Jingyuan (aka Jing-Yuan Leisure Farm or Air Coffee) is a unique Taiwanese style holiday destination. It claims to have the only open air restaurant in Taiwan that literally borders an airstrip, so you can sip coffee and watch large commercial airplanes take off and land right next to you. Also there is a zoo with hippos, lions, llamas, and other animals. In addition there is a large playground, mini train, campground, and multiple restaurants on the grounds.
Background: Jingyuan originally opened about 20 years ago as a coffee shop next to Kaohsiung International Airport in Xiaogang. Later, more attractions were added to the grounds such as a child's playground, petting zoo, campground, and additional restaurants. It is not usually a stop for travelers to the airport; it sits on the opposite side of the airstrip from the airport terminal. It is more of a destination for local Taiwanese people. On weekends the place is usually packed with people, mostly families with small children. Hours: 9:30 AM to 11:00 PM Price: 250 NT per adult 150 NT per child 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 car/scooter: From central Kaohsiung, take provincial highway 17 south to Caoya MRT station, then turn left on Zhongan Road. You will then need to turn right onto Mingsheng Road Alley 120, and keep going until you reach the parking lot. 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 MRT/bus: Take the MRT to Caoya Station, then take bus 69A 10 minutes to Mingsheng Station. The farm is just a short 2 minute walk away. 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. Map: Please see below. Our Journey: I have been to Jingyuan once on the strong suggestion from a friend. It was fun, and definitely a great place for kids. One might think of Xiaogang as the dirty stinky polluted industrial wasteland of Kaohsiung. But there are some fun things to do here too.
Entrance to the park. There is an actual airplane sitting there.
After paying the 250 per person and 50 NT or so for parking, it ended up to be about 700 NT for us to enter the park.
Right at the entrance are some hippos. It was sad though that the lion was not visible during our trip.
There are also some monkeys on an island in the middle of the pond.
Also there are some coy in the water.
Pink flamingos.
A swan.
What may be the major highlight of this place is watching airplanes from the cafe. There are lots of great seats and views to see airplanes take off and land from very close range.
Another view of the EVA air flight. I have to admit I was not too focused on taking photos of airplanes. I was too busy chatting with my friend from Xiaogang that I had not seen in a long time.
Another view of the restaurant on the side of the airport. The restaurant was not cheap, about 300-400 NT per meal, and on holidays you cannot offset this against the ticket price.
More tables down below closer to the airport.
Another EVA air flight over the bushes.
A child feeds a goat at the petting zoo.
Flamingos and parrots.
Sheep that you can pet and feed.
An outdoor camping area and stage.
More places to relax.
You can eat lunch inside these tents.
Child's playground.
Next to the child's playground there is a choo choo train ride.
The train takes a loop around the playground.
And it goes through a tunnel under the slides.
Side view of the playground.
Last view of the playground from the train.
More kids getting on the train.
It seems like a lot of kids spent the entire day here.
And we spent a lot of time looking at this foreign juggler.
He was pretty entertaining.
There were also some jungle themed booths where you can have a whole jungle hut to yourself for a meal.
Just a view of the menu, 200-400 NT per plate.
You can find more tours and activities in Kaohsiung such as wake boarding, water skiing, SUP paddle boarding, Pier 2, i-Ride Kaohsiung Visual 5D Flying Theater, Ski School Indoor Ski Slope, and more on Klook here or KKday here. You can check out our full travel guide to Kaohsiung here. You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here.
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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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