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Silvermine Waterfall

Mui Wo / Lantau Island, New Territories, Hong Kong

About Silvermine Waterfall

Rating: 2
Difficulty: 2.5
Hiking Distance: about 4km round-trip (from ferry)
Suggested Time: about 90 minutes
Date first visited: 2024-11-22
Date last visited: 2024-11-22
Waterfall Latitude: 22.27355
Waterfall Longitude: 113.99156
Directions: Get to the waterfall
Vicinity: Find nearby waterfalls
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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

The Silvermine Waterfall (銀礦瀑布 [Yín Kuàng Pùbù] or [ngan4 kwong3 buk6 bou3 in Cantonese]; also spelled Silver Mine Waterfall) is one of the easier waterfalls to access from Hong Kong’s bustling and intensely developed metropolis.

The waterfall itself actually consists of a pair of split segments tumbling side-by-side on the River Silver, where the larger left side may drop a cumulative height of about 20m or so.

Silvermine_138_11212024 - The Silvermine Waterfall or (Silver Mine Waterfall)
The Silvermine Waterfall or (Silver Mine Waterfall)

While its size is modest and its flow is fickle (said to be best visited after heavy rains have fallen), it provided a refreshing contrast to the sheer energy and quantity of people in Hong Kong’s centre.

In fact, waterfalls in Hong Kong (香港 [Xiānggǎng]) in general are remarkable because they’re something most people don’t even associate with this part of China’s Special Autonomous Region (SAR).

Heck, we weren’t even aware of them when we first visited Hong Kong back in April 2009!

Not only did pursuing the Silvermine Waterfall provide us with a relaxing and low-key Naturesque experience in the bush, but it also allowed us to experience a beach as well as a cave (more like a former mine entrance).

Silvermine_200_11212024 - The Silvermine Beach. Note the building to the left of it is the Silvermine Beach Resort
The Silvermine Beach. Note the building to the left of it is the Silvermine Beach Resort

We even got to witness the famous Hong Kong skyline from the waters of the Victoria Harbour since we managed to make our visit via ferry.

Speaking of the ferry, it’s one of the main reasons why visiting the Silvermine Waterfall was as easy and as straightforward as it was, and the excursion description below is based on this method of visitation.

Silvermine Waterfall Excursion Description – Ferry Logistics

We began our visit by taking the MTR (Mass Transit Rail) to the Central Station (which is on Hong Kong Island), where we then proceeded to walk towards the piers at Victoria Harbour.

I’ll get into the details of that part of the logistics in the directions section of this write-up below.

Hong_Kong_071_11212024 - Looking towards the ferris wheel and one of the main halls of the Central Pier from the elevated walkway connecting MTR Central Station to the Central Public Pier
Looking towards the ferris wheel and one of the main halls of the Central Pier from the elevated walkway connecting MTR Central Station to the Central Public Pier

Anyways, the ferry that we targeted was the one that goes to Mui Wo, which took off from Central Pier No.6.

The walk to get there from the MTR Central Station took us around 15 minutes or so along a network of elevated walkways above the road traffic and construction sites below.

Silvermine Waterfall Excursion Description – The Hike

Once at the Mui Wo Ferry Dock, we then walked past the Mui Wo Cooked Food Market and Mui Wo Ferry Pier Public Toilet onto the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade towards the Silvermine Beach Resort (it took us about 10-15 minutes).

At the Silvermine Beach Resort and Silvermine Beach, we had a choice of taking the Mui Wo Chung Hau Street to the left or going around the resort to the right along Tung Wan Tau Road before veering left (not crossing the Wang Tong River bridge).

Silvermine_054_11212024 - Looking back at the Chung Hau Tsuen Public Toilet near the end of the drivable part of Chung Shing Street. Regardless of whether we went around the Silvermine Resort's left side or right side, we had to encounter this landmark to continue our hike to the Silvermine Waterfall
Looking back at the Chung Hau Tsuen Public Toilet near the end of the drivable part of Chung Shing Street. Regardless of whether we went around the Silvermine Resort’s left side or right side, we had to encounter this landmark to continue our hike to the Silvermine Waterfall

Both ways eventually meet at the Chung Hau Tsuen Public Toilet near the end of the drivable part of Chung Shing Street.

Beyond the toilet and local car park there, we then walked a narrower concrete path that went along Wang Tong River before reaching a signed fork about 200m (or about 5 minutes walk) from the Chung Hau Tsuen Public Toilet.

We kept left at this fork to continue towards the “Silvermine Cave” for another 15 minutes or so.

In this stretch, the concrete path undulated past some banyan trees, open fields, and private residences towards a junction with the Olympic Trail at the end of an incline (there’s some signage commemorating China’s hosting of the 2008 Olympics).

Silvermine_086_11212024 - After a fairly lengthy stretch of walking from the Chung Hau Tsuen Public Toilet, we reached this junction with the Hong Kong Olympic Trail, where we came up on the ascending path to the right and had to continue on the narrow path to the left. The path behind where this photo was taken went to the Man Mo Temple and the Pak Ngan Heung Public Toilet
After a fairly lengthy stretch of walking from the Chung Hau Tsuen Public Toilet, we reached this junction with the Hong Kong Olympic Trail, where we came up on the ascending path to the right and had to continue on the narrow path to the left. The path behind where this photo was taken went to the Man Mo Temple and the Pak Ngan Heung Public Toilet

At this junction, we made a sharp right to follow along a narrower concrete path to continue towards the Silvermine Cave and Silvermine Waterfall.

The path in the other direction went towards the Pak Ngan Heung Public Toilet and a Man Mo Temple.

After continuing briefly along the path towards the waterfall, we reached another signed fork with the Silvermine Waterfall already visible to the right while a sign pointed uphill to the left towards the Silvermine Cave.

Keeping to the right, we approached a viewing area just past a building (under construction during our visit) with picnic tables, a shelter, and a partial view of the Silvermine Waterfall before us.

Silvermine_009_iPhone_11222024 - Pano mode shot looking up at the full extent of the Silvermine Waterfall as seen from just beneath the viewing area
Pano mode shot looking up at the full extent of the Silvermine Waterfall as seen from just beneath the viewing area

There were concrete steps leading below the shelter towards a fairly rough and slippery stream crossing to get onto a rocky area in between the split tiers of the Silvermine Waterfall for a less obstructed look at both waterfalls.

But aside from that, this was the turnaround spot as far as visiting the waterfall was concerned.

I did explore up the other fork, which went briefly up towards the Silvermine Cave, which featured a pavilion, a sealed off mine entrance (not really a cave), and a view back towards Silver Mine Bay.

I could have extended this hike further uphill towards the Pearl Waterfall, but that excursion will have to wait for another time.

Silvermine_014_iPhone_11222024 - The Silvermine Cave and shelter fronting it
The Silvermine Cave and shelter fronting it

The hiking part of this excursion from Mui Wo Ferry Dock and back covered a distance of about 2km each way (4km round-trip; not including the 150m detour to Silvermine Cave and/or 100m detour to Silvermine Beach) and it took us under 2 hours in total.

This included roughly 30 minutes of chilling at the Silvermine Waterfall.

Authorities

The Silvermine Waterfall resides near the town of Mui Wo on Lantau Island in the Islands District of the New Territories Region of Hong Kong. It is adminstered by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Government. For the latest conditions or other inquiries, you may want to try the Hong Kong Tourism Board website.

Hong_Kong_026_11212024 - While on the elevated walkway between the MTR Central Station to the Central Public Pier Number 6, we noticed there were some photo ops of the high rises and busy traffic down below making the walk rather interesting
Hong_Kong_033_11212024 - Looking towards some kind of civic area accessible from the elevated walkway between the MTR Central Station and the Central Public Pier
Hong_Kong_038_11212024 - Looking towards a huge Apple Store adjacent to the MTR Central Station as seen from the elevated walkway between the MTR Central Station to the Central Public Pier Number 6
Hong_Kong_040_11212024 - The elevated walkway between the MTR Central Station to the Central Public Pier Number 6
Hong_Kong_055_11212024 - Looking towards a ferris wheel and part of the Central Public Market from the elevated walkway between the MTR Central Station to the Central Public Pier Number 6
Hong_Kong_004_iPhone_11222024 - Looking towards the Victoria Harbour from the fast ferry between Central Public Pier Number 6 and the Mui Wo Ferry Dock
Silvermine_011_11212024 - Looking out our fast ferry towards a trio of tall mountains backing Silvermine Bay as we were approaching the Mui Wo Ferry Dock
Silvermine_001_iPhone_11222024 - After getting off the Mui Wo Ferry Dock, we had to figure out which way to walk to get to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_018_11212024 - Julie and Tahia approaching the Mui Wo Cooked Food Market as we were walking from the Mui Wo Ferry Dock towards the Silvermine Beach and eventually the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_020_11212024 - Julie and Tahia following along a walkway alongside a bike path on the way towards the Silvermine Beach and eventually the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_022_11212024 - Julie and Tahia walking along the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade towards the Silvermine Beach and eventually the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_025_11212024 - The Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade was a lovely stretch of the walk that's actually overhanging above Silvermine Bay while also presenting glimpses of an impressive series of mountains backing the eastern side of Lantau Island
Silvermine_028_11212024 - Approaching the first of the footbridges crossing the River Silver on the way to the Silvermine Beach and eventually the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_030_11212024 - Looking back at the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade that we had walked from the Mui Wo Ferry Dock en route to the Silvermine Beach and eventually the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_217_11212024 - Looking up the River Silver from the footbridge crossing it near the Silvermine Resort and Silvermine Beach
Silvermine_213_11212024 - Looking back at the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade where I could now tell that this walkway was actually hanging over the edge of the Silvermine Bay
Silvermine_038_11212024 - Looking towards the start of the stretch of the Silvermine Beach as we approached it
Silvermine_047_11212024 - Looking back across the Silvermine Beach towards the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade from right in front of the Silvermine Resort
Silvermine_051_11212024 - Looking down at some kind of long-legged wetland bird as we walked from the Silvermine Resort towards the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_055_11212024 - Julie and Tahia going past the local car park near the Chung Hau Tsuen Public Toilet and continuing towards the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_057_11212024 - Eventually, we got past most of the stands and shops, and we found ourselves walking besides the Wong Tong River on the way to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_058_11212024 - Julie and Tahia continuing along the Wong Tong River on the way to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_004_iPhone_11222024 - Shortly after the stretch along the Wong Tong River, we then encountered this signed fork in the trail, where we kept left towards the banyan trees instead of going right towards a bridge crossing the Wong Tong River
Silvermine_059_11212024 - Julie and Tahia going past a banyan tree and some kind of infrastructure next to it en route to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_061_11212024 - Looking back at the banyan tree along the fork that we took to get to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_065_11212024 - Julie and Tahia continuing along the concrete footpath where we passed by some private residences and some open fields on the way to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_066_11212024 - Looking across an open field towards some residences while on the concrete path leading to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_071_11212024 - After getting past the open fields and residences, we then had to go up this hill at the foot of Butterfly Hill, which went up then briefly down past some more residences en route to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_077_11212024 - Julie and Tahia continuing along the undulating concrete path at the foot of Butterfly Hill en route to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_078_11212024 - Julie and Tahia going by another open field beyond the northern base of Butterfly Hill en route to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_079_11212024 - Julie and Tahia continuing along an open field flanked by the base of Butterfly Hill en route to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_082_11212024 - Looking upstream from the River Silver on the way up towards the Hong Kong Olympic Trail en route to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_083_11212024 - Julie and Tahia ascending towards the Hong Kong Olympic Trail en route to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_084_11212024 - Signage indicating that we have now joined up with the Hong Kong Olympic Trail on the way up to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_089_11212024 - Following the narrow path in a more jungle-like setting on the way to the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_091_11212024 - Julie and Tahia approaching a signed fork where the path splits between going up to the left towards the Silvermine Cave and down to the right towards the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_104_11212024 - This was the partial view of the Silvermine Waterfall that you get from the viewing area
Silvermine_107_11212024 - Looking back across some picnic tables towards a pavilion shelter at the viewing area for the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_111_11212024 - Looking up at just the larger segment of the Silvermine Waterfall from its viewing area
Silvermine_113_11212024 - After scrambling across the larger segment of the River Silver to get a more unobstructed view of the Silvermine Waterfall, I managed to look back at its official viewing area
Silvermine_012_iPhone_11222024 - Pano mode look directly up at the pair of segments making up the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_116_11212024 - Angled look at just the larger segment of the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_122_11212024 - Looking higher up the larger segment of the Silvermine Waterfall showing that there's even more tiers to this waterfall
Silvermine_129_11212024 - Looking in the other direction towards the smaller segment of the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_130_11212024 - Portrait look at the smaller segment of the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_137_11212024 - Direct look up at the larger segment of the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_145_11212024 - Portrait look up at the larger segment of the Silvermine Waterfall and a small plunge pool
Silvermine_151_11212024 - Looking towards some kind of building that I'd imagine might be a public toilet or something next to the viewing area for the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_156_11212024 - After having my fill of the Silvermine Waterfall, I decided to go up the other path and see what the Silvermine Cave was all about
Silvermine_157_11212024 - Continuing to go up the path leading right up to the Silvermine Cave and beyond from the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_158_11212024 - Approaching a pavilion fronting the Silvermine Cave
Silvermine_161_11212024 - Looking back at the context of the Silvermine Cave fronted by rest benches and its pavilion
Silvermine_166_11212024 - Looking right into the opening of the Silvermine Cave towards its sealed entrance
Silvermine_167_11212024 - Looking back at the context of the road going in front of the pavilion fronting the Silvermine Cave
Silvermine_168_11212024 - From the Silvermine Cave, I was able to get this view towards the Silvermine Bay
Silvermine_170_11212024 - After having my fill of the Silvermine Cave, it was time to head back in the direction of the Mui Wo Ferry Dock. This was the view when approaching the junction with the Silvermine Cave Waterfall detour
Silvermine_175_11212024 - Going back across some interesting banyan trees near an apex of an undulation at the foot of Butterfly Hill on the return to the Mui Wo Ferry Dock from the Hong Kong Olympic Trail
Silvermine_184_11212024 - Catching up to Julie and Tahia near the banyan tree and some curious infrastructure around it going up the Butterfly Hill
Silvermine_186_11212024 - Getting closer to catching up with Julie and Tahia on the return hike from both the Silvermine Cave and the Silvermine Waterfall
Silvermine_189_11212024 - Apparently when we returned to the Chung Hau Tsuen Public Toilet, the path we had taken along the Wong Tong River was actually closed so we had to continue along the Chung Shing Street back towards the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade
Silvermine_191_11212024 - Julie and Tahia going by another banyan tree on the way back to the Silvermine Resort and the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade
Silvermine_193_11212024 - Looking out across Silvermine Beach towards the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade and the Silvermine Bay
Silvermine_211_11212024 - Julie and Tahia checking out the Silver Mine Bay Viewing Deck before continuing on the way back to the Mui Wo Ferry Dock
Silvermine_207_11212024 - Looking out towards the Silvermine Beach from the Silver Mine Bay Viewing Deck
Silvermine_219_11212024 - Returning to the Mui Wo Waterfront Promenade
Silvermine_221_11212024 - Approaching the Mui Wo Cooked Food Market and the construction area right in front of the Mui Wo Ferry Dock
Silvermine_252_11212024 - Interestingly, the weather had improved when we returned to Victoria Harbour at the end of our Silvermine Waterfall excursion
Hong_Kong_063_11212024 - Looking back at the fast ferry boat that we had taken to come back from Mui Wo as we were back on Hong Kong Island


We managed to get to Mui Wo and ultimately the Silvermine Waterfall through a combination of mass transit and ferry services from Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station.

It’s worth mentioning that while we found this was the most convenient option for reaching the Silvermine Waterfall from central Hong Kong, it is possible to take a bus from Tung Chung Station to Mui Wo Ferry Dock.

Hong_Kong_009_11212024 - Looking towards one of the entrances of the Tsim Sha Tsui Station, which was right next to this mosque in the Tsim Sha Tsui District of Kowloon City in the centre of Hong Kong
Looking towards one of the entrances of the Tsim Sha Tsui Station, which was right next to this mosque in the Tsim Sha Tsui District of Kowloon City in the centre of Hong Kong

However, Tung Chung Station is closer to the Hong Kong International Airport (both also on Lantau Island with Mui Wo), and it does involve going a rather roundabout route from the city centre via the Tung Chung (orange) MTR line.

Thus, for the remainder of this section, I’ll focus on how we managed to access the start of the hike to the Silvermine Waterfall via the ferry and mass transit option.

Note that regarding mass transit, we opted to save time by getting an Octopus card and putting in the minimum deposit (which was $200 HKD for us though not all of that balance was available).

Also note that this does not save money because there are convenience and handling fees when you seek a refund for the unused balance on the card, but it saves you a lot of time fumbling through cash trying to pay as you go.

Hong_Kong_036_11212024 - Walking the elevated walkways between MTR Central Station to the Central Public Pier
Walking the elevated walkways between MTR Central Station to the Central Public Pier

So from Tsim Sha Tsui MTR Station, we took the Tsuen Wan (red) line south towards Central Station.

Then, we got out of the Central MTR Station and walked roughly 10-15 minutes towards the Central Pier No.6 (or Mui Wo Ferry Pier).

Note that this walk is on a network of elevated walkways to avoid having to cross heavily-used streets as well as construction zones below, but it also provides photo ops as well as detours towards shopping areas.

So this walk can easily take longer than 15 minutes if you happen to make any of these detours.

Hong_Kong_007_iPhone_11222024 - Approaching the Central Pier Number 6 bound for Mui Wo (Lantau Island), which is the one we want to take to start our hike for the Silvermine Waterfall
Approaching the Central Pier Number 6 bound for Mui Wo (Lantau Island), which is the one we want to take to start our hike for the Silvermine Waterfall

Anyways, once on the Central Pier No.6 (the Octopus Card also works to get past the turnstiles here), we then waited for our ferry to show up.

On most days, the ferries take off every 20-40 minutes (see schedule here) with most of them being fast ferries taking around a half-hour.

The fast ferries cost twice as much as ordinary ferries ($34.1 HKD/adult vs. $17.2 HKD/adult as of November 2024), but they take half as long.

Once the ferry lands and we exit the dock, we then kept right going past the bus stops to approach the hike as described above on this page (past the Mui Wo Cooked Food Market and the Mui Wo Ferry Pier Public Toilet).

Silvermine_015_11212024 - Looking back at the Mui Wo Ferry Station shortly after disembarking from the fast ferry boat onto Mui Wo and the start of the Silvermine Waterfall hike
Looking back at the Mui Wo Ferry Station shortly after disembarking from the fast ferry boat onto Mui Wo and the start of the Silvermine Waterfall hike

For geographical context, Mui Wo was about 16km (25 minutes drive) southeast of Tung Chung, about 45km (about an hour drive) west of Kowloon, about 49km (about an hour drive) west of Hong Kong City, and about 55km (over an hour drive) southwest of Shenzhen, China.

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Right to left sweep from before the stream crossing from just beneath the viewing area


Long video doing 360 degree sweep from between the waterfalls before sweeping up the thicker left segment of the falls


Right to left sweep from the viewing area with picnic tables

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Tagged with: mui wo, mui wo ferry, lantau island, silver mine, silvermine, silver mine cave, silvermine cave, pier 6, mui wo scenic resort, silvermine beach, silver mine beach, hong kong, china, hong kong waterfalls



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Johnny Cheng

About Johnny Cheng

Johnny Cheng is the founder of the World of Waterfalls and author of the award-winning A Guide to New Zealand Waterfalls. Over the last 2 decades, he has visited thousands of waterfalls in over 40 countries around the world and nearly 40 states in the USA.
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