If you like to see monkeys in Hong Kong, you may visit the Hong Kong Zoo. Or you go to the Kam Shan Country Park (Golden Hill Country Park). In this area, you will find many free-living monkeys. And it’s fun. Believe me! That’s what I did in 2021, together with my son.
We were on the way to Kam Shan Country Park. We had one goal: looking for monkeys, which, unfortunately, were quite shy that day. It was boiling, and in between, there were thunderstorms again and again. Nevertheless, we found them! And we created the linked short video together.
How to get there?
By bus: Catch the number 81 KMB bus from Nathan Road near the Prince Edward MTR station and disembark at the Shek Lei Pui Reservoir stop. You can catch the same bus ride in the opposite direction from the bus stop marked as a blue cross on the map.
By taxi: You can reach the country park also by car. We took a taxi from MTR Lai Chi Kok. Tell the taxi driver to drive to Shek Lei Pui Reservoir. Somehow, in my case, four taxi drivers had never heard of the place Kowloon Reservoir. Golden Hill or Shek Lei Pui Reservoir may help.
Where do I find the monkeys?
I was there twice. Usually, you will find the monkeys along Golden Hill Road. On the map posted in this blog post, you can see that area marked with yellow colour. Where I dropped the pin, there we found the monkeys on both visits. Once you find them, relax. But keep this in mind:
- You’re not supposed to feed the animals! Never.
- If you have some food, be aware that the monkeys will approach you. They are pretty naughty.
- If you open your bag, watch behind you. I changed my shirt, resulting in one monkey running away with one of my shirts. In this case, stay calm. Usually, they will lose interest once they find out they can’t eat it.
- Avoid direct eye contact and sudden movements towards the monkeys. Never scream to them.
Where can I hike?
The hike brought us around the Kowloon Reception Reservoir, the Byewash Reservoir and the Shek Lei Pui Reservoir. I draw the route into the map posted above in red colour. The hike was around 7.1 km long and was pretty easy. I classify the trek with a 2/10 — perfect for young families.
