Hong Kong & Macau - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 139

sunbathing. his stretch is particularly
popular with local hikers, but you don't
have to go far to find yourself in blissful
solitude: walk along the trail to Pak Kok
Tsuen and you'll pass through a lovely
bamboo grove, or take a detour to
deserted Tung O beach along a trail
that branches off before you reach the
kamikaze caves.

is due west of the ferry pier. Windsurf
boards (from HK$100/hr) and kayaks
(from HK$65/hr) are available for rent
during the summer months at the nearby
Windsurfing Centre ( W ccwindc.com.hk).
To walk round the southern half of the
island, follow signs from here for the
Mini Great Wall , which is actually a ridge
leading past some interesting rock
formations. As a general rule, paths
branching off to the right take you back
towards the village, while left forks keep
you going round the coast. Past the
cemetery, follow signs down to Pak Tso
Wan for a peaceful, secluded beach. It's
also worth detouring to the Cheung Po
Tsai cave on the island's westernmost tip;
pirates used it to stash their booty in the
eighteenth century. A similar signposted
circular walk covers the northern half
of the island. Each loop takes about
three hours.

Cheung Chau Island
Cheung Chau is just south of Lantau and
an hour from Hong Kong by ferry.
Despite its minuscule size of 2.5 square
kilometres, Cheung Chau is the most
heavily populated of all the outer islands,
and the narrow strip between its two
headlands is jam-packed with tiny shops,
markets and seafront restaurants.
As well as delicious alfresco meals, the
island offers some good walks and several
temples, the most important being the
colourful two-hundred-year-old Pak Tai
Temple (daily 7am-5pm), a few hundred
metres northwest of the ferry pier. For a
few days in late April or early May the
temple is the site of one of Hong Kong's
liveliest and most unusual events, the
Tai Chiu (Bun) Festival , which sees
participants scale a 20m bamboo tower
covered with buns.
he main beach on the island, the
scenic but crowded Tung Wan Beach ,

3

Lantau Island
With wild countryside, monasteries,
old fishing villages and secluded beaches,
Lantau Island - twice the size of Hong
Kong Island - offers the best quick escape
from the city. Former governor Crawford
Murray MacLehose declared all areas of
Lantau more than 200m above sea level
a country park; so Lantau remains
relatively peaceful.

HONG KONG OUTDOORS
Hong Kong is not just a heaving metropolis, and there are ample opportunities for hiking and
biking. The islands of Lamma and Cheung Chau provide easy, paved walks around
headlands, while Lantau , especially in the southwest corner, offers spectacular mountains, sea
views and camping. Hong Kong Island is bisected by the 50km-long Hong Kong Trail :
passing through five country parks, it's best done in segments. Further afield, the area around
Plover Cove Reservoir in the New Territories, reachable by taking East Rail Line MTR to Tai Po
Market stop and then by bus #75K, is prime hiking and biking country, with rugged trails of
varying lengths and di culty ratings. Sai Kung Peninsula , affectionately known as the “back
garden”, also has tremendous outdoor appeal, boasting watersports, snorkelling, trekking and
the Territory's second tallest mountain - Ma On Shan - which peaks at a challenging 702m.
The free Hong Kong Tourist Board brochure The Inside Guide to Hikes and Walks in
Hong Kong provides basic maps and information on walks around Hong Kong, and the
helpful Discover Hong Kong website ( W discoverhongkong.com) provides detailed info
on hikes, including e-books. You can also consider investing in Pete Spurrier's thorough
Serious Hiker's Guide to Hong Kong (available in most bookshops). Decent trainers are enough
for most walks.
If you don't fancy heading off into the wilderness alone, try Walk Hong Kong ( W walk
hongkong.com); they offer excellent, highly informative guided walks in English or German,
while Kayak and Hike ( W kayak-and-hike.com) explore Sai Kung by kayak and on foot.