If any place has been my main playground in Hong Kong in the last years, that must be all the area around this stream.

Perfect for trail running on the shaded dirt paths around and with tons of variants for stream hiking too. Here the most basic.

  • Beauty/fun: 7.5/10. Several pools where to dip into. Variously sized waterfalls all the way up. Little by little, it has become more popular and you can find crowds at the main intersections on Sundays. I prefer the red path for beauty.
  • Difficulty (check this link if new here, this is not your standard HK hiking web): 3.5-6/10. You can do all the path without getting your shoes wet. There are tons of ribbons, but some of them can take you quite out of the stream, making it way less enjoyable. If in doubt trace back and go into the stream itself. The green path below would be the easiest version. Red is a bit more complex.
  • The map (how to download it to your phone)

See full screen or the Garmin track of the easy section, a bit more complex.

First, you need to arrive at the Shing Mun country park entrance. Minibuses arrive at the stop next to the Visitor Centre. Go up some stairs and you will be walking on a dirt path

and some concrete.

It is worthwhile getting closer to the reservoir itself. Following the green path you will get to these stairs going down.

And in a minute you will be walking at water level. Depending on the season the level of the reservoir varies significantly.

It can get really green and photogenic in the summertime after heavy rains.

Go back to the concrete and you will find the bathrooms next to the picnic site.

Continue next to them and you will find a rock/dirt path going uphill. Once you arrive at the first fork, follow the pipeline on the right side and you will get into the stream. This is the red line path.

Go under this rock.

And get yourself ready cause the stream hike starts.

It is pleasant

but there aren’t many interesting waterfalls or else. A little dam to have a nice shower under and a little more.

Till you arrive at the first nice big pool at Dragon Valley.

You could arrive here without getting into the stream. In the previously mentioned fork just continue on your left and you will cross several smaller streams.

Till you arrive at a point with a couple of “ROAD CLOSED” signs. The first one on your right will take you to the pool.

From the pool onwards you can do a short section on the rocks on its left. But I would suggest you go back to the stream as soon as possible. There are tons of ribbons here and some of them will take you just 50-100m from the stream. Without allowing you to enjoy it and actually some sections can be trickier than walking next to it instead. If you are on the “good way” you will need to walk on some roots.

On the rocks next to smallish waterfalls.

Which little by little become more frequent and longer.

You can stop in several places to dip into the water in the hot months.

I have marked on the map those that I like the most. Not this one, but they wanted to eat something 😛

The way up continues.

“You man! Don’t record me falling into the water!”

Cause some people really like their jumps.

If you want to be safe just get your shoes a bit wet. Just a minute after this crossing you will arrive at the fork (very clear in the Opencyclemap) where the red and green lines separate. You even have an exit to the dirt path.

And visually the fork is way easier to spot. On your right, you will see the highest waterfall in the whole route. Here (picture zoomed, showing only 1/3 of it all) we saw some people on the top.

So we decide to follow them. You have ribbons on the right side and the path is less difficult than initially looked. In any case, the most demanding part of the whole post is here. So move slowly and if having extreme vertigo go through the green path instead.

The stream in this part is way steeper and there are continuous waterfalls. You will need to move to one side and the other of the stream.

Some scrambling.

And little by little the slope decreases and the vegetation gets closer to the stream.

You could continue with your shoes dry, but quite some people gave up here. Way easier.

And a little later on

you will connect with a clearly defined dirt/rock path. If you turn right you will go up the Lead Mine Pass direction. Turn left and you will first cross a nice bamboo passageway.

Since the 2016 typhoons, it doesn’t look as net though (almost back to its original state in 2020). On your way, you will find this tree with the distinctive mark

and (depending on the groups hiked recently around) some ribbons guiding you up, through a dense vegetation path to MacLehose section 8, connecting with the path that goes down to Ng Tung Chai waterfalls. If instead, you continue on the main path you will arrive at “Fat Man” rock. Called that way cause the characters marked on the rock.

Connection with the green stream section. This easier version is less steep and the waterfalls are less spectacular. The added bonus in it though is a very nice pool to swim into with a smallish waterfall next to it where you can sit or climb (even barefoot) to enjoy a full shower.

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Once in Fat Man rock you can continue down through the mentioned “ROAD CLOSED” path

which would take you to the bathrooms and concrete.

Or continue the green path to the starting point. Compared with the stream path itself, there is no big difference between the two. The former is a bit steeper.

September 2022: Green line with quite some flow and fully in the water, climbing all the waterfalls. Half of the team continue on the upper NW section.

April 2023: Up the Red Line, which now it seems has been called Mother King tributary, after we went to the Upper North tributary.

October 2024: Pics,


video & Garmin track.

Everything you should know before stream hiking