Hong Kong Hiking Gallery - Quarry Bay to Tai Tam

An easy paved journey up the hills behind Quarry Bay and down towards Tai Tam Reservoir, this family-friendly trail takes a few hours and offers good exercise from the heart of the city. Start on Mount Parker Road next to the Quarry Bay Municipal Services Building and follow the paved road uphill. Beware wild boars that roam the hills, and keep your food concealed so they don't associate feeding with humans.

The first major viewpoint overlooks Quarry Bay's emerging skyline and the harbour, with toilets available.

There are a number of trails that branch off this main road to other scenic lookout points on Braemar Hill, hence these paths are well-trafficked. The highest point also has toilets and a picnic area. From here, it is a shaded descent down Hong Kong Trail Section 6.

Chinese New Year flowers were blooming further north in early February, so I was surprised a month later, they are still out in action here. While there were only a couple of trees here, there were plenty of flowers to photograph.

Tai Tam's reservoirs were built from 1883 to 1917, providing freshwater for a growing city and its industries, and enabling the city to expand eastwards from Victoria.
Today, there are a number of historic structures around the reservoirs, while hiking trails traverse its dams. After an easy descent, the first structure is the Upper Dam. Built in 1888, the granite and concrete structure was once the city's largest dam, and its 90 feet height was further extended by 10 feet in 1897.

The next smaller lake is the Byewash Reservoir.

Looking back at the Upper Dam ...

The Intermediate Reservoir was completed in 1907 and is one of 22 historic structures in the reservoir zone.

Continuing down, the largest lake is the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir, with a number of masonry bridges along this hike, as well as picnic and barbecue areas.

Tai Tam Road crosses the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir Dam, which was completed in 1917. Some 400 workers were hired for the project under the supervision of Daniel Jaffe, who got a street named after him in Wanchai. Once accommodating traffic going in both directions, difficulties in fitting 2 cars on the narrow stretch of road, especially when a double decker bus rumbles along, prompted authorities to change it into one-way.

Also check out my drone photos of the Tai Tam area.


An easy paved journey up the hills behind Quarry Bay and down towards Tai Tam Reservoir, this family-friendly trail takes a few hours and offers good exercise from the heart of the city. Start on Mount Parker Road next to the Quarry Bay Municipal Services Building and follow the paved road uphill. Beware wild boars that roam the hills, and keep your food concealed so they don't associate feeding with humans. The first major viewpoint overlooks Quarry Bay's emerging skyline and the harbour, with toilets available. There are a number of trails that branch off this main road to other scenic lookout points on Braemar Hill, hence these paths are well-trafficked. The highest point also has toilets and a picnic area. From here, it is a shaded descent down Hong Kong Trail Section 6. Chinese New Year flowers were blooming further north in early February, so I was surprised a month later, they are still out in action here. While there were only a couple of trees here, there were plenty of flowers to photograph. Tai Tam's reservoirs were built from 1883 to 1917, providing freshwater for a growing city and its industries, and enabling the city to expand eastwards from Victoria. Today, there are a number of historic structures around the reservoirs, while hiking trails traverse its dams. After an easy descent, the first structure is the Upper Dam. Built in 1888, the granite and concrete structure was once the city's largest dam, and its 90 feet height was further extended by 10 feet in 1897. The next smaller lake is the Byewash Reservoir. Looking back at the Upper Dam ... The Intermediate Reservoir was completed in 1907 and is one of 22 historic structures in the reservoir zone. Continuing down, the largest lake is the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir, with a number of masonry bridges along this hike, as well as picnic and barbecue areas. Tai Tam Road crosses the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir Dam, which was completed in 1917. Some 400 workers were hired for the project under the supervision of Daniel Jaffe, who got a street named after him in Wanchai. Once accommodating traffic going in both directions, difficulties in fitting 2 cars on the narrow stretch of road, especially when a double decker bus rumbles along, prompted authorities to change it into one-way. Also check out my drone photos of the Tai Tam area.

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