Nothing quite like this full-day hike on the outlying islands to get away from the hustle and bustle of busy Hong Kong life!
Views from the beach off the beaten path!
Difficulty Rating: 9/10 (If you stick to the path, it is a lot easier, but we climbed the rocks and rummaged through a jungle filled with insects so that we could get to the beaches and witness these magnificent views)
Duration: 5 hours (Could be shorter if you spend less time on the beaches or in the jungle)
Cell Service: 5/5
Instagrammability: 5/5
How to Get There:
Hiking Directions:
Central Ferry Pier No. 6 --> Mui O Ferry Pier --> Shap Long Village --> Pui O --> Mong Tung Wan --> Sea Ranch --> Cheung Chau --> Central Ferry Pier No. 5
* The route in blue is the one we took and we do NOT recommend it for beginners as the path was not clearly marked. The route in red would be a better option and Tai Long Wan beach is quite beautiful too.
Once you get off the ferry at Mui Wo, walk along "Mui Wo Ferry Pier" road (image 1) towards the ocean until you see the "Lantau Trail (Pui O)" sign (image 2) on your right (easier to find if you use Google Maps to get to"Shap Long Committee Office".
After 25 mins, follow the sign that says "To Chi Ma Wan Road via Shap Long" (image 3)
If you keep going ahead and go off the trail, you will end up at a dead end with a great view of the ocean and interesting graffiti walls (image 4).
Stick to the path, and there are beautiful views on your right (image 5).
There are two mini waterfalls along the way which are a blessing on a hot day (image 6).
If you go off track, you can also walk on the secluded beaches and climb over rocks to get from one beach to another (image 7). This is a little more on the adventurous side because of all the crazy bugs on the rocks.
Once you reach Shap Long Village, you can stock up on water and energy drinks at the blue house/shop in the middle of the village (image 8).
From this point onwards, we recommend that you map to "Tai Long Wan" (1 hour via Chi Ma Wan Rd), and then to "Sea Ranch" (1.5 hours). Both beaches are gorgeous! However, if you map directly to "Sea Ranch Beach", the path will go via Pui O and through difficult sections in the jungle with all sorts of insects.
Once at "Sea Ranch Beach", you can take a sampan (small boat) to go to Cheung Chau (~40 mins). We bargained down to HK$120 for 4 people. At the bottom is a list of phone numbers that you can call to book when you are almost there.
Panoramic view of Cheung Chau from the sampan.
Water Taxi Number
92190065
92150865
94929754
90565095
Overnight Water Taxi Number
92377501