

The Eastern Hills
(Ma On Shan, Pyramid Hill, Buffalo Hill and Tate's Cairn)
From Sai Kung town, our taxi winds its way up to the secluded village of Chuk Yeung, where we join the Maclehose Trail. We may rejoice in
the fact that we done one third of the mountain without having to any walking but, naturally, the joy will be shortlived as we have to gain
another 350 metres of altitude over the next couple of kilometres.
Fortunately, the steeper sections of the climb are usually followed by rather flat ones, where we will have plenty of stops for, shall we say,
photo ops… And the really good thing is that the climb really is far less difficult than it seems, when you look up at the daunting, yet ruggedly
beautiful, slopes of Saddle Mountain, or Ma On Shan as it is known locally.
Approximately 150 metres from the top, the Maclehose Trail wears away from Ma On Shan, but, unfortunately, the path to the very top is
poorly maintained, so this time we will simply just sit down and enjoy the spectacular scenery.
After this well-deserved rest we continue along the ridge, keeping Sai Kung and Port Shelter on our left, until we reach the Ngong Ping
plateau and seemingly find ourselves about as far away from the concrete jungle of Hong Kong as can be imagined. Rolling hills, small
woodlands and plenty of bird song makes this place the ultimate contrast to the metropolis most people think synonymous with Hong Kong…
Beyond the Ngong Ping plateau, our path climbs gently up Buffalo Pass and then runs along the lush slopes of Buffalo Hill before reaching the
impressive Tate's Cairn. A final climb on a dirt trail amongst war time relics takes us to Sha Tin Pass Road and the little store at the pass
itself.
From the pass, it is a long but steady descent into the city where we visit the impressive Wong Tai Sin Sik Sik Yuen temple, before hopping on
the MTR (underground) and go home.
... exploring Hong Kong's other side...
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Hansen's Hikes
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by Hansen's Events
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