September 24, 2016. I turned 28 that day, and decided to go on a relaxed hike with friends complete with stunning coastal views. It’s not cold enough to do Sunset Peak in September, so I thought this leafy walk would be perfect for a sunny, breezy day. And it was.

View of Pui O from South Lantau Country Trail

Difficulty : Easy to Medium (Official guide grades it 2/4 but I would say it feels more like 2/5)

Distance : 10.3 km (we only did 8.2km)

Duration : 2.5-3 Hours

Starting Point : Nam Shan

Finishing Point : Pak Kung Au. The whole trail goes up to Tong Fuk Catchwater but we decided to cut our hike short and head to the beach for supper and a swim..

If you want to take public transportation, end your hike at Pak Kung Au. Otherwise feel free to continue down to the catchwater

Birthday hike crew: myself, Sandra, Moritz, Frank, Patrick

We picnicked at this waterfall; there were a few along the way

Get there

Start at Mui Wo Ferry Station. You can either walk or take any bus to Nam Shan – the beginning of the hike. We walked 2.5km (Lantau Trail Section 1 in its entirety) to the crossroads that began the hike.

From the ferry pier, just head to the roundabout where HSBC bank is, and keep going uphill South Lantau Road. Follow the yellow arrows denoting Lantau Trail.

Nam Shan – start of the hike

Forked path – follow the brown arrows

From Nam Shan, STOP FOLLOWING THE YELLOW ARROWS unless you want to do Sunset peak, which is more than double the difficulty and altitude of South Lantau Country Trail.

If you want to do the more challenging hike, do Sunset Peak. It goes up, up, up maybe 800-900 metres. I would only recommend this in colder weather, and if you’re in good physical condition. 🙂 South Lantau Country Trail only goes up to 384+ masl.

YES

NO

What a perfect day it was

You will cross a handful of waterfalls along the path

I wish I could go back to this rock and just chill all day on it

Cascading down

This trail is such a gem, scenic almost every step of the way

At Pak Kung Au, you can either continue 2.1km more to finish South Lantau Country Trail all the way to the catchwater, but we decided to head to the beach. I recommend taking bus 11 to Lower Cheung Sha beach and enjoying the sunset there, as you have your dinner.

However, the restaurant I booked that day wasn’t exacly the best. The Stoep had relocated and in its place is a newer, more modern Western joint called The Beach House (Read my review here). Ambience is great but food and service were sub par. Next time I’ll be trying the other restaurants on Lower Cheung Sha beach.

All in all, it was a lovely day. I couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather; the company was relaxed, and everyone enjoyed 🙂

Hope you have a good one too x