Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk

The Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk is a scenic, peaceful, family-friendly walk around the Ho Pui Reservoir in Tsuen Wan District. The walk is perfect for a lazy day, or when you want to explore a new part of Hong Kong but without a hike.

Ho Pui Reservoir

How to get to Ho Pui Reservoir

Getting to Ho Pui Reservoir is perhaps the toughest part of the excursion. You need to first get to the Ho Pui village bus stop and then walk for 25 minutes to get to the reservoir. Unfortunately, there is only one minibus to the village.

The green minibus number 71 plies between Yuen Long (Yuen Long Tai Hang St) and Ho Pui village. You can catch the minibus from Yuen Long Tai Hang Street, Kam Sheung Road MTR Station, or Tai Lam Tunnel Interchange which are some key interchange points. Once on the bus, alight at the last stop, which is Ho Pui Tsuen.

Alternatively, you can take a taxi from Kam Sheung Road MTR Station, or Tai Lam Tunnel Interchange to Ho Pui village.

Or you could even walk to the Ho Pui village bus stop from Tai Lam Tunnel Interchange. It’s a 20-min walk along the Ho Pui Tsuen Road.

The island in the middle of the reservoir

Ho Pui Village bus stop to Ho Pui Reservoir

Whether you take the green minibus, taxi, or walk it to the Ho Pui Village bus stop, you will need to walk 1.5 km to reach the start of the Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk. Along the walk, there are a couple of points of interest that we’ll point out.

Map from the bus stop to the reservoir

From the bus stop, continue along Ho Pui Tsuen Road. The road runs in-between the village houses, and past Happy Gathering (a small eatery/restaurant), before starting its incline next to the last row of houses.

: Enter the Ho Pui village from the bus stop

: Walk past the last house and turn left

Once you start the incline, turn left to stay on Ho Pui Tsuen Road. The views from the road of Ho Pui village, Kai Kung Leng, and everything in between is spectacular! Most notable in the view is the MTR Pat Heung Maintenance Centre.

: Beautiful views from the start of the incline

: Walk up the Ho Pui Tsuen Road incline

At the halfway point, you’ll arrive at the Ho Pui Campsite. Here, you can take a quick 30-metre detour up ahead to check out a mini waterfall.

The mini waterfall next to the Ho Pui Campsite

After that, return to Ho Pui Campsite and continue walking uphill towards Ho Pui Reservoir (follow the sign).

: Turn right to the Ho Pui Campsite

: The walk up from the campsite

Shortly after the campsite, you’ll arrive at The HKFYG Organic Farm. Although the farm was closed when we visited, we could still buy organic vegetables at the entrance.

: HKFYG Organic Farm

: The HKFYG Organic Farm stall

And finally, right behind the organic farm is Ho Pui Reservoir.

Once you arrive at the reservoir, you’ll notice two entrances – one to your left, and one up ahead. Honestly, it doesn’t matter which side you enter from because the Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk is essentially a loop around the reservoir.

: You can access the family walk from here

: You can access the family walk from here too

See also

Penis Rock Hike (Nui Po Shan), Shatin

The loop is a 2.1 kilometre uneven but flat dirt trail. But it’s worth noting that the entire walk (bus stop to the reservoir, the reservoir loop, and then walk back to the bus stop) is a little over 5 km.

: The start of the Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk

: Enjoying our stroll on the Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk

We found the Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk to be quite relaxing, and found a couple of scenic spots along the way. I’ve listed down my favourite spots along the walk below.

But first, here’s a quick video from Ho Pui Reservoir.

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The Ho Pui Reservoir Dam

Unique shaped dam

Depending on which side you enter the loop from, this is either the first attraction or the last.

The dam on the Ho Pui Reservoir

Unlike most dams, the Ho Pui Reservoir Dam has a peculiar wavy shape which gives it a unique look. When you stand on the dam wall, you can see the entire reservoir, with the tiny island in the middle, and its surrounding lush hills.

Aerial view of the Ho Pui Reservoir dam

The stillness of the water acts as a mirror and reflects the surrounding hills. It reminded me of Lake Matheson (Mirror Lake) in New Zealand, which also has a very similar loop around a water body.

: Water and hills – Ho Pui Reservoir

: A beautiful day for a walk around Ho Pui Reservoir

You can even walk down to the base of the dam and see the water spillover from the reservoir like a waterfall. And if you face your back to the reservoir, you can see Shenzhen in the distance.

View of Shenzhen from the dam

I honestly loved this unique dam and the views from it!

The Bamboo Grove

Like mini-Arashiyama

Somewhere in the middle of the Family Walk is a small bamboo grove. This path with bamboos on either side reminded me of the bamboo forest in Arashiyama, Japan but on a much smaller scale.

: Now entering the bamboo forest of Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk

: Bamboo grove along the walk

While we were among the bamboos, the sun was shining right through them giving the path a beautiful glow!

Channelling Arashiyama at Ho Pui Reservoir’s bamboo forest

The bamboos are also lined next to the steps in this area, which gives it a very regal look!

The bamboos give the stairs a beautiful look

This mini bamboo forest along the Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk was a very pleasant surprise!

: Inside the bamboo grove

Peaceful spots along the shore

Find your Zen

Along the loop, there are plenty of spots for one to step onto the shore. The stillness of the water, and the mirror-like reflections, really makes the experience even more peaceful.

: The view of the Ho Pui Reservoir from one of the benches

: View of the reservoir from its shores

However, there is one spot, a nook at the back of the loop, that I found particularly peaceful. The nook is located at the end of a closed-bend in the reservoir, which means that the views of the reservoir are limited. And to add to that, it’s shaded by trees with low branches. The spot has a very cosy and picturesque vibe.

The reflective stillness of the reservoir in this corner

Bridges, rocks & waterfall

Small gems along the way

Apart from the attractions listed above, there are a couple of mini-bridges along the loop too.

: A bridge over a stream

We even found a rock that resembles a tent, or a sloped roof.

We named this the “tent rock”

And don’t forget the waterfall next to the Ho Pui Campsite!

Finish the walk

Once you’re done with Ho Pui Reservoir, return to the village bus stop to complete the walk. However, be prepared to wait for at least 15–30 minutes for a bus, especially if it’s the weekend.

Be prepared to wait for the bus

We decided it was more convenient for us to walk for 20 minutes to Tai Lam Tunnel Interchange and catch a bus from there.

Also, many choose to combine this walk with a visit to the neighbouring Tsing Tam Reservoir. To get to the Tsing Tam Reservoir, continue walking straight from the Ho Pui Campsite, towards the bridge with the mini-waterfall, for another 30–35 minutes.

A peaceful reservoir walk in Hong Kong

We hope you enjoyed our guide to the Ho Pui Reservoir Family Walk. If you do enjoy a stroll around a reservoir, we highly recommend a visit to Lau Shui Heung Reservoir and Hok Tau Reservoir in Pat Sin Leng Country Park. Both are also small, beautiful reservoirs. In fact, you can catch the leaves changing colour at the Lau Shui Heung Reservoir in the winter months.

But if you prefer longer trails around bigger reservoirs, we recommend the walks around Tai Tam Reservoir or Shing Mun Reservoir.