Twin streams in Saikung country park. Dry in cooler months, really pretty after several days of rain. Climbable in hardcore or easy ways.
- Beauty/fun: 6.5/10 The water flow is relatively low and the pools are relatively sallow. Beautiful after some significant rain. Potential for canyoning with several high vertical waterfalls and old bolts.
- Difficulty (check this link if new here, this is not your standard HK hiking web): 8/10 If you are scrambling up and down most of the streams. It can be significantly easier (5.5/10) using the parallel side paths within the forest. Routing can be bit tricky, so check carefully the map and decide how hardcore you want to go.
- Map (how to download to your phone offline maps)
See full screen or the Garmin track.
If you take a taxi you could go to the very entrance of the streams. Ask the driver to take you to Yung Shue O and stop a bit more than a kilometer beforehand. You can not go in your own car though. The road going there from Sai Sha road, just next to the start of the MacLehose stage 4, is only for local residents. There tend to be guards controlling it, before you arrive at the catchwater little further down, and police checking on the road itself, above all on weekends.
I have marked on the map the closest bus stop. Buses departing from Ma On Shan or Shatin MTR stations go there. You have a 3.5km concrete walk (grey line) from the stop to the stream. In my case, done running.
You do not need to hike both streams. Each one can be done separately. If I would need to recommend only one Phoenix is a bit more spectacular. In any case here I am explaining both, starting from the Dragon. Next to the road, you will find this gate.
Continue on the concrete path for few meters and you will arrive at the stream itself. Video of the whole route up and then down through Phoenix.
The initial fall can be hiked on a lateral path on its right or scrambling up. You will go up next to (or in) several waterfalls. Once you arrive at this one,
almost completely perpendicular, I could only find a lateral side path on its left. It is very easy and clear but takes you significantly far from the stream itself. Therefore after passing the first level, I scrambled back to the stream, to see next upper falls, which are easier to climb. Once here
you will need to decide again what to do. The easy (recommended) version would be to find the aforementioned side path on your left (green line departing from the stream), even if you need to scramble down a bit again. The stream continues with cute smaller waterfalls (max 4m high) and picturesque moss covered rocks, but soon faints and the old hiking paths around are almost indistinct (September 2018). I needed to go through very dense vegetation until I was able to connect with the Maclehose trail on the top of the hill.
If you want to finish your outing here head down towards Yung Shue O or Shui Long Wo. If you want to go to the Flying Phoenix stream find the small dirt path on your right while heading to Shui Long Wo. There are different ribbon paths that should take you to the stream. Initially within the forest.
But soon you will arrive to open space where the stream gets really steep. You can scramble down most of it very carefully. Otherwise there is at least one side path everywhere. There are two distinct sections. In the upper one the side path is on the West, looking up on your right, steep but with tons of trees to hold to. In the lower section it is on the East, left side looking up.
Once the high waterfall section ends you will get into the forest again. The exit is on the West side.
A video with drone footage of both.
On the map I have marked with a red line one more stream: 馬甲崙坑 – Horse Armor Pit or similar translation. Little water flow there. After the September 2018 typhoon messier than before. A very high wall that you need to climb, not completely perpendicular, but almost. Comparatively not as impressive waterfalls. Thereof not recommended, unless you want to challenge yourself or know every single stream.
Added the Hidden Dragons. Light blue the Right tributary (隱龍右源), pink Left, purple Left Left. Used by Colin and Tyler as the shortest access route. I have not been there yet. A short video of the ascent through Left Hidden Dragon and descent through Phoenix by Tyler.
2021 August update: we went Hidden Dragon Right up, Phoenix down, Flying Dragon up and Left Left Hidden Dragon down. The map above updated accordingly and here the Garmin track. Pics under and further explanations in this post.
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