13 December 2018
It was a rainy afternoon and our plans was to climb the Elephant Mountain (象山), well known for its panoramic spectacular view of Taipei and Taipei 101 from the top. We were a little hesitant if we should continue with our plans knowing the stairs will be slippery and we may not have a good view of Taipei 101 due to the rainy weather. Nevertheless, we decided to brave through the rain and take on the climb up.
From Xiangshan MRT Station, it is about 20 minutes walk to Elephant Mountain. Simply follow the direction signs and it will guide you to the foot of the trail.
Xiangshan is located in the Xinyi District of Taipei City and is 183 meters above sea level.
4:25pm - The start of my gruesome climb up! For someone who does not exercise (like myself), this is indeed a challenge for me. The continuous drizzling did not help too.
Though it was a steep climb up, the trail is made up of many small steps.
Take your time and enjoy the scenery around. There are several lookout points where you can stop by and take some beautiful photos. Look out for the beautiful verse engraved on the rocks at the side of the trail and keep moving forth.
Signboards at the side with words of encouragement to keep you going. Almost reaching!! 加油!
If you are really feeling tired, take a seat on the uniquely designed 象山 bench.
I finally made it to the first viewing point of Taipei 101! Wasn't expecting the best view as it has been rainy.
Was planning to count the number of steps to the top.. but I lost count eventually... Maybe 500 - 600 steps?
Almost there! So near yet so far....Hubby and the children have reached the top already. So I took a selfie to mark my effort for the climb.
These gigantic rock boulders are the favourite spots for many where they will climb atop and take gorgeous selfie with Taipei 101 without any crowd to block the view. We did not attempt due to safety concerns as it was really slippery. Plus, Taipei 101 was barely in sight thanks to the thick clouds
5pm - It is my personal achievement to actually reach the viewing point in 35 minutes. The children took a much shorter time to race their way up. A good walk and we burnt some calories before our dinner.
A decent family photo with Taipei 101 (barely in sight) at the backdrop.
Didn't have any luck that night due to the rainy and cloudy weather. Would love to attempt the climb again on better days.
Taipei 101 continues to be 'showering' even after we made our climb down from Elephant Mountain.
Elephant Mountain (象山)
How to get there:
Take MRT (Red Line) to Xiangshan station (象山). Take Exit 2 and continue walking alongside the edge of the park. At the end of this road, take a left and follow until the entrance for Xiangshan Hiking Trail (象山登山步道). Total distance - 650 metres, which takes about 20 mins.
Entrance is Free!
Check out our 2 Weeks Taiwan Itinerary Family Trip here
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