Little Ding Dong Science Theme Park 小叮噹科學主題樂園, Taiwan’s Largest Indoor Ski Area

History of Little Ding Dong:

The Xiao Ding-Dang Science Theme Park, located in Songboling, Xinfeng Township, Hsinchu County, is an outdoor amusement park focused on science education that opened in January 1990. Its address changed over time, and the park was rated a “Top-Class Scenic Amusement Area” by Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau for 22 consecutive years. Originally founded by shareholders passionate about science education under the company name Xinshengdi Recreation Co., it was first called the Xinfeng Recreation Grand Park. The company later became Xiao Ding-Dang Science Co., and the park was renamed Xiao Ding-Dang Science Amusement Area before officially adopting the name Xiao Ding-Dang Science Theme Park in 2011. Despite the name, the park has no connection to Doraemon (once translated in Taiwan as “Xiao Ding-Dang”). The indoor ski slope in the park was finished in 2012, and is the largest indoor ski slope in Taiwan.

Price:

760 TWD per person. You can get tickets for an amazing discount on Klook here or KKday here.

Ski/Snowboard rentals and training:
400-3000 NT

Parking: 150 NT per day for cars
Free for scooters

Hours:

9 AM to 5 PM

Website:

https://www.ding-dong.com.tw/?lang=en

When to visit:

It is best to visit from April to November when the weather is warm and less windy. Little Ding Dong Waterpark is only open from June to August, with some sections open until the end of September.
There is a constant, cold northeasterly wind from December to March, especially along the coast. However, the winter in general is drier.

What to Bring:

• A Coat, gloves, long pants, and warm clothes overall for the below-freezing ski facility.
• Swimwear and a towel if you will visit the waterpark in the summer.

Where to stay:

In Hsinchu, I have stayed at and recommend the Golden Motel, a high-quality motel near Green Grass Lake (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Trip.com here), and CD Motel, another high-quality motel in downtown Hsinchu (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, or Trip.com here). Unfortunately, I cannot recommend any further hotels that I have stayed at in Hsinchu because usually we stay at my wife’s uncle’s house. 
You can find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

How to get to Little Ding Dong?

By Scooter: From central Hsinchu, take provincial highway 1 north and turn west Kangle Road, and then another left onto Kanghe Road until you see the entrance to the park. Then take Guangming Road up the mountain. There is paid parking at the theme park. Looking for scooter rental in Hsinchu? You can search Klook here or KKday here to look for options.
You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
By Car: Take National Freeway 1 to the Hukou Exit. Then head up Guanghua Road, then turn left on Kangle Road, and then another left onto Kanghe Road until you see the entrance to the park. There is paid parking at the theme park. If you are looking for car rentals in Hsinchu, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKDay here. 
You can also check out our car rental guide here. 
By Bus/Taxi:  From Xinfeng TRB Station, the theme park is about a 30-minute walk up the hill.
You can book tickets to travel to Hsinchu via inter-city bus on Klook here. 
You can book tickets to Hsinchu via high-speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here. 
Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan’s landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. 

Tours: 

You can find more tours and activities in Hsinchu such as You can find more tours and activities in Hsinchu such as river tracing, wild hot springs, white water kayaking, backpack rafting, Little Ding Dong Theme Park, Leofoo Village Theme Park, Window on China Theme Park, glamping, camping, stone spa, horse riding, Yukids Island, Tom and Bei Bei Parent-Child Paradise, bee keeping experience, cycling, dried persimmons experience, Jump Wave Trampoline Park and more on Klook here or KKday here. 

Map:

You can also see a map of the park, as well as different areas inside, below:

Drone Footage:

Check out our drone footage of the theme park above.

Another view of the park.

Our third video of the park.

You can also check out a 3D panorama of the area above.

Our Journey:

I have been to Little Ding Dong only once. I took my two elementary school-aged children there, and they had a great time. I highly recommend visiting if you live in the area. There is a special discount for people who have house registration nearby, and we noticed most of the visitors were residents of Hsinchu. We booked entrance tickets for a discount on Klook here, which were much cheaper than the normal price.

There is plenty of parking here, as well as overflow parking. 150 NT a day for cars, and free for scooters.

It is a short walk from the parking lot to the theme park on this uneven walkway. We brought winter clothes and swimwear for our kids, so we had to haul a lot of stuff.

You can scan your QR code from Klook or KKday or pay in cash here.

We also got a parking stub for our car, which no one actually checked.

I think they have discounts in the fall and winter here, but the tickets are still even cheaper on Klook or KKday.

Entrance tickets. I originally also thought that this amusement park was related to Doreameon, but it turns out they are not related at all.

Map of the park in Chinese.

You should also know that this park is created on a giant hill, and you may need to walk up or down a slope to get from one place to the next.

There were some high school kids doing dances while we were there.

Another pathway appears.

The first wildlife that we saw.

There are a bunch of random decorations all over the park.

Here is a restaurant and some games.

Little Ding Dong Ski Facility 小叮噹滑雪場

The main attraction in Little Ding Dong is the ski facility. Opened since 2012, it is the largest indoor ski facility in Taiwan.

The grassy knoll in front of the ski facility.

Random Russian nesting dolls in front of the ski facility.

View inside the ski facility. You can choose to rent skis and take lessons for a price, or go in for free and sled and play with snow.

There are also snowboard rentals.

You should bring your own coat, gloves, and warm clothes. They will ask you to cover your shoes with these free shoe covers.

This is the entrance to the ski facility. You can smell some diesel fumes, like being on a boat. It takes a lot of energy to keep this place below freezing all year long, especially in the scorching summer heat. Appearently they use their own diesel generator.

View inside the ski slope.

To the right, there is a lot of snow that kids can just play with. It never snows in most places near sea level in Taiwan, so many people have never seen snow or been able to ski before.

There are also a buch of neon lights here.

There is a large area here for the skiers and snowboarders.

Snowboarders.

Carving up the slope.

Someone getting some air.

Skiers.

The only way back up is to walk.

There are also four sled lanes which are free to ride. You just have to line up.

The joy of people who have never sledded before.

Looking back at the people playing in snow.

Another view of the snowboarders.

Last view of the snow playing area.

Videos:

Video of the snow playing area.

Video of the sledding area.

Video of the main ski area.

Overall it was very refreshing to be in such a cold place after being in the summer heat and humidity.

Outside the ski slope area was this drummer that was putting on an outdoor performance.

Inside the restaraunt next to the ski area.

Another view of the restaurant.

Waterpark 水樂園

The waterpark at Little Ding Dong, as you can see, is more of a bunch of splash pools, which is fun and refreshing on a hot summer day. The waterpark is only open during the summer.

View of the waterpark. This big pool was not open because we visited at the end of September, right before they shut it down.

Aerial view of the waterpark.

Further up the hill, there are more splash areas.

There are also shaded areas to picnic here, and a camping site.

Splash fountain.

Another splash area.

The kids also had lots of fun with this little waterslide thing.

The water then goes through this river.

Where is the water coming from?

Inside another restaurant.

Tractor Train Ride

You can take the tractor train ride, which takes you up the hill, so you don’t have to walk as far. But the train only comes every half hour or so.

There are also multiple echoing stations to play with.

Another giant sound echoing station.

Sun dial.

There is another campground behind the sundial here.

Ropes course.

View of Hsinchu from on top of the hill here.

Panorama of the area.

View over the ocean.

Last view from the top of the hill.

We then took the train over the top of the hill.

There is a windmill here.

Flying saucer house.

Old propelled Howitzer.

While we were there, the Zhubei police department was having a giant barbecue.

Candy cane swing.

Another fountain.

Interactive Science Exhibits

Next, we visited a bunch of outdoor science exhibits, like this one which I think is called guilliver’s corridor.

Outdoor classroom area.

A slanted house and a house of mirrors.

View inside the house of mirrors.

Behind the house of mirrors is this dark room.

Then you come to this slanted house, which creates an optical illusion that the person on the left is taller.

They switch, and the other person becomes taller.

Upside-down room.

Sideways table.

Another view of the slanted house.

Snow white and the Seven Dwarves.

Snow white slide.

Another view from the Snow White slide.

View from higher up.

Double slide.

Another squirrel.

View from the top of the slide.

Next, we visited the slanted house.

This place made me dizzy. I am holding the camera level above.

Alice in Wonderland.

This chair defies gravity.

A giant dino that seems similar to something I have seen in Kenting before.

More dinosaurs.

Egyptian arch building game.

More arches.

Mozart garden.

Windmill garden.

Corridor back to the water area.

More works of art.

Solar power exhibit.

Another small fountain.

Walkway back to the restaurant.

If you ride these bikes, they will turn the water cogs.

Interactive water wheel.

This pathway circles around this pond.

Giant duck.

Another water wheel.

Exit to the main entrance of he park.

Garden and waterfall area.

More high school students are dancing.

Dino statues.

They didn’t really kick us out of the park after 5 PM. I think they thought we might be campers. There are at least three camp sites here.

Most of the people were gone by the time we got back to the parking lot.

View of the ski slope with Zhubei in the background.

Another view with the waterpark in the foreground.

View looking east.

Another view looking north at the science park.

You can book tickets for a discount on Klook here or KKday here.

Check out our full Taiwan Amusement Park Guide here.

Check out our guide to Hsinchu here, or our guide to Taoyuan here for nearby sights.
You can also check out our full guide to Taiwan here.