Get a taste of Taiwan’s long and storied tea culture on our full-day scenic guided tour of two spectacular tea growing areas just outside of Taipei City. First we'll ascend via gondola into the lush Maokong hills where we'll visit tea farms and meet revered tea masters. After learning a bit about Taiwan's tea history, we'll attend the first of two tea ceremonies, sampling various types of locally grown organic teas. Afterwards, we'll head further into the mountains to explore other tea farms, visiting the beautiful Thousand Island Lake before heading to a second traditional tea house for the afternoon ceremony. Our Tea Culture Tour is the ideal opportunity to unwind and familiarize yourself with Taiwan tea and tea culture. Please note: The Maokong Gondola closes in inclement weather. In the event this happens, we'll substitute a scenic drive through the hills of Maokong for the gondola ride.
Posted By : lisadN717RJ
This tour was absolutely lovely, a highlight of our trip to Taipei. Melody is a wonderful guide - friendly and knowledgeable, and her English is excellent. (When my husband accidentally left his hat in the van, she went the extra mile to return it for us, along with a food guide for a night market as a bonus.) The Gondola ride was relaxing and beautiful. We then visited the Tea Promotion center for a tea tasting and some exhibits about tea making. There was a stop for lunch in a restaurant with striking views. The food was tea-inspired and was very good (cost of lunch is not included.) Next we drove through some dramatic and beautiful landscapes, viewed tea plantations up close, and stopped for ice cream. Finally, we enjoyed a lovely tea ceremony. The woman who led the ceremony taught us how it is done. We felt as though we were guests at her home. I highly recommend this tour!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-05-09 07:22:05 
Posted By : cindytuisku
This tour was one of the best days ever!!!! I came to Taiwan to learn about tea and this was an exceptional opportunity. It was well balanced with scenery, tea lessons, food, and visiting a tea plantation. I could not have asked for more! This was my first day in Taiwan, getting my trip off to an amazing start. The guide even helped me with some things I was concerned about later in my trip. I cannot recommend this trip highly enough!
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-11-04 02:58:37
Posted By : D8716FQstellam
Jaron was super nice and fun! Bought group tour but we were the only ones - private tour! Went extra places not included. Make sure to go when gondola is operating (maintenance in June). Highly recommend!
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-06-21 03:21:41
Posted By : XianYiKevin_L
The Maokong gondola ride and the tea experience to get an introduction to the various types of tea grown in Taiwan was great. The tea ceremony was a particular highlight given the intricate steps involved in making a cup of tea which I hadn’t appreciated before! Overall a great experience, many thanks to our driver as well as our guide Echo whom were both very friendly, hospitable and knowledgeable.
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-04-10 12:28:09 
Posted By : Robbie_R
It was fun to explore the tea culture of Taiwan....Carol was a wonderful guide and a great companion to spend the afternoon with
Rating :
Posted On : 2023-03-27 16:36:52
Posted By : Stefan_B
David is a great guide, very informative and very knowledgable. He told us about the history of Taiwan and where you can still see some influence today.
I was picked up on time. The little group was taken to the gondola to enjoy the view. Well, it was raining and very cloudy so not much to see around. With a glass bottom we were able to look down.
Stopping at some tea plantations we could see the tea plants closer. David explained what part of it was used. At one stop when the clouds opened a bit we could see some rivers joining and the scenery was stunning.
Maybe the most interesting part was the tea ceremony with a tea master. She was explaning how to prepare the tea, smell it and what to consider for a good tea. After showing the group we were able to have a go. The tea master helped if necessary.
The traffic when coming back was like in many other cities. David eecommended me what else to do while staying in Taipei. And even dropped me off at a night market.
A full day about tea though the city tour part was a bit short.
Rating :
Posted On : 2022-11-25 20:16:30
Posted By : cpolicella
i had a great day with Nicholas on the Tea Tour, I would highly recommend this tour.
It was great fun very informative and Nicholas is delightful company. I can’t say enough about Nicholas he is truly professional, entertaining and a grea ambassador for the country. Thank you Nicholas for the great time!
Rating :
Posted On : 2020-03-19 12:32:43
Posted By : roderickkc
It was a very enjoyable and knowledgeable tour with Jaron, he was very patient with us providing us enough time to enjoy the views and taking pictures up during our stop. He drove around introducing us the places left and right, not to say, he translated in both different languages without sounding in a rush. I had one of my most enjoyable time with this tour.
Rating :
Posted On : 2020-03-17 01:53:05
Posted By : andrewwY7823QZ
We had an absolutely excellent visit with David. He was a wealth of knowledge not only about tea but about Taiwan itself. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone spending more than a few days in Taipei.
Rating :
Posted On : 2020-02-01 16:10:13
Posted By : 619jeffry
I have been on a 'tea tour'.The Chinese discovered tea. It was their gift to the world. Taiwan grows excellent tea. It is useful to compare the Chinese attitude to tea to the western view of wine -- you need to grow to appreciate its finer points. The tour will help you develop your knowledge of 'China's gift to the world.'
Rating :
Posted On : 2020-01-28 04:03:55
