Hiking, Hong Kong

One of the nicest trek is walking down from Ngong Ping to Tung Chung . There are lots of stairs and trail is quite sheer, but it is very easy to walk. If you are not very sporty or stupid, do as I done and walk downhill. Instructions: go left from Buddha stairs, over a tea room and stay left hand side. There are some old guest houses, but just go down that concrete trail. You may want sit a moment and watch as airplanes take off and lands.

When you arrive a small village just look a small gate on the left hand side, go thru and very soon you will hear a school (if it is a school day). After that just walk right that big road over highrisers, turn left and you will be very shortly to Tung Chung.

Apart from visiting major tourist spots, it's a good idea to explore the nature in Hong Kong.

There are many trails scattered over Hong Kong and there must be one which is suitable for you.

If you are interested in seeing waterfalls, go to Ng Tung Chai in Tai Po. There are totally 4 waterfalls including the longest one in HK. For more details, please read my travelogue.

How to get there?
Take KCRC (train) to Tai Po Market. Then take Bus No. 64K, get off at Ng Tung Chai and start hiking.

Time arrangement:
The train from Hung Hom to Tai Po Market normally takes 30 minutes.
The bus from Tai Po Market station to Ng Tung Chai takes around 20 minutes.
It will take you around 4 hours to hike around the area.

Have a nice trip!

Tung Ping Chau is an island which looks like what it's called in Chinese --"Ping", that means "Flat". It is located at "Tung"(East) of the city. "Chau" means Island. Water there is pretty clear BUT i have doubts if it's good to u when u swim in it. u can find lots of rubbish along the coastal area...LOTS! They're probably from the mainland(u can even find TV set, washing machines etc of Chinese brandnames)As a HK citizen, I indeed feel shame at finding such garbage scene in this Marine Park...& feel sad as well:-(Hope the Govn't will soon do something about it...
it's still a nice place to go thou. U can go camping, diving, fishing(not core area), hiking, swimming there, remember to bring enough water & insect repellent.

Places to stay:
-stores near the Pier offer cheap & basic accommodation w/ share cold w. bath(abt HKD50/night)
-stay w/ ur tent & stick to the camp site. (out of the site is illegal)

Places to eat:
-u can get food fr the stores on the island.These stores not only provide cookies, toasts,but Chinese food like fried rice/fried noodles w/ vegetables,meat,instant noodles w/ sausage/eggs/"lunch meat" & vegetables(HK style! ). For a fried rice which is enough for 2 ppl, it's about HKD35-45.
-For the drinks, naturally will be more expensive than usual.I had a glass of iced pineapple drink there,was only HKD10 thou.

When to go:
-as long as the weather is fine,unless u like the rainy scene,personaly prefer winter
-remeber only plan for ur trip on weekends & public holidays

Getting There & Away:
The only way of travelling between the island & the urban area w/ the public transportation is by ferry. U can find ferry services fr Ma Liu Shui Pier (take KCR & get off at University station, walk to the pier)to TPC Pier on Sat Sun & Public Holidays. The round trip fare is HKD80. It takes abt 90mins to the island.
-Sat:
To TPC, 9am & 3:30pm;
To MLS Pier,5:15pm
-Sun & PH:
To TPC, 9am;
To MLS Pier, 5:15pm.

There are several places to go that are not very far off the beaten path that will give you the feeling for HK daily life.

First is the escalator up to Mid-levels. From downtown HK central there is an escalator that goes up the mountainside to the apartments at mid-level. Not quite the KH people picture, but it is the HK of the upper class. Along the way to the top, you can explore the small shops and side streets.

Second is to go to Wan Chai and wander the side streets heading uphill. This is the area of the markets that often get destroyed in the Jacky Chan movies.

You can go over to Aberdeen and see the boat people. Rent a sampan and go out into the harbour. This is the site of many action movies. In future years your kids will remember it when they see an old James Bond movie.

You can also go over to Hong Hom and see people in their daily lives. You won't see the traditional wester view of HK, but you will see what it is like for average HK people.

Lion Rock lies on the hills of Kowloon and can be seen from very far away. It really resembles an lion that is watching over Hong Kong.

Nobody in Hong Kong wouldn't know what and where is the Lion Rock. There is even a song and a TV sitcom named after it.

Lion Rock is located inside Lion Rock Country Park. There are hiking trails inside the park. Some climbers love to climb here too.

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Although Hong Kong is an excellent place for hiking, a walking tour downtown isn't always easy in the hustle and bustle of the business and shopping districts. For Hong Kong Walks you can find the booklet with the same name "Hong Kong Walks", published by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

I loved to walk on the streets of centre of Hong Kong which felt released from the AC roofed-over promenades of the inside of Hong Kong Shopping Centres. When going for a city walk most important is a full water bottle. The high humudity during spring and summer can be enervating! Enjoy the glittering skyscrapers, the unique sights, sounds and smells ...

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Tung Ping Chau is the most north eastern island of Hong Kong and very very close to Mainland China.

this place got a very special landscape as this piece of land mainly made up by shale. Even Ping Chau country trail is an easy level even to children, it's gradient sometimes make you open your mouth and just "wow" especially when you are at Lung Lun Tsui and Lung Lok Shui.

you can also go scuba diving for the beautiful underwater living things. but i think it's better you check out if local stores in Tung Ping Chau supply scuba equipment.

Since only Sat and Sun got ferry, and only 2 ferries in a day, so dun be late or you gotta be stuck and need to call 999 for help.

by ferry, you can take the KCR to university station and get a cab for Ma Liu Shui ferry pier.
return ticket cost HKD80. do bring some food and drinks with you.

Unlike the other railway stations, the station at Tai Po Market was built in the Chinese style in 1913.

Open 9am-5pm daily, except Tuesday and some public holidays.

Directions
KCR East Rail to Tai Wo station. Walk about 10 minutes through Tai Wo Estate, towards Tai Po Market station, cross Tai Wo bridge and turn into Yan Hing Street, then turn left onto On Fu Road. Or take a short taxi ride from the station.

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Tung Ping Chau lies in the northeast of the New Territories. Due to its difficult accessibility, Tung Ping Chau preserves the most natural way of beauty, both on the land and in the water. In 2001, the government classified part of the water along the island as a Marine Park, with a view to protect its beautiful undertwater ecology. On the land, the island is famous for its natural rock formation. It's covered mainly by layered rocks called shale. Many geology students come here for field trips.

I always wanted to go hiking on the island but it's really a big challenge for me to get up so early at the weekend to catch the only available boat. Finally, my friends initiated the trip and I was forced to wake up.

The boat goes at 8.45a.m. on both Sat and Sun from Ma Liu Shui Public Pier (close to KCRC University Station) and back at 5.15p.m. from the island on the same day. (Yeah, if you miss the return boat on Sunday, you need to stay on the deserted island for 6 days! As the owners of the local stores also leave the island on Sunday night, it's really deserted!) We hiked around the island, along the coast, up the hill (which is not high at all), back to the coast and finally back to our start point in above 4 hours, including photo stops and a lunch break. It's a super easy and friendly route. After hiking, we went snorkelling!!! This was the highlight of my trip as it's my first time to snorkel in HK! iT's awesome!!! Lots of fish, corals (moving!!! and colorful), sea urchins, sea cucumbers.... luckily there's not jellyfish around :) If you're into diving, you can hire some gears here as I saw several groups of divers and diving boats during hiking.

Wanna enjoy living in such a natural world? Tai Cheong Store close to the pier provide simple overnight accomodation service and it costs HK$80. The store also serves tea/coffee/tou fu dessert/fried noodles in the day. Call 2656 3406 for details.

For transporation arrangement, please check out the following website or call to reserve tics.

Probably the most beautiful beach in Hong Kong.
Make your way to Sai Kung, you can either catch a bus from Choi Hung MTR station, or take one of many mini buses that go to Sai Kung.

Sai Kung used to be a sleepy fishing village but is now home to many people, Chinese and Westerners.

You can catch a bus from the bus station in Sai Kung to Wong Chek Pier.

Get off the bus at the top of the first big climb after you enter the country park (there's a barrier marking the entrance to the park).

Cross the road and the trail head is right in front of you.

From here it is about 2 hours walk down and along the coast, with a climb up and over to Tai Long Wan. You'll be able to see Sharp Peak en route (thankfully you won't have to climb it).