The Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir circular walk is a leisurely trail around the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir that is perfect for a lazy day. It covers a portion of the Tai Tam Waterworks Heritage Trail that has some of the more visually appealing sights, in my opinion.
The trail is flat, shaded, and very family-friendly. And if you’re feeling a bit adventurous, you can stop by the Tai Tam Mound Fall, or dip your feet to cool off in the stream above the waterfall.
Views of the reservoir from the walk
So, here’s all the information that you need on this trail around Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir.
About Tai Tam Reservoir
Tai Tam Reservoir is a group of four reservoirs. They are located in the eastern part of Hong Kong Island and consist of:
- Tai Tam Upper Reservoir (大潭上水塘)
- Tai Tam Byewash Reservoir (大潭副水塘)
- Tai Tam Intermediate Reservoir (大潭中水塘)
- Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir (大潭篤水塘)
The construction of the Tai Tam Reservoir was completed in 1888. However, the supply of water from the initial reservoir was not enough for the city. And so 1912, the construction of the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir began.
A bird’s eye view of Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir and Dam
The reservoir and dam finished construction in 1917 with a capacity of 1.42 billion gallons of water. The dam is 60 feet tall and 800 feet wide with 12 arches that support the Tai Tam Road between Stanley and Chai Wan – one of the most picturesque stretches of road in Hong Kong!
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- The Tai Tam Tuk Dam and the picturesque road above it
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- The dam that supports Tai Tam Road between Stanley and Chai Wan
Our circular walk starts at one end of the dam, goes around Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir through the Tai Tam Country Park, and finishes at the other end of the dam.
Starting Point
Given that this is a circular walk, you can choose to start at the north end of the dam, or the south end of the dam.
Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir Circular Walk Map – from one end of the dam to the other
If you start from the north, you will walk through the dirt trail first, past the waterfall and the stream. After which, you’ll get to admire the reservoir and the masonry bridges. The walk will end at the South Entrance where there are toilets, vending machines for drinks, and a taxi stand.
However, if you start at the South Entrance, you will end at the waterfall and stream to cool off. So, for the sake of this post, we’ll start from the South Entrance and walk our way to the north end.
To get to the south or north end, take bus 14 (Sai Wan Ho to Stanley) or 314 (Siu Sai Wan to Stanley) and alight at the Tai Tam Country Park bus stop. You can also take any of the green minibuses 16 A/M/X that run between Chai Wan and Stanley.
Tai Tam Country Park South Entrance
Enter the Tai Tam Country Park at the South Entrance, which is also the south end of the Tai Tam Tuk Dam.
View of the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir from the South Entrance
The initial part of the walk is very peaceful as it runs along the reservoir. It’s completely shaded, paved, and flat. In fact, most of the walk is pretty much like this.
The Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir circular walk is mostly shaded all the way
After about 400 metres you’ll arrive at the first of the four masonry bridges along the Tai Tam Reservoir Road.
The first masonry bridge on the walk
Masonry Bridges at Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir
For the next 1 km, you will be greeted by four masonry bridges on this path. The masonry bridges, situated along the west shore of Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir, were built in 1907 to connect Tai Tam Upper Reservoir and Tai Tam Intermediate Reservoir to Tai Tam Bay. Today, the bridges ensure accessibility to the entire reservoir system.
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- Aerial view of the first masonry bridge with the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir Dam in the background
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- One of the masonry bridges with high arches
The four bridges are made of granite arch structures and cross stream-beds below that feed into the reservoir. Among the bridges, two are particularly high and have granite imposts inserted between columns and arches. And the first one is lined with decorative cornices.
The masonry bridge and its reflection
It’s worth stopping by the first and the last masonry bridges on this path for some Instagram-worthy shots.
As you pass the last masonry bridge, the road gains a bit of incline. And after about 500 metres, you’ll reach a fork in the road. If you continue walking on either of the two paths on the fork, you will reach Tai Tam Upper Reservoir after 2 km. But just before the fork, there is a dirt path that leads you to Tai Tam Road. Take this path to complete the circular loop.
Go off the road onto the trail towards the right
The dirt trail back to Tai Tam Road
The next 1.5 km back to the north end of the Tai Tam Road is an undulating dirt trail on Section 6 of the Hong Kong Trail. However, the highlight along this trail is the Tai Tam Mound Fall and Stream, which is difficult to miss at around the midway point.
The start of the trail to Tai Tam Road
To get to the waterfall you need to arrive at a small wooden bridge immediately after some steps. There is a hidden entrance just after the bridge that takes you down to the waterfall. You can learn more about the Tai Tam Mound Waterfall in this post.
The Tai Tam Mound Fall
If you want to skip the waterfall, there’s another small footbridge ahead that you can walk around the side of and sit along the stream above the waterfall. Be careful not to dirty the water or throw things down as there may be people directly below you. Both these locations are perfect to cool off.
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- Sitting next to the stream above Tai Tam Mound Fall
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- It’s difficult to miss this stream
North end of Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir
After the waterfall or stream, continue along the dirt trail till you reach Tai Tam Road.
The final stretch of the dirt trail
The road here is very narrow, with no sidewalk. So wait for the traffic to move in your direction so that you can walk along the side of the road. The bus stop is at the north end of the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir.
A relaxing walk around Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir
On top of one of the masonry bridges
Now that you know what to expect, you can decide whether to start this loop from the north or south end. For a slightly longer walk, you can consider the Tai Tam Reservoir Heritage Trail that comprises 22 waterworks structures with historical value. That trail is about 5 km long. But you can also just stick to our circular walk that covers the most scenic part around Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir.
However, if you’re looking for more challenging hikes around Tai Tam Reservoir, consider the Twin Peaks Hike or the one from Braemar Hill to Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir. On the other hand, if you like peaceful walks around reservoirs, check out the Shing Mun Reservoir Walk.
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