The Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve lies at the eastern corner of the New Territories, nestled between Shatin and Tai Po. It was declared a Special Area in 1977. The area is heavily wooded, with more than 100 different species of trees. There are also many interesting native species, such as the Fragrant Litsea (Litsea cubeba), Giant Bean (Entada phaseoloides) and Sweet Gum (Liquidambar formosana). Tai Po Kau Stream is a typical mountain stream in Hong Kong with excellent water quality. This environmental setting favours the persistence of a diverse fish community. With the presence of a wide range of other habitats, such as shrublands, marshes, lowlands, etc., the area supports a diverse amphibian fauna. More than half of the Hong Kong amphibians have been recorded here, for example the Asian Common Toad (Duttaphrynus melanostictus), Asiatic Painted Frog (Kaloula pulchra), Ornate Pigmy Frog (Microhyla fissipes), Marbled Pigmy Frog (Microhyla pulchra) and Hong Kong Cascade Frog (Amolops hongkongensis).
There are five way-marked walks you can take in the nature reserve. Four are 'colour-coded walks' and the fifth is a Nature Trail. At a short distance from the entrance of the reserve, you can find an information board that describes the coded walks, including the varying lengths of each. The shortest is 3 kilometres; the longest takes you 10 kilometres. The fifth and shortest of the walks, is the Nature Trail, about one kilometre in length. There are on-site interpretation signs to introduce the points of interest and the growing habits and characteristics of various plants in the subtropical forest. At the end of the one-hour walk, signs will point you onto a path that will lead you directly back to the vehicular road.
Transportation
72 | Cheung Sha Wan – Tai Po (Tai Wo) |
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72A | Tai Wai Station – Tai Po Industrial Estate |
73A | Yu Chui Court – Fanling (Wah Ming) |
74A | Kai Yip – Tai Po (Tai Wo) |
Disembark at Tsung Tsai Yuen Bus Stop and walk towards Tai Po a very short distance to reach the entrance of Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve. Enter the Nature Reserve and walk along the road for 5 minutes to reach the entrance of the nature trail.
28K | Shatin (Pak Hok Ting Street) – Tai Po Market Station (Circular Route) |
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Disembark at Tsung Tsai Yuen Bus Stop and walk towards Tai Po a very short distance to reach the entrance of Tai Po Kau Nature Reserve. Enter the Nature Reserve and walk along the road for 5 minutes to reach the entrance of the nature trail.