Aberdeen, Hong Kong

for most people who have a bit of time to explore hong kong its well worth a short bus ride to aberdeen to see aberdeen harbour and jumbo floating restaurant. there are a few buses that go to aberdeen promenade from canal road under the overpass near hennessy road in wanchai. on the way there you will pass through the aberdeen tunnel which is an experience in itself too. get off at aberdeen promenade and get a sampan ride to the floating restaurant which is visible from aberdeen harbour. the food at the restaurant is not as good as you might think but its worth getting a few photos of the largest floating restaurant in the world. if you have more time in aberdeen theres a tin hau temple worth seeing too, and if you are feeling really adventurist, the aberdeen country park is not far from the tin hau temple and is great for hiking. along the way it will take you past the aberdeen resovoir and eventually you can reach victoria peak via the winding roads at the end of the aberdeen country park but be careful as the roads are narrow and not alot of room to walk on footpaths.

One of the most memorable things I did in Hong Kong was to take a Sampan ride around Aberdeen harbour. You can easily catch a Sampan from the Promenade on the harbour side, haggling is OK. During the summer months fishing is banned in the South China Sea so I was lucky enough to see the entire fleet of Junks sitting in the harbour. On the tour you'll spot the incredible Jumbo Floating Restaurant (Largest in the world), extravagantly luxurious yachts and powerboats, as well as the everyday people on their huge houseboats, complete with TV and fridge. Apart from the harbour, the rest of Aberdeen is pretty unremarkable and the boat tour can be combined with visiting another area of the island such as Stanley or one of the country parks.

Aberdeen was a traditional fishing village back in the 70s when my mom took this picture, but she tells me that there are now many more tall buildings on the surrounding hillsides. Still, the fishing boats are still here full of families going about their life on the boats. You'll also find the famous Jumbo floating restaurant here.

Located on the north side of Hong Kong Island, Aberdeen (aka Little Hong Kong) is the home to one of the great collections of SanPans (aka Junks) house boats and floating seafood restaurants.

To get here from Central, take the #7 Double-Decker bus. Grab a front seat on the upper deck and you'll get a great view of Causeway Bay and the old Race Track. Duck as the bus enters the tunnel ! ;)

Aberdeen is a must-see destination in HK. The Aberdeen folk live on their boats. It is their way of life, and many choose to return to their boats although they or their families own homes on terra-firm. It is a dying scene.

Do expect to be pestered by touts selling worthless trinkets when going out on the boat trip to see Aberdeen. Even the boatman/lady will be trying to sell you keychains and tea cosy. That's the downside. But just keep a cheerful front, and a polite No will keep the trip pleasant and educational.

As we tour around the HongKong Island, I've seen all of diffirent types of fishing areas. One of it is the Amberdeen Fishing Village. This is the home to where the floating restaurants are located and where the largest area of fishermens live. I've also seen boat houses and fishing boats but we're very clean and the area is being maintained! The guide told us that one can go glide the sampan ride to experience a first hand "water" lifestyle"! But never tride it as I'm from Philippines and I grew up were my grannies had their own fishing areas too in the province;-) So, did not ind taking one!

If you like you can go try the sampan ride but be sure you know how to swim!

Aberdeen lies on the southern side of Hong Kong Island and is the largest separate town on the island. It used to be a refuge for pirates two centuries ago and later it became a simple fishing village. Over the years, more and more high-rise buildings have been built here and Aberdeen has become a modern town with bustling waterfront activity. Jumbo the floating restaurant lives here (see travelogues). You can still see boat-dwellers who shuttle backwards and forwards in their sampans.
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Aberdeen is a fascinating place. Many Chinese live on sampans there. It is also the home of the famouse Jumbo floating restaurant.

Once a quiet fishing village, Aberdeen is now a thriving town best known for its floating restaurants, excellent seafood and waterborne population. You reach the restaurants by motor launch. See my travelogue on Aberdeen.