Have you hiked the main Ng Tung Chai waterfalls? If you want to continue exploring the area with a more difficult route this is for you.

  • Beauty/fun: 6.5/10. Pristine water full route, pools, quite some waterfalls, almost all climbable within, in a jungle landscape. Slightly downgraded due to bushy exit (the one we hiked).
  • Difficulty (check this link if new here, this is not your standard HK hiking web): 7/10. There is at least one high waterfall that we needed to climb within. We were not able to find an alternative easy side path. Even with ribbons set by previous groups we were not able to find an easy exit. Get ready pruning shears, a rope and full cover clothing just in case. You have several tributaries that you could try to go out through, just this one checked after 2018’s typhoon.
  • Map (how to download to your phone)

See full screen and shitty Garmin track

Ng Tung Chai waterfalls are a must for all of us who love Hong Kong streams. The whole system though is full of tributaries out of the main stream. I had seen before a big one that looked wide enough to deserved to be explored. I found that some groups called it Banana (蕉坑), I am guessing due to the number of banana trees you can see around.

MTR to Kam Sheung Road or Tai Po Market stations and 64K bus is our usual public transportation. Ng Tung Chai Tsuen or Chai Kek (if coming from Tai Po Market) stop.

There are two main starting points. If you want to avoid some of the initial stream just head up (green line) on the little concrete path up to the public toilets. There onwards you will see signs guiding you to the waterfalls. Once you see this gate, well before arriving to the temple, head down the concrete path and you will find a bridge that crosses the stream (turn 180 degrees in the photo sphere and you will see it).

If instead, you want to hike the whole stream then head up Chai Kek road and in a bit more than five minutes you will see the path that crosses the river. This section is already pretty coming out of the village.

In summer time the best option is to hike this route fully wet.

There are some few areas with overgrown vegetation that are way easier to pass in the water.

Initially you will see several water gathering structures, pipes, concrete.

Continue up to the main fork. Red marked on the map. 1m00s in the video below and this pic from a previous visit (she trying to continue up the main stream).

The entrance might look a bit narrow, but soon opens again and becomes almost as wide as Ng Tung Chai main stream.

With tons of smaller but fun waterfalls to climb.

You can find easier side paths to avoid doing so, but we were in “let’s make it fun” mode.

Some are higher.

This the only one that we were not able to climb. Too perpendicular with a clear easy side dry scramble on its left.

The upper you go the narrower it gets. With several forks with tributaries heading further East.

This would be the Fork 3 marked on the map. Nice waterfall, although with little flow, on your left side going up. In rainy days must be way more spectacular.

This looked a bit trickier to climb but finally I did it myself on the left side of it. Side path on its right. Pics that I am in by Ina.

In the video (2m20sec) you see the orange 4th Fork. There were ribbons there, the ladies wanted to finish earlier and on the map looked like a shorter path… We should have continued (or may be not 😅 after checking further in 2021, see below). Going up it gets a bit more jungle like.

Here the compulsory waterfall to climb on.

Some smaller ones later.

Here I needed to help them pruning some thorny plants and setting up the rope on the top side of a high waterfall.

The streams was getting narrower and even if we were following the ribbons the vegetation started to be very dense.

Therefore after couple of sections of me opening the way with the pruning shears, we decided to leave the stream, head uphill and try to connect with the upper path asap. Steep and loose terrain initially within small forest, some bush, more pruning and finally connect with the brown path. It is relatively well hiked in winter, not so much in summer time. Therefore you can see quite some ribbons around, but it can be a bit overgrown. A little later there is another fork that connects you with a more open path (green) that takes you to Ying Ngam and Yuen Tun Ha from where to take minibus to Tai Po Market MTR station. Otherwise go up till MacLehose and decide how to continue: down through the main path, or Ng Tung Chai downhill, or even Tai Shing (what I did on a simple bush walk and running mode).

Video of all the previous.

On the map I have marked the original tributary (darker blue again) that I wanted to hike on.

Everything you should know before stream hiking.

Any feedback, please, leave a comment below. Your contribution with the latest update can be relevant for other readers. If any information seems wrong we will try to check the route and update the information as soon as possible.

In July 2021 we went back again there and check further the stream in fast mode with less flow. Garmin track of the day including going down Tai Shing stream after. Map updated too, with the new tributary and some further information in purple. This tributary is more difficult. We found a waterfall very difficult to climb. With no secure footholds that I could find just after the initial first 2 meters and 3-4 more pending. Therefore we scrambled on the right side. Loose terrain and high. Doable, but not fun but for the most hardcore. If going here a 20m rope is even more recommended.