Tai Mo Shan 大帽山 is the highest mountain in Hong Kong with the elevation of 957 meters, it features a humid subtropical climate. You often see Tai Mo Shan covered in clouds, and it is claimed to be the most misty area in Hong Kong, this is due to the height of the mountain.
Tai Mo Shan Weather Radar Station and Civil Aviation Department Radar Station were built on top of the mountain, and they have become the recognizable buildings when people talk about Tai Mo Shan.
The mountain is very hiker-friendly, accessible by a few nice trails going to the top. I planned my trail starting from Tsuen Wan MTR to Tai Mo Shan passing through Wo Yang Shan 禾秧山, some named it “Stone Forest” because of the beautiful groups of rock formations up there. Going down I took the trail through the captivating Ng Tung Chai Waterfalls 梧桐寨瀑布 which I think is the Amazon of Hong Kong. You are going to experience two very different environments ascending and descending, and I find this is the best part of this trail.
Ng Tung Chai Waterfalls nestled within the dense jungle of Tai Mo Shan, it consists of 4 main waterfalls, they are “Scatter Fall”, “Main Fall”, “Middle Fall” & “Bottom Fall”. Each of them has their unique beauty, made me wondering, “Am I in Hong Kong?” Apart from the 4 main falls, there are also “Virgin Fall” and “Rainbow Fall”. I suggest you download the app “Hiking Trail HK” to find out the exact location of each fall, and this app is also the app I have been using to plan my hiking trail every time.
For this trail, I am covering 4 scenic locations, Shek Tin Mun, Wo Yang Shan, Tai Mo Shan & Ng Tung Chai Waterfall. They are perfect spots for photography and videography. Each of them are very instagrammable, so get packed and hit the trail.
My Trail:
” Tsuen Wan MTR > Shing Mun Catchwater 城門引水道 > Shek Tin Mun 石天門 > WO YANG SHAN 禾秧山 (771M) > TAI MO SHAN 大帽山 (957M) > Sze Fong Shan Au 四方山坳 > NG TUNG CHAI WATERFALL 梧桐寨瀑布 > Man Tak Yuen 萬德苑 > Ng Tung Chai Village > Lam Kam Road “
Distance: 15 KM
Duration: 5 hours
Elevation Gain: 1145 M
Difficulty: 4/5
View: 5/5
How to get there & return:
1. Take MTR Tsuen Wan Line to Tsuen Wan 荃灣 station, then take exit A.
2. From exit A, turn right and follow the sign to Discovery Park, you will be walking on the indoor skyway. After about 400 meters, you’ll see a glass door on your right, go inside and that’ll lead you to a bridge crossing the railway. Follow the sign to Route Twisk and you’ll see this, take the stairs.
3. Cross Route Twisk and keep following the stairs up and you’ll arrive at Shing Mun Catchwater. Take your right direction and keep walking on the catchwater for less than 2kms. Pay close attention on your left, you’ll reach here.
4. Turn left and hike up the mountain until you reach a junction, where you’ll find this sign, follow the path and continue going up.
5. You’ll finally arrive at Shek Tin Mun, it should be on your right hand side, you won’t miss it as it is a massive rock formation.
6. After checking out Shek Tin Mun, follow the path where you see other rock formations, that’s Wo Yang Shan.
7. Tai Mo Shan can be easily seen from there, you’ll see the radar stations, the path going to the top is very clear.
8. From Tai Mo Shan, follow the concrete road behind the radar stations and you’ll start descending until you reach a pavilion, that’s Sze Fong Shan Au. You’ll find the sign to Ng Tung Chai Waterfalls.
9. From there, the path to the waterfalls is very straight forward and you’ll find signs along the way.
10. You’ll first arrive at the “Scatter Fall”, then “Main Fall”, “Middle Fall” and lastly “Bottom Fall”. After “Bottom Fall”, keep descending and you’ll come to Man Tak Yuen.
11. You’ll eventually arrive at Lam Kam Road walking out from Ng Tung Chai Village, you’ll find the bus stop on your left. You can take the bus KMB #64K to Kam Sheung Road 錦上路 West Rail Station to go back to the city. Or you can cross the road and take the same bus KMB #64K to Tai Po Market 大埔墟 East Rail Station to go back to the city, depending which direction is more convenient to you.
Hike Overview:
Overall, the trail from Tsuen Wan all the way to Tai Mo Shan is very pleasant and scenic. First kilometer is mainly stairs until you get to Shing Mun Catchwater, you will be walking on flat road for the next 2 kilometers. After that you’ll enter the mountain trail until you get to the incredible “Stone Forest”, Wo Yang Shan. That’s one of my favorite spots in Hong Kong, I’ve always love rock formations. The beauty of Stone Forest leaves you breathless, the whole place is so picturesque.
Shek Tin Mun is a massive rock formation located on the very right side of Wo Yang Shan when you get up from the trail, I missed it the first time I went there. Check your Hiking Trail HK app to make sure you go see it.
Trust me, once you are there, you’ll fall in love with the place as much as I do. When you are done admiring Wo Yang Shan, look up at the radar stations on Tai Mo Shan and follow the path up there. It should take another 2 kilometers or so.
No matter you are beginners or advanced hikers, Tai Mo Shan is always a great choice. Apart from ticking off the bucket list by summiting Hong Kong’s highest peak, another reason is there are many nice trails connecting it, giving hikers flexibility in planning their own trail. The view of the skylines when you hike is absolutely beautiful. Do remember to plan your hike on a clear sunny day for great visibility.
“ The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature. ”
– Joseph Campbell
Descending through Ng Tung Chai Waterfalls you will be walking into the Amazon of Hong Kong. The path is mostly shaded and cool. Be very careful as you go down, watch out for the slippery rocks. There are some parts the descent is steep, so take your time and don’t fall or hurt your knees. Accidents have been reported before for hikers trying to take selfie and lost the footing and fell from the waterfall, knowing our limits is the key to staying safe.
Below are the 4 main Ng Tung Chai Waterfalls:
1. Scatter Fall 散髮瀑, the cascades look like the hair of a woman from the back.
2. Main Fall 主瀑, the tallest waterfall with over 30 meters high.
3. Middle Fall 中瀑
4. Bottom Fall 井底瀑, this fall looks like you are in the bottom of the well.
You’ll be very surprised that you’ll find all these amazing places in Hong Kong. They are very close to us and we have easy access to most of them. I hope you go try out this trail and let me know what you think.