Scenic Beauty, Ecological Highlights And The Strangest Housing Development In Hong Kong
REPORTING BY Ray Au PHOTOS BY Andrew Spires
Nestled deep within Lantau South Country Park in the southeastern corner of Lantau, Chi Ma Wan Peninsula is a remote and seldom-visited outcrop replete with secluded bays, white-sand beaches, untamed hinterland and towering peaks. The scenery is seriously majestic and, since there are no roads to speak of, the best way to see it in all its glory is on foot
A hiking trail from Pui O takes you there via Mong Tung Wan. You’re heading into remote territory and, in untouched places like these, you can expect to see some of Lantau’s rarer species of wildlife up close. The few residents live in scattered hamlets and the one-time upscale development Sea Ranch.
Hiking here, you may not see anyone outside your group, particularly if you bypass the ‘popular’ stretches of Lantau Trail, so you need to bring all your provisions with you. If you’re making a weekend of it, you can stay at the youth hostel in Mong Tung Wan, or pitch your tent at the free, public campsite at Tai Long Wan. You’ll find there’s plenty to do. In addition to hiking, there’s swimming, fishing and rock climbing (all of the climbs at Eagle Crag and Temple Crag are between 17 and 24 metres), plus all kinds of technical single-track mountain biking without too much hill climbing, a rarity in Hong Kong.
Traces of man are few and far between in Chi Ma Wan Peninsula but there are a couple worth exploring. Chi Ma Wan Reservoir, with a capacity of 738,000,000 cubic feet, was once the largest reservoir in Hong Kong. Today, it is our third largest, ranking after High Island and Plover Cove. On its shores you’ll find two prisons – a youth offenders’ establishment and Chi Ma Wan Correctional Institution – both now out of use. Christian Zheng Sheng College, a private boarding school aimed at rehabilitating young drug abusers, lies a few kilometres southeast of Chi Ma Wan.
Notably too, as history buffs will tell you, the government has recently finished restoring a group of ancient limekilns in Yi Long Wan. These relics, which date back to the Sui Dynasty (500 AD), are now open to the public.
AT A GLANCE
Illustration by Sammy Lo Photos by Andrew Spires
LOCATION
Sandwiched between Mui Wo and Pui O on Lantau’s southeast coast, Chi Ma Wan Peninsula is located within the boundaries of Lantau South Country Park. There are many trails in the peninsula: Section 12 of the Lantau Trail cuts through it and it’s looped by the 18.5-kilometre Chi Ma Wan Country Trail.
TOPOGRAPHY
Chi Ma Wan Peninsula is contoured by coastal headlands and secluded bays. It boasts numerous pristine, white-sand beaches, notably Chi Ma Wan (Sesame Bay), Cheung Sha Wan, Tai Long Wan (which translates as Big Wave Bay, one of five in Hong Kong), Yi Long Wan and Mong Tung Wan. Its untamed hinterland is hilly and well-forested and there are two towering peaks – Lo Yan Shan (303 metres above sea level) and Tai Ngau Wu Teng (275 metres above sea level).
GETTING THERE
This is designated country parkland so there are no roads into the peninsula. You can hike or bike your way in or get a friendly boatman to drop you off in one of the bays.