Upper Shing Mun Reservoir — Attraction in Hong Kong

Shing Mun Reservoir (originally named Jubilee Rservoir) is located within the Shing Mun Country Park which is situated between the communities of Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin. It was constructed between 1933-37 as part of a water supply scheme for the growing population and increasing need for fresh water supply at that time. Upon completion, the dam created capacity to hold around 13.6 billion litres of water.

The Country Park and reservoir make for a popular weekend destination for Hongkongers who enjoy the leisurely 6.5km trail, fine forests and nice scenery. Around the lake there are some really nice wooded areas including a Paperback Tree forest on the west side north of the Pineapple Dam Nature Trail.

There are probably a dozen BBQ and picnic sites around the reservoir. Unfortunately, there are numerous troops of macaques that are found around the lake, eager to knick your food if you try to enjoy a picnic. These little buggers are amusing when you encounter them but best to not encourage nor feed them. It is against the law and not good their health and well being so just enjoy seeing them, keep your food items hidden in your daypacks and then continue to move along the trail.

There are wild pigs around the reservoir and quite a few birds and butterflies. One stop you can make on the west side of the lake is a Butterfly Paradise Garden. It is a hit or miss depending on the season. You'll see plenty around the lake anyway so not a big deal if you give this stop a pass.

For those who want to learn about the history of the Shing Mun area, there is a Country Park Visitor Centre on the west side of the lake just north of the Shing Mun Road at the mini-bus drop off point. It is open on weekends and public holidays from 9am to 5pm. They have a nicely organised setup with exhibition displays that walk briefly through the history and biodiversity of the area. This is worth a 10-15 minute visit if they are open when you pass by.

Heritage and history buffs will be interested to see the Waterworks structures around the Gorge Dam of the reservoir. You will come to these on the southeast end of of the lake. Also on the south end, east of the Dam, you can do a short add-on hike called the Shing Mun War Relics Trail from BBQ Site #5. Here you can see WWII era relics that formed part of the Gin Drinker's defensive line, which was constructed in the 1930s before the onset of the war.

Overall, Shing Mun Reservoir is a nice place to spend half a day away from the busy streets of the city. It is conveniently located and easy to get to from much of the Kowloon Peninsula and New Territories. Thus, do expect some crowds while here (and plenty...

Shing Mun (Jubilee) Reservoir was built between 1935 and 1937. It is located in the lowland area known as Shing Mun Valley. The Reservoir project involved the resettlement of the inhabitants of Shing Mun Valley to elsewhere in the New Territories.

Shing Mun (Jubilee) Reservoir was the core construction of Shing Mun Valley Scheme formulated in the 1920s by Mr. R.M. Henderson, the then Director of Public Works, who studied the possibility of using Shing Mun stream as a source of water supply. The scheme was adopted in 193.

The major construction of the Reservoir was to build a gigantic dam at the mouth of the gorge to retain rainwater and form a huge reservoir to afford additional supply of water to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The reservoir was originally called Shing Mun Reservoir, which was officially renamed Jubilee Reservoir in 1935 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of...

MTR Tuenwan Station Exit B1,look for 40-6 Shui Wo Street Mini Bus 82 the place is beautiful a good 3 to 4 hours hike including photo sessions 😅very easy just loop back to where you.started, hiking for all ages. ,fresh air ,butterflies,bird chirping ,tall Paperbark tress ,monkeys are everywhere they dont bother but dont tease them.or avoid eating when they are around ,overall the best hike for me ,nature and fresh air a bonus by itself highly...