My favourites so far.
1. Cheung Sha Wan - Lantau Island
For cows and glamping..
Only 15 minutes by taxi/bus from the Mui Wo Ferry port, if you get the fast ferry it is possible to be there in about an hour from central (although the taxi's don't seem to be too reliable from the taxi stand). I paid about $60 in total for the journey. (MTR from Mong Kok, fast ferry from central, then shared taxi).
This is possibly the most beautiful beach I have seen in Hong Kong. It has a long stretch of white sand, the water is lovely to swim in and there are a handful of nice restaurants to eat at. We ate at The Stoep for lunch, a South African themed bar - great food, right on the beach too.
There are also some Native American style TeePee's which can be rented out for an alternative camping (or 'glamping!') experience.
We even got to pet some cows!
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A hike and a beach.
$15.50 for a red mini bus from the bottom of Dundas Street in Mong Kok to Sai Kung down, we then caught a taxi from Sai Kung to Sai Wan pavilion for around $80. There is also a bus (27R, catch it from outside McDonalds) which is $17.
The Pavilion is the start of the hour long hike to one of the most beautiful beaches in Hong Kong. The journey to this beach is just as beautiful as the beach itself.
You get to see this view on the way.
At the end of the hike (which isn't too strenuous, there's a bit in the middle which is very uphill but quite manageable) you are rewarded with this beach.
If you walk to the end of the back and take a left before the stone bridge crossing the lake, then climb over some rocks (not the easiest of climbs), there are some waterfalls where you can sit, swim and even do some cliff diving!
Surf Hong Kong is located on this beach, camping is also possible if you would like to make a weekend of it.
There are two options for getting back to civilisation. Take the hike back to the pavilion and catch the bus to Sai Kung town. Or take a speedboat directly from the beach back to the town.
The first time I came here we did the hike and bus back, we left when everyone else did (after sunset) so the queue for the bus back was huge. We waited for nearly an hour and a half at the Pavilion, then we had the half hour bus journey back. So from the beach to Sai Kung it was a three hour journey. Not ideal especially when we then still had the journey back to Mong Kok.
The second time we got a speedboat back, costing $120 each. This option is more expensive but much quicker, half an hour as opposed to three hours the previous time. Not only is it more time efficient it was much more fun! We left at 6.30pm so had a beautiful sunset journey back to Sai Kung where we arrived just in time for dinner. (We had a great meal at AJ's Sri Lankan Cuisine, the only Sri Lankan restaurant in HK!)
I would definitely recommend the speedboat option back, the boat holds around 12 people, so if you are in a small group try and find people to join up with you throughout the day. We didn't know you could do this until some guys approached us at lunch to make up their boat. No more three hour journey back to Sai Kung again!
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| walking to our speedboat |
There are a few more beaches in Sai Kung which I haven't been to yet, we're planning on paying 'Ah Kwok' on Sha Ha beach a visit next time we head to Sai Kung to hire some kayak boats and explore the islands. Apparently the night time squid fishing is a good trip out too.
3. Lamma Island.
A beautiful chilled out island..
Read my post on the lovely island of Lamma here
4. Stanley
Not just a beach!
Stanley is a lovely spot, the beach is a lot busier than the others an not quite as 'tropical island' beautiful, but it's a lovely area with lots to do, you could easily pass a day there without even going to the beach. You can spend time browsing the markets and shops, or eating and drinking in one of the many bars and restaurants. I always pay a visit to the Smugglers Inn, the walls are covered in notes with messages left by previous guests. The food is good (British style pub food) and is one of the cheaper options for eating along the waterfront.
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| Smugglers Inn |
I'm sure there are more HK beaches that I am yet to discover, but these are my favourites so far.
Anyone know of any more beautiful beaches in Hong Kong?
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