The Peaks and Beaches of Lantau Island
From the ferry pier in Mui Wo, we warm up by slowly making our way through a maze of concrete footpaths to reach the country park
boundary. This is then followed by a gentle climb along an old village path up to Nam Shan, where our challenge starts in earnest...
Ascending Sunset Peak involves tackling quite a few stone steps, but the higher we get, the more the path levels out, and the views, first over
Silvermine Bay and then over Pui O beach, are simply magnificent.
Just below the summit, we reach an old missionary summer retreat and pause long enough to catch our breath, before making our way
around the freely roaming cattle to begin a fairly steep downhill stretch. As we descend, we take in the superb views over the very inviting
Cheung Sha beach and our next challenge, the daunting 934-metre tall Lantau Peak, located at the other side of the deep Pak Kung Au gap.
While we don't have to go all the way back to sea-level, we soon realize that there is still quite a way up to the top of Hong Kong’s second
highest point. Yet, besides a healthy heartbeat, our well-trodden path provides stunning views over most of Lantau – and the many islands
beyond. We pause for breath at the peak while congratulating ourselves on having ticked these impressive mountains off our list.
To many, the descent from Lantau Peak is even tougher than the climb up. At first we scramble down a clearly marked but, at times, slippery
path. Then the steps begin…
They end when we reach the Ngong Ping plateau, where we stop here for a well-deserved lunch break at the Tea Garden.
We Continue our descnet after lunch, this time following a narrow dirt trail down the western slopes of Kau Nga Ling.Walking through shrubs
and woodland and across streams, we reach the dam of the large Shek Pik Reservoir. We take a last good look at the impressive mountain
that we have just conquered before crossing the South Lantau Road and head for Shek Pik Tung Wan. Archaeological excavations have
revealed that people have lived here since the New Stone Age...
With a little luck, we can make out the old padi terraces and vegetable fields of Shek Mun Shan before our trail starts winding its way around
the rocky slopes of Shek Mun Shan to reach the popular, but pretty beach of Lo Kei Wan. We pause only briefly before continuing across a
small hill to Shui Hau Wan - a very shallow pebble strewn bay where local villagers search for clams at low tide.
We cross Shui Hau Village before another short climb takes us to a nice level path along one of the catchwaters feeding the Shek Pik
Reservoir. Shortly afterwards, we descend into Tong Fuk, from where we follow the beach to the hamlet of Cheung Sha Ha Tsuen where we
conclude the day's long walk with a celebratory drink (and dinner?) at one of the popular resturants right on the beach.
From the ferry pier in Mui Wo, we warm up by slowly making our way through a maze of concrete footpaths to reach the country park
boundary. This is then followed by a gentle climb along an old village path up to Nam Shan, where our challenge starts in earnest...
Ascending Sunset Peak involves tackling quite a few stone steps, but the higher we get, the more the path levels out, and the views, first over
Silvermine Bay and then over Pui O beach, are simply magnificent.
Just below the summit, we reach an old missionary summer retreat and pause long enough to catch our breath, before making our way
around the freely roaming cattle to begin a fairly steep downhill stretch. As we descend, we take in the superb views over the very inviting
Cheung Sha beach and our next challenge, the daunting 934-metre tall Lantau Peak, located at the other side of the deep Pak Kung Au gap.
While we don't have to go all the way back to sea-level, we soon realize that there is still quite a way up to the top of Hong Kong’s second
highest point. Yet, besides a healthy heartbeat, our well-trodden path provides stunning views over most of Lantau – and the many islands
beyond. We pause for breath at the peak while congratulating ourselves on having ticked these impressive mountains off our list.
To many, the descent from Lantau Peak is even tougher than the climb up. At first we scramble down a clearly marked but, at times, slippery
path. Then the steps begin…
They end when we reach the Ngong Ping plateau, where we stop here for a well-deserved lunch break at the Tea Garden.
We Continue our descnet after lunch, this time following a narrow dirt trail down the western slopes of Kau Nga Ling.Walking through shrubs
and woodland and across streams, we reach the dam of the large Shek Pik Reservoir. We take a last good look at the impressive mountain
that we have just conquered before crossing the South Lantau Road and head for Shek Pik Tung Wan. Archaeological excavations have
revealed that people have lived here since the New Stone Age...
With a little luck, we can make out the old padi terraces and vegetable fields of Shek Mun Shan before our trail starts winding its way around
the rocky slopes of Shek Mun Shan to reach the popular, but pretty beach of Lo Kei Wan. We pause only briefly before continuing across a
small hill to Shui Hau Wan - a very shallow pebble strewn bay where local villagers search for clams at low tide.
We cross Shui Hau Village before another short climb takes us to a nice level path along one of the catchwaters feeding the Shek Pik
Reservoir. Shortly afterwards, we descend into Tong Fuk, from where we follow the beach to the hamlet of Cheung Sha Ha Tsuen where we
conclude the day's long walk with a celebratory drink (and dinner?) at one of the popular resturants right on the beach.
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| ... exploring Hong Kong's other side... |
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