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象山 aka Elephant Mountain

Tuesday, 3 December 2013

One thing I absolutely love about Taipei is being able to immerse myself into nature without having to leave the city. I’m always up for outdoor activities – especially if it means I’ll get my daily workout done and get rewarded with a stunning view of the city! XiangShan (aka Elephant Mountain) is just that, it is a short (stairs only) trek in Taipei city and the peak offers beautiful views of the Taipei 101.

With the new Xinyi line running, my friends and I got off at XiangShan station and headed towards Exit 2. Before I forget, let me just mention we also got free travel on the Xinyi line (make the most of it while it lasts)!

                                                                    

On our way out from Exit 2, guess what we saw? A trunk shaped escalator! How creative is that?

Just so you know, I am easily amused, but take a look for yourself.
                        
 

The trail itself is a 15 minute walk from the exit. You'll see several direction posts (and parks) along the way.



                            

If you need some water or snacks to treat yourself with up at the top, you’ll see an OK Mart just a few meters away.We decided to skip the snacks and made our way up to the peak!The steps started off being quite wide and I was fooled into thinking it would be that easy up to the peak. The trail did get steeper the closer we got to the peak, but there were a few rest stops along the way.

                 



After 10 minutes of powering through, we stopped for a quick break and got our first glimpse of the 101.                                                








Determined to make it to the top before it was pitch dark, we made our way to the peak and got there in another 20 minutes or so and were pleasantly surprised by shining lights across the city.

It was a great, quick hike and I highly recommend if you are in Xinyi.             

It’s a popular spot amongst photographers, tourists, and local residents alike.

Do make sure you go on a clear day, preferably around evening so you get great views and photos of course.




                                      




                              

   

1 comment:

  1. […] we were already downtown and had some time to kill, we headed out to Elephant Mountain for a quick hike. Some like to shop, we like to hike […]

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