[2025 Hong Kong Attraction] Travel Guide for MacLehose Trail Section 2(Ham Tin Wan) (Updated May)

If you're looking for a day hike in Hong Kong, I highly recommend MacLehose Trail Section 2. During the hike, you'll be amazed by the endless mountain peaks and sea of clouds. Each mountain you conquer is a spiritual journey, as if the whole world suddenly becomes clear. Overlooking the bay cliffs, you can immerse yourself in the vibrant life of nature. Of course, hiking is not just about the scenery; it's also a process of self-challenge and growth. When you stand at the summit, gazing at the beautiful scenery below and watching the sunset, all your fatigue will disappear, leaving you with a sense of accomplishment and joy. Don't let the noise of the world drown you out, and don't let the fears in your heart control you. "If the road ahead seems long, look back at how far you've come."

Chek Keng is located in the east of Sai Kung. It is a coastal lowland surrounded by mountains on three sides and Chek Keng Hau in the north. There are hiking trails, a youth hostel and a pier. (Occasionally, boatmen will pass by and ask if you want to take a boat.) There is a flat grassland in Chijing where you can camp. There is a convenience store not far away where you can get supplies and a public toilet. It is a very convenient camping spot. After crossing Chek Keng, you can also hike to Ham Tin Bay and Big Wave Bay, where the scenery is first-class. (It just takes a certain amount of time and energy to get there. And you need to plan your departure route in advance and do it according to your ability.) However, if you are a novice hiker, starting from Beitan'ao, a large section of the road is mainly downhill, which does not require much physical strength. There are fewer forks on the way, so you don't have to worry about getting lost. It allows novice hikers to enjoy the tranquility and beauty brought by nature in Chek Keng. And there is enough time for a half-day tour at any time.😊 🚶🚶🚶Simple hiking route: Pak Tam Au - Chek Keng - Chek Keng Pier (The journey is about 3-3.5 kilometers and takes 45 minutes to one hour.) 1: Transportation: 🚌 (weekdays/weekdays) Monday to Sunday: Take bus No. 94 from Sai Kung Bus Terminal and get off at "Pak Tam Au" stop. (Next to the public toilet across the street) Start walking to "Chek Keng". 🌟🌟🌟 On weekdays, you can only return by the same route when you hike to Chek Keng, or continue hiking to Xiwan Pavilion or leave through Langjia to High Island Reservoir. (For this route, you need to be fully prepared in terms of time, route, and physical strength!) 2: Transportation: 🚌+🚤 (Service is only available on Saturdays and Sundays) ——Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: Take bus No. 94 from Sai Kung Bus Terminal, take bus No. 96R from Diamond Hill MTR Station, take bus No. 289R from Shatin City Centre to "Pak Tam Au" Station, get off and walk across the road next to the public toilet to "Chek Keng". - Take bus No. 94 from Sai Kung Bus Terminal, take bus No. 96R from Diamond Hill MTR Station, take bus No. 289R from Shatin City Centre to the terminus "Wong Shek Pier" station, and take the street ferry to "Chek Keng". 🌟🌟🌟 However, the ferry service is less frequent, so make sure you check the ferry schedule before departure! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 It is recommended to take the street ferry to "Huangshi Pier" on the return trip and transfer to the bus to leave. The last ferry from Chek Keng Pier is at 17:20 If you miss the street ferry, if you are lucky, there will be a speedboat. The boatman will ask if anyone needs to take a boat, and you can also take it to Huangshi Pier. #weekendplaces #hkhikingroute #chekkeng #hongkong #hkplaces #HongKongHiking

Ham Tin Bay is located in Sai Kung East Country Park. It is one of the four bays in Sai Kung and has been listed as a designated camping site in Hong Kong by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Agriculture Department in recent years.⛺️ During holidays, many tourists from all over the world come here to camp, using the beach as their base and enjoying the sound of the waves. Ham Tin Bay has clear water, fine sand, a vast area and beautiful environment. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the coast and overlook the Anaconda Point, one of the three peaks in Hong Kong. In addition, Ham Tin Bay is close to Sai Wan, Tai Wan and Tung Wan. There is a dilapidated wooden bridge connecting the beach and the store in Ham Tin Bay, which is one of the landmarks of Ham Tin Bay. It is suitable for one-way walking. If you meet someone walking in the opposite direction when walking across the bridge, please be patient and courteous and take turns crossing the bridge! 🌟🌟🌟 Surrounding facilities: There is a store (with a paid shower area), a designated camping site, and a public toilet 🌟🌟🌟 Conduct a safety assessment before playing in the water and pay attention to safety. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility. Please take your own garbage away. Since we all know how to appreciate the beauty of nature, I believe that we must have love for nature, and love will not cause any harm, right? 🩵 (I hope the beautiful natural environment will not only bring you a photo🙏🏻) Hiking trails: Xiwan Pavilion—Chuitong’ao—Dalangxiwan—Xiantianwan—Dalang’ao—Chekking—Beitan’ao Total distance: 11 km, takes 3.5-5 hours 🌟🌟🌟Transportation: 🚌: Take the NR29 village bus at No. 16, Chin Man Street, Sai Kung (in front of McDonald's) and get off at "Sai Wan Ting" and start walking 🚕: Take a taxi in Sai Kung to Sai Wan Pavilion and start walking. 🌟🌟🌟 Retreat: Monday to Sunday: Walk to Pak Tam Au, take bus No. 94 to Sai Kung, and transfer to other area buses Saturday, Sunday and holidays: Walk to Pak Tam Au and take bus No. 96R to Diamond Hill MTR Station Walk to Pak Tam Au and take bus 289R to Shatin City Centre (Of course, you can also start hiking in the opposite direction of Beitan'ao, but the village bus service on the way back through Xiwanting is less frequent, so it is not so convenient to retreat.) 🌟🌟🌟 If you have limited energy, you can also take a speedboat back to "Ham Tin Bay". (Since there is no pier in Ham Tin Bay, you need to board the speedboat in Jianshui.) You can also walk to Chek Keng and take the ferry to Huangshi Pier, then transfer to the bus to leave. (Because it still takes 45 minutes to one hour to walk from Chek Keng to Beitan'ao.) #HongKongGoodPlaces #Hiking #Ham Tin Bay #WeekendGoodPlaces #HongKongHiking

🌄Hong Kong's MacLehose Trail is known as one of the most beautiful trails in the world. It is 100 kilometers long and divided into ten sections, making it perfect for mountaineering and outdoor enthusiasts. 🚶‍♀️Section 1: Pak Tam Chung to Long Ke, 10.6 kilometers long, mainly asphalt road, where you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the High Island Reservoir. 🏞️Section 2: Long Ke to Pak Tam Au, 13.5 kilometers long, one of the most popular mountain trails, where you can experience the beauty of the Hong Kong coastline. 🌲Section 3: Pak Tam Au to Kei Ling Ha, 10.2 kilometers long, requires crossing many mountains and forests, and sometimes you may encounter small snakes. 🌊Section 4: Kei Ling Ha to Tate's Cairn, 12.7 kilometers long, with mountain views, sea views, rainforests, and grasslands along the way. The scenery of Sai Kung in the distance is super beautiful. 🏙️Section 5: Tate's Cairn to Tai Po Road, 10.6 kilometers long, close to the city, convenient for the return trip, and you can also pass the World War II site and Lion Rock Country Park. 🐒Section 6: Tai Po Road to Shing Mun Reservoir, 4.6 kilometers long, the shortest and easiest section, where you may encounter macaques. 🌳Section 7: Shing Mun Reservoir to Lead Mine Pass, 6.2 kilometers long, with more climbing, you can overlook Sha Tin, Kwai Chung, and Tsuen Wan. 🏔️Section 8: Lead Mine Pass to Tsuen Kam Au, 9.7 kilometers long, requires crossing Tai Mo Shan, where you can overlook the New Territories. 🌳Section 9: Tsuen Kam Au to Tin Fu Tsai, 6.3 kilometers long, the whole journey is on the forest road of the country park. 🌊Section 10: Tin Fu Tsai to Tuen Mun, 15.6 kilometers long, the longest section, the scenery is similar to Section 9, and the feature is Hong Kong's "Thousand Island Lake". Recommended hiking route: MacLehose Trail Section 2, which is more popular, not difficult, and has beautiful scenery.

To save trouble, I signed up for a two-day and one-night hiking tour to the MacLehose Trail. It is indeed quite hassle-free. So is it necessary to join a tour group? Just share it briefly. We gathered at Shenzhen Liantang Port. There was a huge crowd of people going through the customs. We had to wait for people to gather at each stage. This was quite tedious and time-consuming, but later on, we chartered a car from the port to Saigon Pier, and then from Saigon to the starting point of the hike and camping, which was very worry-free. 🔹DAY1️⃣ (Pictures 10-11) [Beitan'ao-Ham Tin Bay Camping 6 km] Starting from the second stage end of Beitan'ao, the concrete road is shaded by trees. The whole journey is like walking in a park. The 130-meter climb is also very friendly. As for the 🏕️beach camping experience at Xiantian Bay... the atmosphere is there, but the fine sand covering the tent is real (it is recommended to camp on the villagers' land in Xiwan Village if possible, but the space is very limited). ▶ Camping tips: 1. The tour group you sign up for will provide you with tents and moisture-proof mats, but it is cold at night in February and March so you need to prepare sleeping bags. You can rent them at the convenience store for HK$50 each, and the deposit is also HK$50. 2. The convenience store provides meals, with a meal costing from a few dozen to a hundred dollars. Coke costs 25 and mineral water costs 15. It is slightly more expensive than in the city but acceptable. 3. You can also take a shower and use the toilet in the convenience store. A shower costs 40 yuan for 15 minutes. The toilet is quite clean, but there are few seats and you need to queue. 4. Exchange 300-500 Hong Kong dollars in advance. Convenience stores only accept Hong Kong dollars, and you can use it in taxis later. 🔹DAY2️⃣ (Pictures 12-13) [Ham Tin Bay - Sai Wan - Long Ke Bay - High Island Reservoir - Po Pin Chau 12 km] Today is the highlight! The whole journey from Ham Tin Bay to Po Pin Chau was full of energy💯 ✓ We encountered a wild boar family🐗in Sai Wan Village and took photos quietly without disturbing each other. ✓ The dirt road of Xiwan Mountain is what hiking should be like. ✓ Langjia Bay🌊That section is very beautiful and wonderful. ✓ The Wanzhu Coast of Pobian Island is worth seeing. ▶ Hiking tips: 1. Xiwan Village is the last supply station for this section! Bring enough water and food for the trip. 2. It is recommended to take the official route to Po Bin Chau, as the path is very narrow, steep and congested. 3. The group will be disbanded when we arrive at the reservoir. It is recommended to get a taxi at High Island Reservoir before 3pm. There are many taxis. We can share a taxi with 4 people to go to University Station. The fare will not exceed HK$250, which is cheap and convenient when shared per person. 【Summary】 ▪️The reverse crossing has no traffic jams, and the route and intensity are suitable for outdoor novices. An experienced person can probably complete the two-day journey in one day; ▪️For friends from other places, if you want to save trouble, want to travel light, or worry about language barriers, it will be easier to join a group; ▪️For friends in the Greater Bay Area, there is really no need to join a group. I personally think the most convenient way is to cross the border from Luohu or Futian, take the subway to the University Station, and take a taxi to the starting point of the hike. Even if you don’t share a ride, you can accept the taxi price. It is very convenient to download the route and rent a tent at a convenience store.

"One Sharp Peak, Three Heads, and Four Bays" refers to "蚺蛇尖 (Sharp Peak), 米粉咀 (Rice Flour Head), 短咀 (Short Head), 长咀 (Long Head), 东湾 (East Bay), 大湾 (Big Bay), 咸田湾 (Ham Tin Bay), and 西湾 (West Bay)." It is the most scenic of Hong Kong's "four major hiking test routes" and the second test route I have hiked. Unfortunately, like the first one (Bowen Double Crossing), I underestimated the difficulty of the route and completed it in two separate hikes. The standard route is: Pak Tam Au — Chek Keng — Tai Long Au — Sharp Peak — Rice Flour Top — Rice Flour Head — Short Head — Long Head — East Bay — Big Bay — Ham Tin Bay — West Bay — Chui Tung Au — Sai Wan Pavilion. The total length is about 27 km, and it takes at least 8 hours. The three heads require returning along the same path. Some sections overlap with Section 2 of the Maclehose Trail. Although this route is challenging, the scenery between the mountains and the sea is superb and highly recommended. Figures 1–4: View from the top of Sharp Peak. Figure 1 shows Long Head and East Bay, and Figure 2 shows East Bay and Big Bay. Figures 5–7: Scenery of Rice Flour Head. Figures 8–10: Scenery of Short Head. Figures 11–15: Scenery of Long Head. Personally, I think Long Head has the best scenery. Figure 16: East Bay. Figure 17: Big Bay. Figure 18: Ham Tin Bay, with Sharp Peak in the distance. Figure 19: West Bay. Figure 20: A distant view of the four bays from Long Head. Transportation: Buses 94 and 96R are available to Pak Tam Au. The NR29 village bus is available to Sai Wan Pavilion, or you can take a taxi. The last NR29 bus on weekends is at 6 pm, and there are up to 5 buses per departure.

MacLehose Trail Section 2 offers a spectacular hiking experience in Hong Kong. Spanning 13.5 km, this section starts from Long Ke and ends at Pak Tam Au. The trail features stunning coastal views, pristine beaches like Sai Wan and Ham Tin, and lush green hills. The terrain is moderately challenging with some steep climbs, but the breathtaking scenery makes it worthwhile. Along the way, you can enjoy views of the turquoise waters and rugged cliffs. It's a perfect day hike for nature lovers seeking a mix of adventure and tranquility in one of Hong Kong's most beautiful natural settings. #summerdestinations #hongkong #hiking #citywalk