

Saddle Mountain
(Ma On Shan)
The good news is that we start our walk as soon as we reach Sai Kung City and won’t see another bus until we reach Hebe Haven. The bad
news is that we have to get over a big mountain to get there…
Having followed the waterfront for a while, we leave Sai Kung town behind us and soon find ourselves on old village roads climbing steadily
but relentlessly... We pause regularly to take in the views over Port Shelter. The paved road ends near the village of Chuk Yeung, where we
join the MacLehose Trail rejoicing in the fact that we done one third of the mountain without having to deal with any steps. Naturally, this will
soon change as over the next couple of kilometres we climb yet another 350 metres. 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…
Our hike ends with a descent through woodlands and nurseries to the village of Pak Kong, from where it is but a short trot down to Hiram’s
Highway and into Pak Sha Wan where we suggest ending the hike with a lunch while overlooking the coming and going of yachts into Hebe
Haven…
Hansen's Hikes 38 D, Tower 2, Sham Wan Towers 3, Ap Lei Chau Drive Ap Lei Chau Hong Kong
Tel: (+852) 9552 0987 E-mail: info@hansens-hikes.com
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Hansen's Hikes
... exploring Hong Kong's other side...
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