Section 10 Sham Tseng to So Kwun Wat
Facing Ghost Anger
Difficulty **** | Time 4.5 hrs | Distance 12.1 km | Transport to start Bus to Sham Tseng | Hammocks On stream | Food So Kwun Wat | Water feature Stream, major waterfall
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Section 10 information
The first part of Section 10 of the Argyle Ross Trail takes you up through Ghost Anger Stream before a daring ascent of the stream’s eponymous waterfall. Following this, the trail will lead you up To Hang Tung peak, down to Tai Lam Chung Reservoir and across its dam before finishing in So Kwun Wat. Section 10 is the second longest section in terms of both distance and duration and involves the trail’s longest hike, unbroken by sea or stream.
You begin the section with a straightforward hike out of the town until you take a sharp right to cross a small dam over the Sham Tseng Settlement Basin. Just over the bridge, look out for an entry point to Ghost Anger stream on your left. The gentle first part of the stream certainly does not live up to its name. When you reach a channelised tributary, turn left at this confluence and the stream will become much narrower with the only notable features being a small waterfall and a plunge pool half an hour upstream.
You might be somewhat daunted when you arrive at the bottom of the towering Ghost Anger Waterfall. It was named by local villagers after the sound the water makes in the rainy season and this legend certainly adds to its aura. The climb starts out relatively easily with lots of footholds and not too steep a slope. However, the final ascent is technical and knotted ropes have been attached to the rock to help you pull yourself up the cliff. You will certainly feel pride when you reach the summit and look back over the vast, green V-shaped valley and can barely make out where you started the climb.
From the top of the waterfall, follow the gentle forested track until it merges with Yuk Sing Road. Follow this road until just before the Tai Lam Ecological Garden where you take a sharp right, walk past a pagoda and climb over a metal railing onto another forested track. Follow the trail with one eye on the GPS all the way up to the trig point of To Hang Tung Peak, a reasonably steep climb with some overgrown sections. The views at the top of the peak are splendid but don’t encompass the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir. Fortunately, however, just after you pass by an aviation obstacle light on the way down, you will descend some steep steps with stunning views of the Thousand Islands Lakes; islands which were once hills before the Tai Lam Chung Valley was flooded.
Once you reach the bottom of the steps, follow the tarmac until you cross the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir Main Dam, easily the most impressive dam on the entire Argyle Ross Trail. From here it’s a gentle stroll around the southeastern edge of the reservoir. The vegetation here is drier than the rest of the section and has a Mediterranean feel with colourful trees and plants covering the path depending on the season. When you see a sign pointing towards the Gold Coast turn left and in less than half an hour you will have arrived in So Kwun Wat Tsuen, the end of Section 10, with plenty of bus options to the Island, Kowloon and Tsun Mun. So Good Thai restaurant provides the best food and drink option with indoor seating or an outdoor terrace.
You begin the section with a straightforward hike out of the town until you take a sharp right to cross a small dam over the Sham Tseng Settlement Basin. Just over the bridge, look out for an entry point to Ghost Anger stream on your left. The gentle first part of the stream certainly does not live up to its name. When you reach a channelised tributary, turn left at this confluence and the stream will become much narrower with the only notable features being a small waterfall and a plunge pool half an hour upstream.
You might be somewhat daunted when you arrive at the bottom of the towering Ghost Anger Waterfall. It was named by local villagers after the sound the water makes in the rainy season and this legend certainly adds to its aura. The climb starts out relatively easily with lots of footholds and not too steep a slope. However, the final ascent is technical and knotted ropes have been attached to the rock to help you pull yourself up the cliff. You will certainly feel pride when you reach the summit and look back over the vast, green V-shaped valley and can barely make out where you started the climb.
From the top of the waterfall, follow the gentle forested track until it merges with Yuk Sing Road. Follow this road until just before the Tai Lam Ecological Garden where you take a sharp right, walk past a pagoda and climb over a metal railing onto another forested track. Follow the trail with one eye on the GPS all the way up to the trig point of To Hang Tung Peak, a reasonably steep climb with some overgrown sections. The views at the top of the peak are splendid but don’t encompass the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir. Fortunately, however, just after you pass by an aviation obstacle light on the way down, you will descend some steep steps with stunning views of the Thousand Islands Lakes; islands which were once hills before the Tai Lam Chung Valley was flooded.
Once you reach the bottom of the steps, follow the tarmac until you cross the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir Main Dam, easily the most impressive dam on the entire Argyle Ross Trail. From here it’s a gentle stroll around the southeastern edge of the reservoir. The vegetation here is drier than the rest of the section and has a Mediterranean feel with colourful trees and plants covering the path depending on the season. When you see a sign pointing towards the Gold Coast turn left and in less than half an hour you will have arrived in So Kwun Wat Tsuen, the end of Section 10, with plenty of bus options to the Island, Kowloon and Tsun Mun. So Good Thai restaurant provides the best food and drink option with indoor seating or an outdoor terrace.
