Sheung Luk Stream

This time the trek started at the picturesque Sai Wan Beach. A short walk from the road at Sai Wan Pavilion, it's nicely tucked away from civilisation with every element hinting on its remoteness. We sat down at a cafe for a round of soy bean curd. It was very early in the morning, and we were the only ones by the beach.

A short walk along the beach under the scorching summer sun

Following the MacLehose Trail towards Ham Tin we reached a river crossing. Instead of crossing the river, this waterway is our target for today. Trekking along the river bank upstream it soon turns into full scrambles along the rocks. 

These small pools formed within the rocks soon turn into Four Pools 四疊潭, the first spot for today. With its close vicinity to Sai Wan Beach, this is a popular swimming spot for people to spend a weekend. No tourists were spotted in this early morning hours, fortunately.

Four pools is named after the four consecutive pools lining the stream as it increases in elevation. A tiny waterfall marks the end of the pools and where most daytrippers get their swim. Some weekends will see many tourists jumping into the pool, which can be a bit dodgy given its shallow water.

We follow a faint walking track on the left side of the stream, before reaching yet another waterfall.

The scorching heat is starting to take a toll on one of our friends, as he struggles to keep up with the pace. We got him to soak in the stream to cool down a bit. Guess not having an umbrella or sun hat is the main reason for him getting a bit unwell. 

Just one final waterfall to go through before the hiking trail reemerges, where our friend who's feeling unwell can head back a bit earlier. This is Thousand Threads Fall 千絲瀑, a fairly tall, yet not too difficult scramble. After the waterfall there's a dam to get through. The dam diverts water from the stream into High Island Reservoir using an underground water pipe, and eventually becomes drinking water. 

Shortly after the hiking trail is Fairchirper Falls 鳴幽瀑, our swimhole of the day. I decided to jump in for a swim, with the water cool and deep enough for a nice swim on a hot summer day. Our friends who led the day sat by a rock for some vlogging, sheltered by an umbrella. 

From here, we split into two groups. Me and our friend who's bit unwell took the hiking trail back to Sai Wan Pavilion, where we took a Taxi back to Sai Kung Town and ended our day. The rest continued through the second half of the stream (see below for a previous attempt of that section) all the way up towards the source of the stream. 

Good Morning, Sai Kung! Hiking in the summer means an early start is essential. A minibus to Sai Kung, then a taxi ride to Sai Wan Pavillion. We followed Luk Wu Country Trail which leads up to a hill for wilderness views of Sai Kung before descending into Sheung Luk Stream. The country trail crosses the water and continues up the hill, but as stream trekkers, this is where we hop off the crossing and start our day.

The actual stream starts way down at Sai Wan beach, but to keep it simple we started somewhere towards the inland.

Shortly after trekking upstream is the first waterfall of the day, Fairchirper Falls 鳴幽瀑. The rockpool is deep enough for a decent swim. The trekking route goes to the right of this waterfall with a trail on the side, bypassing the waterfall itself. It was an easy walk with slight rocky scramble and we got to the top of the waterfall shortly.

While it is stream trekking it is often possible to keep your shoes dry throughout the entire track. This stream is known to be one of the dryer ones with good dry rocks to walk on. Then it is an easy climb up another waterfall, Chong Yau Falls 藏幽瀑. The hexagonal columns are a volcanic geographical feature formed after the cooling of lava.

It didn't take long to climb onto the top. It is one of the few streams with an open view inside the gorge. Others are mostly covered in dense bush.

It is then a simple walk along the hexagonal columns. The leader of the trip claims he had a near-death experience here previously but there's nothing too technical if the right route is chosen. There's also this coronavirus-like plant.

The final waterfall to climb before reaching upstream.

Once upstream is reached the vegetation became a lot denser and tracks become overgrown. Eventually a track couldn't be found and we decided to bushbash our way out to the main country trail.

From the country trail it's an easy walk down to Pak Tam Rd where the bus stop is.