Shing Mun Reservoir

Shing Mun, completed in the 1930s and also called the Jubilee Reservoir, sits in a bowl below Tai Mo Shan, and its distinctive feature is the belt of paperbark trees planted around the shore: when the water is low their pale trunks stand out in the shallows in rows, which is the picture the reservoir is known for. A level family walk of around seven kilometres circles the water past picnic sites, and steeper trails climb into the hills. The reservoir also has a large and confident population of rhesus macaques who have learned that people carry food; feeding them is illegal and prosecuted, and bags left open are opened for you.

What you actually see

• Paperbark trees in the shallows - pale trunks standing in low water.
• The circular family walk - about seven kilometres around the shore.
• Rhesus macaques - the confident resident troops along the road.
• Tai Mo Shan above - the highest ground in Hong Kong behind the bowl.

When to go

October to April for walking; the paperbarks show best when water levels are low, generally late in the dry season. Half a day. Weekends are busy with families.

Honest expectations

The macaques snatch bags and plastic and can be aggressive; feeding them carries a fine and makes the problem worse. The circuit is on tarmac and access roads rather than a wild path. There is no swimming.

Nearby

Tai Mo Shan rises north; Tsuen Wan lies south.