I have written about this iconic landmark several times. Here a summary of all the options, including the classic route.

See full screen and the Garmin track of the red route ending at Pak Kung Au.

The starting point is in all the options the South Lantau Road from Tong Fuk beach to Shek Pik reservoir. Therefore all the buses going towards Tai O, Ngong Ping or Shek Pik itself (11A) would work. Arrive at Lantau by Tung Chung MTR or ferry to Mui Wo. Getting a taxi in Tung Chung can be tricky sometimes. Long queues for buses sometimes too, on Sundays in peak hiking season and/or Buddhist festivities.

Teapot ridge (green line) is the easiest option. The scrambling is minimal. You don’t need to go downhill in precarious sections. It is less interesting below the “teapot” but after it is a nice one.

Dog’s Tooth approach (blue lines) will be the intermediate option. Of all the different ridges I prefer the middle one. On the map above also marked West and East options. The former is slightly easier, but in all the cases, get ready for some steep path that can be tricky for those with extreme vertigo. One early exit connecting with the Lantau trail, just before heading down next to the bird rock. South Phoenix path all the way until the South Heaven’s Gate.

I have added also a route that is becoming more well known lately: Lonely Tree Slope (一樹坡), grey line connecting with Dog’s Tooth (also explained here). In case you want to give it a try. Similar difficulty to South Phoenix route.

The direct approach through South Heaven’s Gate own stream (red line) is the most difficult way out of the usual routes. You can always make things more complicated scrambling on the various rock streams and outpaths, but not covered in this post. You could also do it more difficult going up, for example, the Cow Pond stream (fuchsia) and going down the red line. Or combining South and North Heaven Gate routes: I would suggest going up the red, Lantau Peak and going down to Ngong Ping through the North Gate; or White Jaw up to Lantau Peak and down through Dog’s Tooth for the ultimate challenge (loop) 😛

Let’s go with the classic route. You can start in the last bus stop of Tong Fuk. Take the Ma Po Ping road up till you find the entrance to the stream. You can see an earlier entry in the opencyclemap, but you will be kind of trespassing private property. In any case, this part of the stream is not especially interesting. A good way to test your shoes for the upper sections, a couple of cute reflection ponds and little more.

Soon you will arrive at the dam. You could do so too through concrete. The aforementioned road, connecting with the Lantau trail section 10 and here.

Go up the concrete structure and back down to the stream. Here you have a long video with all what you will see moving forward (with an interesting selection of music and “acting” that gives a sense of being a bit easier than it is in reality).

After little time you will arrive at the fork connecting with the Cow Pond stream.

Turn left instead and continue next to the rock above (South Heaven Gate written in Chinese = 南天門). You should be able to see a lot of ribbons here. Navigation is simple. The only possible confusion point is at around 330m elevation (you can see it clearly on the map), take the right main tributary.

All this section is relatively simple to hike and scramble. A jungle stream with little water flow and some areas with denser vegetation, mainly due to previous typhoons. But nothing nasty nor thorny.

You will need to go still significantly further up before the route gets “interesting”. At approx 500m elevation, you will find the first scrambling areas that can be tricky if wet. As it was in the day when I took the pictures.

Little later on you will arrive at the first “dangerous cliff” in the video (5m15s)

It does not look so much from down, but it is true that the angle of the rocks where she is are a bit tricky. Nothing compared with the next, and real challenge. Here.

It is the only really dangerous part. A bad step there could end up in a big drop. In the video, exactly at 7m45s. If wet I would suggest you go directly up (green line) instead of crossing to the right side (red). You have several good hand holds on the rock. Even quite further up there is a small tree (purple circle) from where you could set up a rope to help weaker (or worse grip shoe) hikers.

Anyhow, beware of the loose rocks in that area and moving forward.

Eventually you will arrive at the exit marked on the map. The stream itself a bit higher has a completely vertical drop that I have never seen anyone climbing. Thereof turn left and find the last wall to scramble up. There is a rope there still (Jan18), but the metal ring where it is tied is definitely old and flimsy.

Just few meters later you will connect with the Phoenix path and approach again the Gate through the easy path.

In our case finally leaving the cloud where we had been hiking in below. More pictures of the whole route up till the “Heaven”.

Once on Lantau trail head down (East) to the road for easiest route or try any of the aforementioned further paths in the area.

Everything you should know before stream hiking.