The Shoushan Zoo (aka Kaohsiung City Shoushan Zoo) is the second largest zoo in Taiwan, and at the same time has an extremely affordable price of only 40 NT per adult. If you have time you should definitely stop by and visit this zoo, if not for anything else but to see popular animals including Formosan black bear,, African elephants, Bengal tigers, Siberian tigers, mini horses, African lions, and orangutans.
Background: The Shoushan Zoo was originally established in 1978 near the Xiziwan, and was known as the Xiziwan Zoo. Due to the construction of Chungshan University in Xiziwan, the Zoo was relocated to Shoushan and opened again in 1986. In 2009, the zoo underwent a major renovation which expanded the park and made it more child friendly. Also two Siberian Tigers were added. The current zoo includes a Taiwan indigenous animal exhibit, children's petting zoo, American Asian animal exhibits, American animal exhibit, African animal exhibits, primate exhibit, and bird exhibit. Popular animals here include African elephants, Formosan black bear, Bengal tigers, Siberian tigers, mini horses, African lions, and orangutans. Hours: 9 AM to 5 PM, tickets are not sold after 4:00 PM. Closed Mondays. Price: 40 NT per person Train: 50 NT per person You can book discount tickets to the Shoushan Zoo on KKday here. How to get there: By MRT/Bus: From MRT Formosa Boulevard Station, take bus 52 to the Shoushan Zoo. The trip takes about 30 minutes. Looking for scooter rental in Kaohsiung? You can check out Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can check also out our scooter rental guide here. If you are looking for car rentals, you can search Qeeq here, KKday here, or Klook here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. By Car/Scooter: Drive to Xiziwan and take Xinglong Road up the mountain to the zoo. The parking lot is about 500 meters from the zoo entrance. Parking is 30 NT per day for cars. You can book tickets to travel to Kaohsiung via inter-city bus on Klook here. You can book tickets to Kaohsiung via high speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here. Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here. You can also book a Kaohsiung Travel pass here. Accommodation We have stayed at and recommend Chao She Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here) IHI Sanduo Travel Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), and Mingli Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Klook here, or Hotels.com here) which are three inexpensive and high quality choices in downtown Kaohsiung. I also have stayed at and recommend Kaohsiung Meinong Rabbit Paul Homestay B&B (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, or Trip.com here), a quiet B&B in rural Meinong, and Chengching Lakeside Resort (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com or Trip.com here)and the Grand Hotel Kaohsiung (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here) which both offer breakfast buffet and free entrance into Chenqing Lake Park. I have also stayed at the 85 sky tower which offers great views of the city; you can search for rooms in the 85 sky tower on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Trip.com here). Find out more about where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation on the islands. You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here. Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. Tours: You can find more tours and activities in Kaohsiung such as Pier 2, Meinong Hakka Museum, Hamasen Railway Museum, Suzuka Circuit Park, i-Ride Kaohsiung Visual 5D Flying Theater, National Science and Technology Museum , Senya Village Restaruant, Austin Land, Ski School Indoor Ski Slope, and many more on Klook here or KKday here. Just to let you know, if you book using the links above, we get some commission at no cost to you, and you can help support our blog. You can click here to receive $5 USD on your first Klook purchase. Map: Please see below:
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Monkey Mountain (officially Shoushan, aka Chaishan 柴山 and other names) in Gushan District of Kaohsiung City, is one of the most easily accessible trails in Kaohsiung with perhaps also the best views of the city. You are sure to see wild monkeys here. It should be on the top of your list of places to visit in Kaohsiung.
Background: Monkey Mountain get's its name because of the large population of Formosan Macauqes that live in the Shoushan Nature preserve on the mountain. In Chinese the name literally means "Long Life Hill," named agter the Japanese crown prince Hirohito. Other names include Wanshoushan 萬壽山 Takaoshan 打狗山 Dagushan 打鼓山 or Kaohsiung Mountain 高雄山. Shoushan formed millions of years ago from coral reefs that were pushed up thanks to the collision of the Eurasian and Philippine plates. Monkey Mountain lies at 365 meters above sea level, and is about 5 km long and 2.5 km wide. The mountain is home to some of the earliest archaeological remains in Kaohsiung, dating back 5000 years. The area also served as a military installation during the Qing Dynasty, Japanese Era, and for the KMT. There is free tea along the trail for hikers. Also there are quite a few caves on the mountain to explore. Currently Monkey Mountain and is one of the most popular trail networks in Koahsiung or all of Southern Taiwan. With quick access to the MRT and TRA, hundreds of people hike these trails daily. Hours: 24/7 Price: Free Length: Chaishan Trail 柴山步道: 2-3 hours, 5 KM Total of about 200 meters in elevation gain Difficulty: Easy, although there are many steep steps along the way. Accommodation We have stayed at and recommend Chao She Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here) IHI Sanduo Travel Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here), and Mingli Hotel (you can book on Agoda here, Klook here, or Hotels.com here) which are three inexpensive and high quality choices in downtown Kaohsiung. I also have stayed at and recommend Kaohsiung Meinong Rabbit Paul Homestay B&B (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, or Trip.com here), a quiet B&B in rural Meinong, and Chengching Lakeside Resort (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com or Trip.com here)and the Grand Hotel Kaohsiung (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, or Expedia here) which both offer breakfast buffet and free entrance into Chenqing Lake Park. I have also stayed at the 85 sky tower which offers great views of the city; you can search for rooms in the 85 sky tower on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Trip.com here). Find out more about where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here. We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation on the islands. You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here. Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. Tours: You can find more tours and activities in Kaohsiung such as Pier 2, Meinong Hakka Museum, Hamasen Railway Museum, Suzuka Circuit Park, i-Ride Kaohsiung Visual 5D Flying Theater, National Science and Technology Museum , Senya Village Restaruant, Austin Land, Ski School Indoor Ski Slope, and many more on Klook here or KKday here. Just to let you know, if you book using the links above, we get some commission at no cost to you, and you can help support our blog. You can click here to receive $5 USD on your first Klook purchase. How to get there: By TRA: Take the TRA to Museum of Fine Arts Station, then walk about 200 meters west toward to the mountain. Use Google Maps, there is a trailhead near Qianguang Temple 千光宮. You can book tickets to travel to Kaohsiung via inter-city bus on Klook here. You can book tickets to Kaohsiung via high speed rail (HSR) on Klook here or KKDay here. Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here. You can also book a Kaohsiung Travel pass here. By Scooter/Car: There are multiple ways to get up to Shoushan, and there are multiple parking lots around. You can also start from the trailhead near Qianguang Temple 千光宮. Looking for scooter rental in Kaohsiung? You can check out Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can check also out our scooter rental guide here. If you are looking for car rentals, you can search Qeeq here, KKday here, or Klook here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. Map: Please see below: 
Wuling Farm is a recreational farm in the mountains of Taichung, Taiwan. It is one of the only places that you can spot the endangered Formosan Landlocked Salmon in the wild, and includes flowers, fruit trees, tea plantations, cherry blossoms, hikes, camping, waterfalls, and wildlife to enjoy. It is a great place to experience Taiwan's high mountain ecology.
Background: Originally the Qijia Valley where Wuling Farm sits was home to seven families of the Ayatal Tribe, and aboriginal peoples lived here starting over 4,000 years ago. The aboringal people were relocated to Sqoyaw Village in the 1950s. Wuling Farm was established in 1963 as a way to provide a living for retired KMT veterans. The farm's original purpose was to plant temperate fruit trees and vegetables. Starting in 1989, the farm began tourist acticites, such as building a campground, tea houses, gardens, hotels, and a tourist service center. The farm sits at about 2000 meters above sea level (6,561 feet). Website: https://lang.wuling-farm.com.tw/lang/index.php Price: 160 NT per person to enter 50 NT for cars 10 NT for scooters Accommodation: We recommend staying overnight because you will likely have to travel a long time to get here (4 hours from Taipei), and staying overnight lets you maximize your time here. You can book online for one of the following accommodation options: Wuling National Hostel (2,000 NT - 8,000 NTD per night) Wuling Hoya Resort (6,000 - 15,000 NTD per night) Wuling Campground (1,000 - 2200 NTD per night) Hours: 24/7 When to go: A popular time to go is in March-April when there are cherry blossoms. Also, it can get very cold in the winter. How to get there: By Car/Scooter: It is actually faster to travel to Wuling Farm from Taipei instead of downtown Taichung, even though technically the farm is in Taichung City. From Yilan, take provincial highway 7 through Datong Township and up the mountain until you reach Wuling Farm. By Bus: Taiwan Tour Bus and Lion Travel have busses that leave from Taipei and arrive 4 hours later. Map: Please see below: |
Author 作家I am an American expat who has extensive experience living, working, and traveling in Taiwan. In my day, I had to learn many things about Taiwan the hard way. But I have come to learn that Taiwan is one of the best places in the world for Foreigners to live. This blog does not represent the opinions of every foreigner in Taiwan. I am just trying to help others learn more about this beautiful country. Categories
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