Nature

Elephant Mountain

Taipei, Taiwan

Elephant Mountain — Wikimedia Commons image

From Elephant Mountain, Taipei’s towers appear in the same basin as forested ridges and exposed sandstone. The short, steep path is part of the view: it carries visitors from the city edge into a landscape shaped by rock, ferns, and urban growth.

Guide preview

Taipei 101 seems to rise from a basin ringed by green hills, and Elephant Mountain lets you see both parts of that landscape together. The official trail description says Xiangshan takes its name from its elephant-like outline and is formed mainly of sandstone.

Continue exploring

Discover the full story

Keep reading with a travel pass and explore every full guide and tour.

Upgrade

Quick facts

  • Xiangshan’s name refers to its elephant-like outline.
  • The mountain is composed mainly of sandstone.
  • Taipei’s trail information identifies the ridge as habitat for native tree ferns.

More places in Taipei

park

Taipei, TaiwanGuide with pass

228 Peace Memorial Park

Beneath the shade of mature trees, Taipei’s central park holds a public landscape of remembrance. Its name links everyday recreation with the February 28 Incident, while the memorial marker and nearby museum give visitors ways to meet a difficult chapter of Taiwan’s history.

landmark

Taipei, TaiwanGuide with pass

Bao'an Temple

Dalongdong Bao’an Temple is a neighborhood sanctuary dedicated to Baosheng Dadi, the deity associated with medicine. Its elaborate decoration is matched by a careful restoration that combined traditional craft with modern conservation methods.

museum

Taipei, TaiwanGuide with pass

Beitou Hot Spring Museum

A former public bathhouse in Beitou now interprets the city’s hot-spring culture. Its brick-and-wood walls, black-tile roof, and Tudor-inspired appearance stand as a reminder that heritage survives through community choices as much as through architecture.

architecture

Taipei, TaiwanGuide with pass

Beitou Plum Garden

A low timber house in Beitou carries the feel of a private retreat, but its rooms also preserve a record of the district’s twentieth-century history. The garden, Japanese-style construction, and air-raid shelter show how one residence adapted to changing times.

nature

Taipei, TaiwanGuide with pass

Beitou Thermal Valley

Steam rises from a sulfurous pool in this volcanic valley, where hot spring water reveals heat still moving beneath Beitou. The site also connects local geology to an unusual mineral found here and at a single Japanese counterpart.

neighborhood

Taipei, TaiwanGuide with pass

Bopiliao Historic Block

Bopiliao Historic Block preserves a street pattern and building fronts that escaped some later redevelopment. Its brick walls and covered arcades make the district’s layered history visible, while its present use turns preservation into an active part of neighborhood life.