Taipei Maple Resort/Taipei Aowanda (台北奧萬大)

Autumn colors in April? Red maple leaves appearing in Taiwan after the cherry blossom season?  Is this world really getting crazy?  Relax and don't panic.  This is not made by climate change.   It's just the spring maple season in Taipei's Shilin District.  Every year during the month of April, a change of color happens.  From the pink petals of the yoshino sakura that flourished in Yangmingshan Park,  the red leaves of the Japanese maple will take the spotlight, after most of the cherry blossoms have lost its beauty. 

Japanese maple leaves at Taipei Aowanda.  How many leaflets do you see?

Experience this fall scenery in a private garden called the Taipei Maple Resort.  Also known as the Taipei Aowanda, it is the best place to see the Japanese maple leaves from late March to May.   The name Aowanda refers to the forest recreation area in Nantou which is considered to be the home of Taiwan's maple trees.  Bring the autumn foliage to the capital of Taiwan and it becomes Taipei Aowanda.  Nice name.  Haha!

Timetable of Bus 303

How to get to Taipei Aowanda?  Board the Taipei MRT and alight at Shilin Station.  Wait for Bus 303 in front of the Shilin District Farmers Association Building [Google Map] and get off the vehicle at the Xia guo xi (下過溪) stop [Google Map].  The gate of the Taipei Maple Resort is 230 meters from the bus stop.

Visitors waiting to enter Taipei Aowanda

The menu.  I ordered a cheesecake and coffee to use my voucher.  Total cost is NTD 260 so I added NTD 10.

I was assigned to Table 3-1 in the B hut.

The B hut

B3-1 table

My cheesecake.  I was actually very hungry when I came to Taipei Aowanda so using my voucher to get food was a wise decision.

After eating, I then explored the resort.

As of April 5, 2018, adult tickets cost NTD 250.  It's quite expensive but the entrance fee also serves as a voucher which you can use to buy food in the restaurant inside.  So you get to enjoy the maple after getting your stomachs full.  They have an English menu to help foreigners decide their orders with friendly staff to assist you if you have any questions.   After ordering, visitors are assigned to table numbers in various huts/picnic tables.   My most favorite place is the stream area where families can enjoy eating while listening to sound of flowing water.  

After getting done with my cheesecake and a hot cup of cappuccino, I explored the Maple Trail.   Taipei Aowanda has a mini-forest where tourists can wander and take pictures. 

Oh that foliage of Taiwan, it feels like Japan!  With the warm smiles of the Taiwanese that will surely melt your hearts, the color of the Japanese maple leaves appeared to be redder in the eyes of every foreign visitor.   So what are you waiting for?  Visit now the Taipei Maple Resort before all of the leaves turn green.

Rejoice!  They are already here.  Taiwan's spring leaves.

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Taipei Aowanda (臺北奧萬大)
address: No. 19號, Lane 10, Pingjing Street, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111 [Google Map]

If waiting for Bus 303 takes a long time, visitors can board Bus R5 and get off the vehicle at Shan Zai Hou Police Station (山仔后派出所) [Google Map], and then wait for Bus 303 at this bus stop.  An LED screen at this waiting shed will help tourists make most of their time because of nearby convenience stores and restaurants.  Another option is to board Bus 260 [Google Map] at Taipei Main Station and then wait for Bus 303 at Shan Zai Hou Police Station (山仔后派出所) stop.

MAPLE (紅葉) LOCATIONS IN TAIWAN

THINGS TO DO IN TAIPEI

Sakura Series - Taiwan

2024 Forecast

Taipei 101 first flowers

Tianyuan Palace backyard

Taipei Flower Test Center

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Broadwood Park

Sunshine Sports Park kawazu sakura

Wuling Farm (武陵農場)

SYS kawazu sakura

Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village

CKS Memorial Hall

Shibafen Yoshino Sakura

Hope River

Dongfang Temple

Tianyuan Palace

Neicou Stream Trail

Orange Garden Cafe

Yangming Park Visitor Information Center

Yangming Park Service Center Bus Stop

Huashan Road

Qianshan Park

Zhongshan Hall Entrance

Tenglong Sakura Farm

Flower Test Center Shōwa Sakura

Neihu Creek Trail

Shulin Land Office

Xióng Kōng Cherry Blossom Forest

Lung Yen Sakura Forest

Yangming Park cherry stream

Yangming Park fountain

CKS Memorial Hall Tairyō sakura

Wugu District Tianyi Road

CKS Memorial Hall yaesakura

Loving Farm

Yong Long Farm

Zhongbaling Sakura Road

Sun Link Sea

Tai'an Police Station

Cherry Hill Slope

Hsinchu Park

Taipei 101

Kāng Gào Kēng Creek

New Garden City

Broadwood Park

Tianyuan Palace backyard

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Alishan Ranger Station

Alishan House

Alishan Police Station

Alishan Forest Railway

Alishan Station

Alishan Entrance

Alishan Gou Hotel

Alishan Magnolia Garden

Wulai tour

Wun Chang Elementary School

Bishanyan

Sanzhi Sansei Trail

Sakura Series - Taiwan

Nei Cuo Stream

Orange Garden Cafe

Sansei Trail

Tenglong Sakura Farm

Yangming Park Cherry Stream

Yangming Park Fountain

Flower Test Center

Broadwood Park

New Garden City

Yinghua Park

Pingjing St. Lane 42

Yangmingshan Visitor Center

Taipei 101

Tianyuan Palace backyard

Sakura Series - Japan

Kamonyama Park

Near the Nippon Maru Memorial Park

Shinko Park

Minato-mirai 21 area

Tokyo Tech Suzukakedai Campus

Onda River

Tenryuji

Byodoin

Kiyomizudera

Himuro shrine and Yakushi-ji Temple

Hōryū-ji Temple

Nara Park attractions

Tokyo Tech Ookayama Campus

Sumida River

Tsuruma Park

Gion

Maple Series

Taipei Aowanda

Shimen Dam

Alishan

Aowanda

Shanlinxi

Taoyuan Valley Garden

Fushoushan Farm

Yehliu to Jiufen? Yehliu to Shifen? Cheaper than yellow taxis

The "Taipei kong mahal" (My beloved Taipei)

Always in my heart

MRT birdman

Valentine's Day

Tulips Festival

2018 Taipei Lantern Festival

City of Azaleas

Linji Huguo Temple

Nanjichang Night Market

Gudetama Chef restaurant

Dalongdong Bao'an Temple

Shilin hollyhocks

Ningxia Night Market

Ximending graffiti

Discovery Center of Taipei

Chunghwa Postal Museum

Double-Decker Bus

Shilin Cold Balls

Jingimoo

GomanMango

mud volcanic ice

Fire and Ice Dumpling

Opium Fen-Yuan

Ichiran Ramen

Liu Shandong Beef Noodles

hydrangea flowers

National Palace Museum

Other attractions in Taipei

Taipei on a budget

Japanese buildings

Dāoxiāomiàn beef noodles

Presidential Office Building

Yongkang St. and Elephant Mountain

CKS and SYS Hall

City tour

Beitou ramen

MRT Monopoly Game

Winter city tour

Zhicheng Park

Shilin Plum Blossom

Art museums

Shopping in Taipei

Summer desserts

Qingtiangang

Qixingshan hiking

2015 Calla lily

2016 Calla lily

Beitou tour

Beitou-Zhuzihu tour

NTU

Confucius Temple

2015 Dadaocheng Festival

Puppet Museum

Fantasy Ice World

2016 Bread Show

Strawberry picking

2015 Rose Garden

Modern Toilet

Shilin Night Market

NASA Exhibit

Raohe Night Market

Longshan Temple

2013 Taipei Zoo

Maokong Gondola

Lupin flowers

Taipei 101 day visit

Taipei 101 night visit

Tiger Mountain

Din Tai Fung

Taipei Story House

2014 Flower Show

Chrysanthemum Show

Miramar Ferris wheel

Miniatures Museum

Archery

1600 Pandas

Wulaoguo hot pot

Upside Down House

2016 101 Fireworks

New Taipei

Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival

Elephant Rock SUP/kayaking

Meteor Garden school

Tamsui Pumpkin Tunnel

Shifen Waterfall

2017 Sand Sculpture

Dragon Caves

New Taipei tour

2016 Kite Festival

Pingxi Crags

Bitou Cape

2016 Sand Sculpture

2015 Christmasland

Juming - Jinshan

Houtong - Pingxi

Sandiaoling Waterfall

Jiufen foodtrip

Guanyinshan hike

Yehliu Ocean World

2014 Kite Festival

Pingxi Rail tour

Jinguashi tour

Vigor Kobo Pineapple

British Consulate

Yehliu Geopark

2014 Sand Sculpture

Paragliding

2014 Christmasland

2014 Pingxi Lantern

firefly watching

Yingge Ceramics Street

Jiufen tour