Beneath Tai Mo Shan
This moderate New Territories hike links the lower slopes of Hong Kong’s highest mountain, Tai Mo Shan, and the dense woodlands around
the Shing Mun Reservoir with the old market town of Tai Po.
Following a short minibus ride from Tsuen Wan Railway Station, we begin our adventure in Chuen Lung, a third of the way up Tai Mo Shan.
Once a popular stop for local day-trippers due to its tea houses famous for serving home-grown tea using mountain stream water, Chuen
Lung these days seems to derive most of its income from automobile body shops…
Just beyond the village, however, nature takes over and we soon find ourselves on a wonderful mildly undulating dirt path that follows the
contours of the lower southern slopes of Tai Mo Shan, crossing numerous streams and offering stunning views: To your left; the towering Tai
Mo Shan. To your right; the Hong Kong cityscape.
Entering the country park, there is a short climb to a plateau just above the tree line where we pause for a snack break and take in the
superb panoramic view.
After the break, we dip back into the woods along more dirt paths. Crossing the occasional stream bed, we eventually emerge just above
Lead Mine Pass to enjoy the spectacular green and blue panorama that is the entire Shing Mun Country Park.
From the pass, we have to descend a fairly steep and rather rough dirt and boulder path to reach our final destination, Tai Po, where we
suggest ending the hike with a late, but well-deserved, tasty Thai lunch before heading back to the city.
Note that while our route, initially, does skirt the extreme suburbs, this is predominantly a forest hike so, weather permitting, we should
encounter a fair amount of varied wildlife. Birds and butterflies are a given but, as we will partially follow the path less trodden, there is a fair
chance, too, of encountering not only feral cattle and the odd monkey, but also shier creatures such as barking deer, wild boars and
porcupines.
This moderate New Territories hike links the lower slopes of Hong Kong’s highest mountain, Tai Mo Shan, and the dense woodlands around
the Shing Mun Reservoir with the old market town of Tai Po.
Following a short minibus ride from Tsuen Wan Railway Station, we begin our adventure in Chuen Lung, a third of the way up Tai Mo Shan.
Once a popular stop for local day-trippers due to its tea houses famous for serving home-grown tea using mountain stream water, Chuen
Lung these days seems to derive most of its income from automobile body shops…
Just beyond the village, however, nature takes over and we soon find ourselves on a wonderful mildly undulating dirt path that follows the
contours of the lower southern slopes of Tai Mo Shan, crossing numerous streams and offering stunning views: To your left; the towering Tai
Mo Shan. To your right; the Hong Kong cityscape.
Entering the country park, there is a short climb to a plateau just above the tree line where we pause for a snack break and take in the
superb panoramic view.
After the break, we dip back into the woods along more dirt paths. Crossing the occasional stream bed, we eventually emerge just above
Lead Mine Pass to enjoy the spectacular green and blue panorama that is the entire Shing Mun Country Park.
From the pass, we have to descend a fairly steep and rather rough dirt and boulder path to reach our final destination, Tai Po, where we
suggest ending the hike with a late, but well-deserved, tasty Thai lunch before heading back to the city.
Note that while our route, initially, does skirt the extreme suburbs, this is predominantly a forest hike so, weather permitting, we should
encounter a fair amount of varied wildlife. Birds and butterflies are a given but, as we will partially follow the path less trodden, there is a fair
chance, too, of encountering not only feral cattle and the odd monkey, but also shier creatures such as barking deer, wild boars and
porcupines.
Download Reservation Form here or click here to request more information.
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| ... exploring Hong Kong's other side... |
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