check out the store and trade in our coupons for some milk (seen above). 

We also passed by the hotel near the entrance. 

Statue of a cow...

View of Miaoli from the entrance of the Ranch. 

Even though it was cold, it was a gorgeous day. Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more blogs on Taiwan to come.

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