Low flow stream with dense vegetation which improves the higher & higher you go. Ending with nice waterfalls and within a rock forest.
- Beauty/fun: 6/10 after significant rain days at its best. Not so hiked and therefore vine bushy in some sections. Ends on the back of Wo Yang Shan, with its pretty volcanic rocks. A good alternative plan if in Shing Mun with sudden rain or for those who have been already in other streams in the area. Some sections can be dry in most part of the year.
- Difficulty (check this link if new here, this is not your standard HK hiking web): 6.5/10 if trying to climb in or very close to the waterfalls all the time. A couple of potential early exits. Vine bushy in a few sections, cover accordingly.
- The map (how to download to your phone offline maps)
See full screen & the Garmin track initial full check and with buddies (including checking Tai Yuen Left pool).
I had passed several times by this stream, but it was mostly dry or not interesting looking. Eventually, I gave it a full try and it was good enough to bring buddies just a few weeks later. After some heavy rain at its best. Video
The stream has 4 sections. The initial at the bottom is just the connection with Tai Shing and has no interesting features. You could skip it by going directly up Tiger Path instead. The second section (0:14) starts with vines and little water if not going after rain (stream goes underground for some areas). It was fun under our conditions.
The waterfalls are mainly small almost till the very end of this section. Where you find a climbable waterfall, as you can see Brett at 0:41, or with easy side scrambles both right and left.
The third section (0:48) is a bit misleading. The stream has forked just a bit lower. You have branches that connect a bit later. From the side we went up, leftmost, you have initially a mini cave and a waterfall with very bad rock quality. Not to be climbed. You can either do so on its right using the trees, or way easier on the left side, through old paddies. Even if you climbed on the tree you will need to go to the left side just a few meters later. Or fight with really dense vines. Just a few meters after you can connect back again with the stream, which little by little improves.
In the upper pic on the right, you can see Len (checkered tights) next to a Balancing rock. Just after a nice waterfall climb. For a while, you are going in a succession of concatenated waterfalls. This next one is really nice too. Climbable in the middle (most difficult), easier on its left and right.
Eventually, we arrived at the only waterfall that is not climbable (1:54). Very picturesque.
A dirt path on its right side. Just after you have to decide how to go back to the main paths. In all this area you have the peculiar Wo Yang Shan area volcanic rocks. You can zoom in and out this photosphere to see the various boulders and faintly the stream in the middle.
The first time I continued on the stream. The water disappears after a concatenation of small waterfalls and you are in a little rock forest. Cute, but it seems that not so many people take this option and therefore the vegetation to connect with the exit path was a bit denser. Also, the map was slightly wrong. In any case, if you continue on the stream you will arrive in no time. Bring pruners just in case, or full-cover gloves at least.
The second time we took the left (brown on the map) exit path (1:59). Beware of the boulders there though. Brett inadvertently dislodged a huge one (2:10). A bit of (non-thorny) bushwalking. Trust the GPS track. Not a very clear path either, passing through another even cuter mini-rock forest. And connect with the more hiked paths above. From there you have tons of different possibilities. On my own, I just looped down back to Shing Mun. The second time, I brought them down through a few more rock forests. They finished around Yuen Yuen Institute. While I trail run a bit on my own to check the upper part of Tai Yuen Left and down to Tsuen Wan.
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