Tai Mo Shan

Tai Mo Shan reaches 957 metres, the highest ground in Hong Kong, and it is the eroded remnant of a volcano rather than a peak in any dramatic sense: broad, rounded, covered in grass and low scrub, with a road spiralling most of the way up to a weather radar station that occupies the actual summit and is closed to the public. What the mountain offers is space and weather. Cloud sits on it for much of the year, temperatures run several degrees below the city, and in the coldest snaps frost and rime form on the grass, drawing crowds who drive up to see ice, which happens perhaps once or twice a winter. Terraces of an old tea plantation survive on the flanks.

History

Tai Mo Shan Country Park was formally designated on 23 February 1979, around the highest peak in Hong Kong. In 1986 a fire burning for 34 hours destroyed 282,500 trees at Shing Mun and Tai Mo Shan and ravaged 7.40 km2 of countryside (Wikipedia, Tai Mo Shan).

The landscape

• The highest ground in Hong Kong - 957 metres of rounded volcanic remnant.
• Frost on the grass in cold snaps - the rare ice that draws city crowds.
• Old tea plantation terraces - the abandoned cultivation on the flanks.
• Cloud and wind at the top - weather several degrees below the city.

When to go

November to March for clear air and the chance of frost. Half a day. The summit itself is a restricted radar station; the road ends below it. Cold snaps bring heavy traffic and road closures.

What to expect

The true summit is fenced off and the walk is largely on a paved road. Cloud covers the mountain much of the time and views are often absent. Frost events draw dangerous traffic jams. It is genuinely cold and windy; visitors underdress badly.

Nearby

Ng Tung Chai waterfalls are north; Shing Mun reservoir lies south.

Key facts