Small stream, slabs, a climbing wall, a peculiar pipeline tunnel & more next to the city. Water quality can vary significantly in each season.

  • Beauty/fun: 5/10 it is a relatively small cute stream which seems to have water all year long, with only one high waterfall, but quite some extra fun around. Thorny bushy and plenty of trash in the lower part of the hill. In winter time the water looked very clean. But one reader told me that people regularly use soap and others atop Siu Ma West and therefore on summertime, when there is flow on that creek, water quality can deteriorate.
  • Difficulty (check this link if new here, this is not your standard HK hiking web): 6/10 one high scramble, not the easiest navigation, tons of bush and thorns if you take the wrong turn. Full clothe cover highly recommended.
  • The map (how to download to your phone offline maps)

See full screen & the Garmin track of the first day & the second day.

Last year we spent quite some time cleaning the hill just behind Tai Hang. Full of trash from the abandoned old squatter village. I saw that there was a stream there. Added to the to do list.

Mid March with just a few hours to explore I headed there. A lot more interesting than expected. Therefore a few weeks later I brought a buddy for further check. Here the mixture of both days and my preferences.

Blue line and markers the first day. It took me a while to find the best entry to get into the stream. It seems that the side paths are regularly hiked (although a bit bushy thorny), avoiding the first stream section under the high waterfall. I tried to do a second loop to check further, but it started pouring, big non forecasted thunderstorm, when I just arrived to the bottom of the tiny gorge (12 red) and therefore my exit next to the slabs was a mess. Green the second day, when we headed directly to the slab first and to the main stream on our second loop.

The closest MTR station is Tin Hau. Although you could take a bus up to the very start point in Tai Hang road, avoiding 1km and quite some elevation gain of city walk. Exactly here.

To go to the lowest section of the stream you need to keep next to the fence closest to the stream.

Video for more visual cues.

Don’t follow too many ribbons or you will separate from the stream. The path after you leave the last fence behind (0:07 and 5 on the map) is short but obscure and full of old trash. Be careful with the glasses and other sharp objects. As soon as you get to the stream you will see that there is a section below with a cute small waterfall & pool.

If you go down you arrive at a big contention pool, drop and fenced walls after. Pics from my first day. This second time we went directly uphill. Surprisingly pretty walls and a little challenge if you feel like doing it. Marked (6) on the map. 45 degree scramble, little downclimb (0:33) & second layer scramble. There was a flimsy rope set there that you don’t need to use. You could pass the boulder on the right side easily. Just tons of trash there.

Just little later the big waterfall. It must look nice in the summertime. We climbed on the roots on its right side (0:47 Janis asking if she could go directly up the fall, not recommended). Even this way the initial rooks and even one root are partly loose, so check thoroughly on your way up.

Just after the stream slope decreases significantly and the hike is way simpler. Actually, it seems that there are regularly (dry) hikers going up on the bushy path until the waterfall. Pass it on its left (easy path, upper right picture taken from there) and then walk next to the stream. 4/10 difficulty if so. Just a couple of small scrambles (1:49 one of them) and not the most clear navigation exit.

After the big waterfall there are three peculiar and photogenic water control walls.

Janis wanted to climb them all, but you don’t need to. Easy pass on their right side. Quite some fish and other small fauna in them.

The red marker is exactly here. In the third contention wall.

The first day I went down to here through the “path” on the South West of it. A mess. Quite some trash here too and less hiked, which meant it was significantly more thorny. I even used my small rope to semi rappel a little wall just to avoid fighting with the bush further. Not recommended in the current condition.

Just 50 meters lower (13 marker) you have the wall to scramble on to go up to 小馬西坑 (Siu Ma West stream). It’s the exit route I took towards the slabs and back to the city. Explained later.

Continuing up on the stream in approx. 10 minutes, including a couple of short scrambles, you arrive at the Pipeline (2:00 and 9 on the map). Massive concrete pipeline that is broken in several sections and you can climb within.

Kinda easy. Just remember to bring a torch with you and beware of moving rocks and a small section with a big drop (2:23). The in tunnel is completely optional, you can walk on top of the pipeline otherwise.

You can end the route at least in two ways. With Janis we took (2:37) the route that looks slightly more hiked. Slightly less thorns, although not much difference. Fork at B6 with a dry (in March) waterfall on (10) and ribbons guiding you up the slope to the catchwater. In both cases the exit approximately here to Sir Ceril’s road.

From there you can walk down back to the city through the road. Or hike Sir Ceril.

In this video how it would look like if you would just go the easy way.

Quite some ribbons but bushy (0:21). Old pipeline holding concrete pillars (0:41 and 3 marker) next to the easy way down to the stream just before the waterfall. 0:50 checking the lower part of the stream. 1:23 on the pipeline instead of going inside. At 1:37 the ribbons that guide you to the left exit (B6) but I continued on the pipeline instead the first day.

Last part to explain in this post is the slab area on the East side of the stream. Just exactly in front of these stairs (B1) you have the very obscure hiking path start.

Look for ribbons heading South direction. Video starting exactly in this place.

If you diligently follow the ribbons and the GPS track you will arrive at the slab.

On the left corner in the photosphere above. The first time pouring I did not even try to do it and I bush fight under it. The second time drizzling but with our Five Tens on it was not too tricky. Dry must be an easy short walk. After the slab you should be able to find the path again. Retrace if you are not sure and try to be on the GPS track for it. A little bit more of clear path within the woods and time to scramble 小馬西坑 (Siu Ma West stream).

Short, but nice. With good grip volcanic rock. And on top you find 5字石, also known as Sunset Wall. The name in Chinese comes from the very peculiar rock formation that kind of reminds you the number 5. Several sport climbing routes set there with bolts. Some more scrambling and you will arrive at a man made pool and the road.

My recommendations. If you are in a rush or you just want to tick this out of the to do list. Start as low as possible in the main stream, waterfall, see some of the walls and go up Siu Ma West. If you have more time do the two loops I did with Janis. You can spend some time checking the old trash on your way down. Tons of 70s to 90s gadgets around.

Everything you should know before stream hiking & scrambling.