Hong Kong Photo Gallery - Chinese New Year Flowers
Shui Chuen O to Shatin Pass & Wilson Trail Stage 5

January and February are blooming months for the Chinese New Year flower, appropriately named for its timing. The reverse-hanging pink flowers come in clusters so the tree becomes noticeably bright.

Wilson Trail's Stage 5 overlooking Shatin is a good spot to see these flowers as opposed to Sai Kung, which is the most popular and crowded spot (yellow circle on the map).

Stage 5 is relatively easy but you have to reach Shatin Pass first, which itself is a great spot to see the skyline as it sits atop the ridge separating Kowloon and the New Territories.

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I started my hike from Shui Chuen O Estate in Shatin. There is a service road below Yuet Chuen House that slopes uphill.

As the paved road ends, you enter the Ma On Shan Country Park. It is an easy uphill journey on a well-marked trail to Shatin Pass, taking about an hour.

I spotted one Chinese New Year flower tree along the way.

That sign marks the end of the climb!

Shatin Pass is a major stop for several hiking routes, with a toilet and small shop selling simple snacks and drinks. Wilson Trail Stage 5 starts here and continues along the Shatin side of the ridge.

After a short walk on the paved road, a sign will lead you to a dirt track.

From hereon, there will be many Chinese New Year flower trees lining the route. Some man-made offshoot trails have emerged so people can access them a bit more closely, but the terrain is steep so it's safer to stay on the main trail.

The Chinese New Year flower is a protected species so it is illegal to pick and collect them. In the past, these flowers and the trees were harvested for the festivities and became endangered.

After passing the series of flowering trees, the trail becomes a long downhill staircase where you can exit back to Shatin. I descended part way and took an offshoot dirt trail to an open area with the grand view of the district.

I wanted to exit on the Kowloon side, so returned back to Stage 5 and Shatin Pass from here. I turned to my camera's macro mode to recapture some of the trees I had previously passed.

Satisfied with the blooming flowers and how easy it was to get here, the final prize of the day is to see Kowloon and Hong Kong Island from Shatin Pass. Returning to the small shop I passed by earlier from my initial climb out of Shui Chuen O, Stage 5 ends at the intersection of Shatin Pass Road. Take a left and go uphill a little more and the view opens up spectacularly.

Several major hiking hotspots line these ridges behind Kowloon, and this one is in between Lion Rock and Fei Ngo Shan.

After enjoying the views, I turned around and headed downhill along Shatin Pass Road, which will descend to Wong Tai Sin for your exit.