A Mini Guide to The Dragon And Tiger Pagodas & My Honest Review (2025)

One of my favorite and definitely one of the most unique things to do in Kaohsiung is visiting the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas. It’s an amazing set of pagodas with a giant dragon on one side and a tiger on the other. For good luck, you’re supposed to enter through the dragon’s mouth and exit through the tiger, which is just such a fun little tradition.

This was for sure one of my favorite things I did in Kaohsiung.

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Quick Overview: Dragon And Tiger Pagodas

Entrance Fee: Free

Opening Hours: 8 am – 5:30 pm

How to Get to Lotus Pond: MRT red line to Ecological District station, then walk about 15 minutes.

Best Time to Visit: Early morning to beat the heat and crowds.

What to Bring: Water, sunscreen, hat

Good Luck Tip: Enter through the dragon’s mouth and exit through the tiger’s mouth for good luck.

Dragon And Tiger Pagodas – My Experience

When I visited the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, I made sure to go early in the morning because I knew it would be a very hot day. I was in Taiwan in April and it was already around 30 degrees Celsius (about 86°F) and super humid.

I took the MRT to Lotus Pond, where the pagodas are located. You’ll have to walk a bit from the station, but it’s easy enough. When I arrived, I was lucky, no scaffolding at all. I’ve heard from other travelers that sometimes there’s construction going on, so I was happy to get a clear view.

Of course, I did what everyone should do: entered through the dragon and exited through the tiger for good luck. We also climbed up the double spiral staircase at one of the pagodas for an awesome view over Lotus Pond (which is honestly more like a lake than a pond).

Afterwards, I realized there’s actually so much more to see around Lotus Pond. There are more temples, pagodas, and random sculptures all around, so we ended up walking the whole way around the lake to check everything out. Just make sure to bring plenty of water because it got super hot and there’s barely any shade.

Overall, it was such a fun morning and for sure one of the best experiences I had in Kaohsiung.

How to Get to the Dragon And Tiger Pagoda

The easiest way to get to the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas is definitely by MRT. Public transport in Kaohsiung is actually great and the MRT and the light rail will get you pretty much anywhere you need to go.

I stayed in the city center near the red line, so I took the red line MRT towards Gangshan South and got off at Ecological District Station. From there, it was only about a 15-minute walk to Lotus Pond, super easy. Just make sure to tap on with your EasyCard. And if you don’t have one yet, you can grab one and top it up at any 7-Eleven.

What Else to See at Lotus Pond

Like I mentioned, there’s a bunch of other cool temples, pagodas, and monuments around Lotus Pond. It probably takes about an hour (max) to walk the whole loop and check them all out.

Spring and Autumn Pavilions: A pagoda on the lake with a huge blue dragon in front. Sadly there was construction going on when I visited, but it still looked super cool.
Zuoying Yuandi Temple: This one has a massive statue of the Taoist god Xuanwu (also known as Yuandi). It’s pretty epic and definitely worth seeing.
Kaohsiung City Temple of Confucius: A huge Confucius temple on the north side of the lake. Very peaceful and impressive.

The Best Time to Visit the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas

In terms of season, I’d say the best time to visit (and honestly to visit Taiwan in general) is either spring or fall. Summer in Taiwan is just brutal, way too hot and humid to be wandering around outside.

I was there in April and even then it was pushing it. March or October would probably be ideal.

As for time of day, early morning is your best bet to beat both the heat and any potential crowds. When I went, it was almost just me there, which I loved, but understandable that no one else wanted to walk around the lake in the full heat!

Are the Dragon & Tiger Pagodas Worth Visiting? My Final Thoughts

I absolutely think this is one of the most unique things to do in Kaohsiung and actually one of the coolest places I visited in all of Taiwan. The pagodas are super beautiful, and of course, you get your little free sample of good luck by walking through them. They also make for such a fun photo spot. Big recommendation from me.

The only thing I kept thinking while I was there is that it didn’t feel super historical or authentic, even though it actually is. The dragon and tiger are built from concrete and painted really brightly, which almost makes it feel like you’re in line for a ride at Disneyland (no offense at all!).

Still, I absolutely loved it and would totally recommend going.