This hike is truly a hidden gem as it takes you through not one, but four gorgeous waterfalls under Tai Mo Shan. Once again, perfect for Hong Kong's hot summers.
Difficulty Rating: 7/10 (the steps are steep, but the four waterfalls provide the perfect opportunity to cool down between the climb)
Duration: 3 hours (can be longer depending on how long you would like to swim in the waterfalls)
Cell Service: 5/5
Instagrammability: 4/5
How to get there:
Hiking Directions:
Once you get off the bus, follow the road going to Ng Tung Chai village. This path should slowly start inclining and you will see clear signs to 'Ng Tun Chai Waterfall' along the road (image 1).
About 20 minutes into your walk, you will come across a gate to the Man Tak Yuen Temple temple (image 2) and after another 10 minutes, you will see the beautiful Taoist temple which is built onto the side of the Tai Mo Shan mountain (Hong Kong's highest peak)
Keep going on the path until you reach a mini-waterfall where you can take a break (image 4). And no, this is not part of the 'Ng Tung Chai' waterfalls - just a teaser!
The real hike begins from this point onwards. The path is quite straightforward - just keep following the signs to the waterfalls (image 5&6)
30 minutes into your hike, you will be rewarded with the first waterfall called the 'bottom fall', which can be reached after going down a flight of stairs. This waterfall, hidden from the trail feels like you've descended into a world of solitude.
If you'd like to take a dip, we'd suggest you wait it out as the second waterfall is only 5 minutes away. This waterfall is called the 'middle fall' and it is much grander than the previous one. The air surrounding the waterfall was so cooling that just sitting on the rock made me forget that it was the middle of a hot summer.
Getting to the 'main fall' after this one is the challenging part of this hike. Going back on the trail, take a flight of stairs on your left which very steep. Keep going but be very careful on this narrow path. Although this may feel like it's never-ending and exhausting, the waterfall will make sure you feel like it was all worth it.
This waterfall is incredibly tall and magnificent (unfortunately unable to be captured in the panorama above). At the bottom is a large natural pool that you can swim in to cool down. Although the pool is quite shallow, the rocks are very slippery so be careful when nearing the actual waterfall.
We ended up swimming here for way too long and decided to skip the next waterfall which is called the 'scatter fall'. Once again, the path from the 'main fall' to the 'scatter fall' is very challenging with large rocks.
However, if you end up checking it out, do share the pictures with us in the comments!
To get back, retrace your steps and take the same bus from where you got off to get back to Tai Wo or Tai Po Market station.