One of the best places in Hong Kong to feel that you have gotten away from it all is the Plover Cove Country Park in the northeastern New Territories. Today’s relatively easy walk will take you through mountain valleys, around old fields, along rocky shores of small inlets and past abandonned villages.
And yet, one of the more spectacular sights of the day is just a few minutes walk from the bus stop. We start the day by visiting Mirror Falls – one of Hong Kong’s more impressive waterfalls. From here we skirt the villages of Wu Kau Tang and Kau Tam Tso to enter the country park. We make sure that we get the day’s climbing over and done with as soon as possible, before we reach Sam A Tsuen at the western edge of the Yan Chau Tong Marine Park.
In Sam A Tsuen we benefit from the entrepreneurship of the Hong Kong people as we enjoy a delicious lunch at one of the restaurants which open on week-ends only to cater to passing hikers.
Apart from the tasty food and cold drinks, we also savour the tranquility of this beautiful corner of Hong Kong. One of the few places where jack hammers are unknown and mobile phones useless…
After lunch we follow the very colorful shoreline for a while, before heading back inland past the ruins of Ha Miu Tin and Sheung Miu Tin. Our walk ends at the new minibus stop in Wu Kau Tang. Consisting of a number of interconnected villages, Wu Kau Tang, according to the Hong Kong WWF, is one of the most species rich lowland forest sites in Hong Kong. A total of 164 tree species have been recorded in the Wu Kau Tang fung shui wood of which over ten are rare.
We will have a look around this remote outpost of civilization before returning to the city using various means of public transport.