The most gorgeous hiking trails in Hong Kong just might be found in Sai Kung. The “backyard of Hong Kong” is indeed filled with endless trails in its expansive country parks and UNESCO protected geopark. While there are still a lot of hikes I need to try, I’ve listed my favorites that I’ve done here. You can click on the headlines to be directed to the in-depth hiking guides from other websites that I’ve used.
Jump ahead:
- Tai Long Wan (Moderate)
- Sai Wan Pavilion (Easy)
- Sharp Peak (Difficult)
- Shortcut Sharp Peak (Moderate)
- Sharp Island (Easy)
Tai Long Wan Hike
Hong Kong’s best beaches at Tai Long Wan are only accessible by speed boat or by hiking the first section of the MacLehose trail. You will need to take a 30 minute green taxi from Sai Kung town to High Island Reservoir East Dam to connect to the start of the trail.
It’s a moderately challenging trail that has uphill climbs that eventually descend into each of the beaches of Tai Long Wan, so you can choose how far along the trail you want to go before you relax at the beach per the timings outlined in my Tai Long Wan guide. If you want a very easy way to get to the beach, you can simply hike 25 minutes to Long Ke Wan.
If you can make it past the tough climb after Long Ke Wan beach, you’ll be rewarded with the view pictured below. The whole hike is unbelievably beautiful though definitely taxing, especially if it’s hot out so be sure to have plenty of water and maybe even a sun umbrella or fan if you do this hike between May-October.
You can then continue on the MacLehose trail to get to Sai Wan beach, and eventually Ham Tin Wan, where you’ll get the iconic shot of Tai Long Wan.
Sai Wan Pavilion Hike
For the quickest hike to Sai Kung’s pristine beaches, you can take a red Urban taxi all the way to Sai Wan Pavilion without having to make a stop in Sai Kung Town (about HK$400), though if you do make a stop in town, you can reach Sai Wan Pavilion by a 25 minute green taxi or by taking the cheaper (though infrequent) NR29 village bus. From Sai Wan Pavilion, it’s an easy 40 minute, mostly downhill and partly shaded hike with literally only 1 short uphill ascent the whole way. You’ll have views of the reservoir and beaches along the way until you reach Sai Wan beach, where there is a tiny village with a restaurant and a couple of beach shops.
Sharp Peak Hike
If you’re ready to tackle a truly challenging hike with unbelievably beautiful views, then try hiking to Sharp Peak. It’s the literal sharp, pointy peak that’s visible along the Tai Long Wan hike, and the final stretch requires some strenuous scrambling with your hands up the steep mountain to reach the tip top, so I’d recommend gloves for this hike.
The hike begins at Pak Tam Au, with a very easy beginning section that passes a lake before entering the country park with some shaded trails. The final ascension to Sharp Peak is steep and exposed, so this is definitely a strenuous hike that requires you to have a good level of fitness.
The hardest part in my opinion is actually the path down from the peak, as it’s quite eroded with gravel so it takes a long time to carefully make the trek down. But along the way down, you’ll be able to see all 4 beaches of Tai Long Wan at once – definitely worth the effort! And the hike ends at Tai Wan beach with an easy walk to the restaurants at Ham Tin Beach, so you can take a refreshing dip and have a meal after your hike is over.
Shortcut Sharp Peak Hike
If you wanted to get a similar view without having to do the steep scramble up to Sharp Peak, there’s a shortcut along the trail from Pak Tam Au that leads you directly to Ham Tin Wan beach in about 1.5 hours (just follow the signs along the route), bypassing Sharp Peak itself. From there, you can basically do the hike in reverse by walking from Ham Tin Wan to the end of Tai Wan to reach the end of the trail.
Work your way up the trail toward Sharp Peak until you see the view you want, then turn around and go back the way you came once you’ve gotten your photos. I haven’t actually done this since we only did the descent from Sharp Peak, but considering the difficulty of getting to the top of Sharp Peak, this is a worthy option for seeing the views while still ending at the beach.
Sharp Island Hike
While Sharp Peak is one of the hardest hikes in Hong Kong, Sharp ISLAND is one of the easiest and most rewarding. You take a short boat ride from Sai Kung Public Pier to the scenic Half Moon Bay (Hap Mun Bay), then do an easy hour long hike that ends at a dog beach at Kiu Tsui. There’s also volcanic rocks and a small island that connect to Kiu Tsui that you can explore.
Or you can go in reverse and take the boat to start in Kiu Tsui if you’d prefer to end the hike at Half Moon Bay, which has a sprawling beach and is consistently ranked as having the cleanest water in Hong Kong for swimming.
Some other hikes around Sai Kung that I still need to check out myself include hiking through the UNESCO protected geopark and the Sheung Luk Stream.
