It was our first day in Taiwan. We arrived at around 2AM at Taoyuan International Airport, and was able to check-in at our Airbnb at around 4AM. Our arrival time wasn't ideal, and the trip from NAIA to Taoyuan Int'l Airport to Ximending drained the little energy left in our bodies. We immediately took a rest upon arriving at our accommodation. Our day started at around lunch time — grabbed a quick bite for brunch at Ximending, then immediately made our way to Houtong.
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| Houtong Cat Village, Taiwan |
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| Quick brunch/ lunch at Ximending! |
According to the Internet, Houtong Cat Village was previously famous for its local cave full of monkeys (Houtong directly means "Monkey Cave" in English). There's no clear info on what happened to the monkeys, but in the 1920s, with the discovery of coal during the Japanese colonial rule, it became a coal-mining village. In the 1990s, coal became old news, and the industry declined. In 2008, a cat-lover local began to take care of cats roaming around Houtong. When photos of the felines circulated online, it started attracting tourists to visit the village.
How to get to Houtong Cat Village
The directions I found online were helpful, albeit, not too specific (e.g., which specific train to take — the Taipei MRT or a different one?). Anyway, I'll try my best to give detailed directions (with pictures) on how to go to Houtong based on our experience. So, here you go...
1. At the Taipei Main Station, look for the TRA Train - Platform 4 (Northbound)
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| TRA - Platform 4 Northbound Trains to Keelung, Ruifang, Pingxi, Yilan, Hualien, Taitung |
2. Take the Train 4198 bound to Su'ao (Platform 4A)
Note: Fare is around 50 NTD
Note: Fare is around 50 NTD
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| Train 4198 - Bound to Su'ao |
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| Waiting area at Platform 4A |
3. Alight at Houtong Station (travel time is roughly less than an hour)
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| Train 4198 (Arrived Houtong Station) |
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| Houtong Station |
Exploring Houtong Cat Village (Cats Galore š±š±š±)
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| Houtong Cat Village Map |
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| Houtong Cats!!! |
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| Look at his happy face! He was really excited to see the cats! |
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| The first cat we saw at Houtong Station! |
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| PJ petting this black feline! |
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| Still at Houtong Station! Love this shots by PJ! Two of my faves! |
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| Ready to go to Houtong Cat Village?? Let'ssss!! |
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| We were greeted by this cat upon entering Houtong Cat Village! |
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| Me at Houtong 711 :D |
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| The bebe is not pleased! LOL |
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| His solo shot! |
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| PJ at his not natural habitat! |
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| ❤️❤️❤️ |
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| More cats!! ❤️❤️❤️ |
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| Ginger baby! ❤️ |
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| Why so serious?? |
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| He's shookt! haha! |
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| Hey handsome! ❤️❤️❤️ |
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| Where are your eyes? ❤️❤️❤️ |
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| PJ, stahppp bugging this cat! |
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| Couple shot, of course! Enjoyed this place so much! |
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| Before leaving the village, you may buy cat souvenirs at the surrounding shops! |
Other Side of Houtong Cat Village...
... kung saan walang masyadong cats :D
We just stayed here for about 2-3 hours. Everything shuts down here at 6PM, so around this time, we already made our way back to Taipei Main > Ximending for dinner!
I'll be posting my Taiwan itinerary soon. Please watch out for it, guys! For the mean time, you may check out my previous Taiwan/ Taipei Articles below:
- Day Trip to Wulai, Taiwan
- Taipei Travel Tips
- 5D4N Taiwan Itinerary and Budget (Our First Time in Taiwan)
Photo Credits: Peter Jan Icogo (@gizguideph)
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