The ZZengwen Reservoir Lookout Deck offers a long-distance view of the reservoir, where the Pink Mussaenda blossoms bloom in June and July. In addition, nearby attractions such as the Floodway and the Hexagonal Pavilion are well worth taking photos of, with the dam’s spillway being straight and spectacular, and the Hexagonal Pavilion having a large grassy area and a mountain view of the reservoir.

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Zengwen Reservoir Lookout

After passing through the Zengwen Reservoir Entrance Toll Station in the morning, I went straight to the observation deck. I planned to come here first and then go to other places to have a look around ~ because as long as there is a flower season, it will be hard to find a parking space! You can park your car near the observation deck, but when I arrived, there were few left, and by the time I left, the cars had filled up far away.

Pink calyx flowers are planted between the two staircases. As soon as I got off the bus, I saw a bunch of tourists taking photos of the staircases.

pink calyx flower (Pleurotus erythrorhynchus)

Instead of the popular pink calyx flower, I preferred the small-leafed olive tree across the street, with its light green leaves and structured trunk, which looked especially good under a blue sky.

Before walking up to the observation deck, you can take a walk in the small park across the street, which is also where you can take a boat tour of the reservoir.

When you reach the staircase of the Observation Deck, there is a traffic jam, men and women, young and old, are taking photos here. You can either take the elevator up to the Observation Deck or walk across the bridge, but of course, most people take photos while walking up the staircase during this season.

After walking up to the second floor, you can move forward to the observation deck.

The view from the observation deck, there is a restaurant and a small square in the back left, the day of the Chinese food is run to eat in Tai Po, this restaurant is a little too many people on holiday, so I did not consider it at all ~ but the scenery is really good, and I’d like to see you there.

View from the terrace overlooking the Zengwen Reservoir, the machinery on the water should be clearing the silt apparatus, roadside of the small-leafed olive trees can also be seen clearly, here if there is a sunshade equipment would be better, direct exposure in summer is really quite hot.

From the staircase, I watched the interaction between the visitors and the pink calyx flowers. I found that many people were wearing straw hats, and it was very interesting to see the straw hats moving from the top to the bottom of the staircase, but when I left, the crowd was getting bigger and bigger.

Reservoir dam spillway

At the top of the dam, you can see the straight drainage channel, and when the water level of the reservoir is too high, you can see the flooding scene – a powerful rush down to the valley below, and there are three drainage channels in total.

Behind the spillway is the dam top embankment, which offers a much wider view. On the inner wall of the embankment you can see the scale of the water level, and on the wall you will find a clear demarcation line, the darker part is where the water level won’t reach, and if you look at the mountain wall in the distance, you will also find this demarcation line of the water level ～ where the water won’t reach there will be trees growing!

hexagonal booth(六角亭)

I went to Tai Po for lunch that day and took a walk to the Hexagonal Pavilion to digest my lunch. Personally, I think the beauty of the Hexagonal Pavilion lies in the large trees that surround it! These trees are even taller than the Hexagonal Pavilion, very spectacular.

It is relatively cool to hide under this tree on a sunny summer day, and the parasitic plants on the tree are so beautiful that many visitors just lie down on the stone chairs of the Hexagonal Pavilion to take a nap.

And the pavilion is surrounded by a large area of prairie, of course, if the reservoir level is too full, this place will be flooded.

Approaching the water’s edge to enjoy the view of the reservoir and the mountains.

From the red bridge in the photo, you can walk over to Tai Po Scenic Area, there are Hexagonal Pavilion, Tai Po Scenic Area, Tai Po Lakeside Park, and Lover’s Park on the google map, all of these places are actually very close, so you can spend some time to walk around at a time～.

Sai Hing Lookout

On the Taisan Line between the Observatory and Tai Po, you will pass by the Xixing Observatory, which has a good view of the reservoir, and there are parking spaces and toilets, so it’s a good choice for a rest stop on the way back to Tai Po!