Sleep your way to Hong Kong! Take a relaxing weekend trip to the great outdoors!

Preface

🎉Great news! Starting June 15th,
🚄 sleeper trains will be available between Beijing and Hong Kong, as well as Shanghai and Hong Kong!
Residents traveling north can sleep in Hong Kong!
High-speed trains will also connect directly to Hong Kong from over 70 stations nationwide!

Please see the map below for specific stations.

Take Shanghai, for example, with the D907 train. After get off work on a Friday, you can leisurely walk to the high-speed rail station, grab dinner there, and then get on the train. Once you're on the train, you can just lie back, play with your phone, and drift off to sleep. The next morning, you'll arrive at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station! Get up, stretch, brush your teeth, get off the train, cross immigration, and even have breakfast in Mong Kok—so cool!

🇨🇳🇭🇰Hong Kong, a legendary city, Hong Kong's legend does not end today. Thirty years ago, the mainland was mostly barren, while Shanghai's Yellow River Road was full of flowers, and Hong Kong, a city, is as prosperous as it is today.

Although Hong Kong is an international financial metropolis, it also boasts numerous beautiful mountain and sea views, including the famous "Four Trails of Hong Kong" and more than 200 outlying islands.

Today, let’s take a look at some of the most fun weekend destinations in Hong Kong!

The famous MacLehose Trail

Hong Kong's legend is not limited to the city. Beyond the concrete jungle, it is also an outdoor paradise with many long-distance hiking trails. Among them, the MacLehose Trail is the first of Hong Kong's four major trails.

It was opened in 1979 and named after Sir Murray MacLehose, the then Governor of Hong Kong. It was selected as one of the "Top 20 Best Hiking Trails in the World" by National Geographic Magazine, which shows that its reputation is well-deserved.

The Mak Trail is divided into ten sections, starting from Pak Tam Chung and ending in Tuen Mun. There is a distance marker every 500 meters along the way, with a total of 200 markers for the entire 100 kilometers. It spans 6 of Hong Kong's 18 administrative districts and 8 of the 24 country parks.

As one of the "best hiking trails in the world", the MacLehose Trail offers camping, hostel and leisure versions, a four-trail trek and a 7-day 100km (full section) to suit tourists of all ages.

The scenery of Maijing is most exquisite in sections one and two, which bring together many famous scenic spots such as High Island Reservoir, Po Pin Chau, Hong Kong Global Geopark, Long Ke Wan, Sai Wan Shan, etc.

💧High Island Reservoir

High Island is the reservoir with the largest water storage capacity in Hong Kong. It was built a year before the opening of the Mack Trail. Its main feature is its East Dam, and the first section of the Mack Trail will pass by it. Under the sunlight, the water is clear and blue, as beautiful as a natural gem.

🏖️Pobianzhou

Po Pin Chau is a small branch of the Mai Trail Sections 1 and 2, and a popular check-in spot. Located not far from Dongba, Po Pin Chau was originally a mountainous peninsula, but erosion later transformed it into an independent island. The mountain is steep, so be sure to look down when you visit.

🌋Hong Kong Global Geopark

Located at the junction of Maijing Sections 1 and 2, it is the end of the road section and the starting point of the hiking trail. It is famous for its hexagonal rock columns and coastal erosion landforms. Its volcanic rocks can be traced back to 140 million years ago. It is a rare World Geopark in an international metropolis.

🌊Langke Bay

Starting from the geological park and climbing over a hill, Langqi Bay appears before your eyes, with its shady green trees, white sandy beaches and turquoise waters. This is not only a paradise for hikers, but also a back garden for citizens. Speedboats, paragliding, beach walks...joy fills the entire bay.

⛰️Sai Wan Shan

This is the highest point of Maijing Section 2, about 300 meters above sea level, and it is a little difficult to climb. As the saying goes, "Climbing high and seeing far is beneficial." This place is backed by a mountain on one side and surrounded by the sea on three sides. Climbing to the top of Xiwan, you can watch the clouds rising in the sea breeze, which is spectacular.

The Hundred Miles Wheat Trail offers ten scenic sections, each with its own unique charm. Following this, there are Ma On Shan, Lion Rock, Tai Mo Shan and other interesting rural areas. Cement, stone steps and dirt roads intersect, and bays, mountains and streams coexist. You may also encounter 🐒 macaques, 🐗 wild boars and 🐂 cattle.

Tips:

You can also find traces of Hong Kong’s “Four Poisonous Weeds” in Maijing, but don’t worry, you’ll be fine if you don’t eat them!

It is rumored that a hundred years ago, Hong Kong people took the initiative to introduce macaques in the hope that they would eat poisonous plants, including Gelsemium elegans, also known as Heartbreak Grass, and Strychnos nux vomica. It can be a good medicine in traditional Chinese medicine, but it can also be a deadly poison in "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace". The "Qianji Medicine" that Wei Yanwan was forced to drink was made from it.

In addition, feeding wild animals such as macaques and wild boars is prohibited in Hong Kong, so don’t throw the snacks you bring to the animals, and don’t eat seeds of flowers and plants that you don’t recognize, to stay safe!

🔻Recommended routes:

"Jigongling" Hong Kong's version of Wugong Mountain

If there is a place where you can see mountains, meadows, villages, cities, bays, bridges and docks at a glance, it must be Jigongling, where you can travel light and not get tired!

Jigongling was originally named Guijiao Mountain or Guajiao Mountain. According to the "Da Qing Tonglian Zhi," "Guajiao Mountain is located 30 miles south of the county. Its two peaks protrude like horns, called Da Gua and Xiao Gua, and also known as Niutan Mountain." Meanwhile, in the Xin'an County Annals, "Guajiao Mountain, also known as Guijiao, is located 40 miles southeast of the county. The mountain is home to many old laurel trees, and the two peaks face each other, giving it a horn-like shape, hence the name." Most of Jigongling falls within the Yuen Long District, and the majority of the mountain range also belongs to Lam Tsuen Country Park.

🔻Recommended routes:

Tap Mun Island, a paradise for cattle

There is a large green oasis on Tap Mun Island, which is a paradise for cattle. Cows can walk and graze freely here. The only drawback is that they are occasionally harassed by humans asking for photos.

There are not many people and the security is good, so it is not difficult to hike around the island. The ice milk tea with sea urchin fried rice is a must!

🔻Product Recommendation:

New internet celebrity "Tung Ping Chau"

I thought the MacLehose Trail was beautiful, but Tung Ping Chau was even more stunning! Home to Hong Kong's largest coral formation, this spot is one of the few places in Hong Kong where you can experience this amazing sedimentary rock formation. It's both a treasure trove of landforms and a haven for living creatures!

The tour leader will bring a drone for aerial photography, so you can capture the famous "Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" without being affected by the weather!

Since there are few boats going to Tung Ping Chau, there won’t be too many people going to the island at one time, so the experience is great!

🔻Route recommendation:

Tai O Fishing Village: Hong Kong's version of Venice

Tourists are sparse here, and the area is pristine and unspoiled. On both sides of the riverbank are huts built by fishermen over a hundred years ago, each one connected to the other, forming a dense network.

At sunset, we hiked to the Tiger Mountain Observation Deck. This trail leading to the sea and sky is known as the "Hong Kong version of Jeju Island." In the distance, we could see planes taking off from the international airport and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

Hong Kong Island Trail: Beautiful Mountain and Sea Views

It was named the best urban hiking trail in Asia by Time Magazine (Asia Edition) and one of the four major hiking trails in Hong Kong. The Dragon's Back section is the highlight of the Hong Kong Island Trail, where you can enjoy the beautiful mountain and sea views on a leisurely hike.

Relaxing time on Lamma Island

Lamma Island is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Take a weekend trip to this beautiful fishing village to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and experience the slow pace of life.

Cheung Chau Island fishing village

There are more than 200 outlying islands in Hong Kong, and Cheung Chau Island is the most lively one. There are restaurants and snack shops scattered around the island, which has retained the original appearance of a small island fishing village.

This is the hometown of McDull and the birthplace of the famous Cheung Chau glutinous rice cake. The fish balls here are even more famous, and the story of Hong Kong's iconic "Cheung Po Tsai" is also here. From the Central Pier, it only takes a few dozen yuan and less than an hour to reach Cheung Chau Island. Even if you stay here for a weekend, you won't feel bored.

🚶🏻‍♂️Departure:

Walk straight along the skywalk from Central to the Central Pier. Then walk a short distance to the Star Ferry boarding point. At this point, take the stairs on the left down to the ground level. There is a row of piers, including the famous Cheung Chau Island, Lamma Island, Lantau Island and other small piers with different routes. It is easy to find the one for Cheung Chau Island by looking at the signs when heading to different outlying islands.

🚢Route:

There's a fixed schedule for boats, so you don't need to buy tickets in advance. You can just go whenever you want. There are two types of boats: fast and slow. The journey time isn't much different, arriving in just over half an hour. Tickets are all just a few dozen yuan, so the difference isn't too big. The biggest difference is that the fast boat can be even more rocky when the weather is a little rough! So if you're prone to seasickness, definitely take the slow boat! If you enjoy the feeling of weightlessness from taking off from the spot, try the fast boat.

🤪Play:

Cheung Chau Island is long and narrow, but after arriving on the island, the main attractions are at Dongwan Beach near the pier and Saiwan on the right. There are no cars on the island, but you can rent a bicycle. If you have enough time and energy, you can walk. It takes about two or three hours to visit the western half.

✅Check-in:

Sai Wan boasts Cheung Po Tsai Cave, Pak Tai Temple, and the Cheung Chau Rock Carvings, but the Cheung Chau glutinous rice cakes and fish balls are a must-try! I haven't quite figured out how delicious they are, but in Macau, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, the glutinous rice cakes are all labeled "Cheung Chau." So, since you're here, why not try some? Near the central plaza, there are plenty of great value coffee shops and tea restaurants, making it a great option for brunch and afternoon tea.

⚠️Reminder:

Although you can enter and walk through Cheung Po Tsai Cave, it is very deep and dangerous! As shown in the picture above of me drilling the cave, if your clothing and physical strength do not allow it, don't try it! It is very dangerous! Just look at the entrance of the cave ~ haha

🔻Route recommendation:

The Essence of Chinese Culture: Hong Kong Palace Museum

The Forbidden City is not only in Beijing, but also in Nanjing, Shenyang, Taipei and Hong Kong.

From the second half of last year to the second half of this year, the Sanxingdui special exhibition at the Hong Kong Palace Museum will end soon, don’t miss it!

There are many interesting exhibition halls in the Hong Kong Palace Museum. The weather is so hot during the day! The Hong Kong Palace Museum is definitely a great place to spend a whole day!

BMW Hill, which is as good as Victoria Peak

On Hong Kong Island, there is not only Victoria Peak, where you can overlook the Victoria Harbour, but also Braemar Hill, which does not require admission.

🚌Take minibus No. 25A from Hong Kong Island and get off at St. Joan of Arc Secondary School. Walk up the mountain and you can overlook the beautiful scenery of Tsim Sha Tsui and Central from the perspective of God in Causeway Bay. The sunset here is also unique.

Romantic seaside Kennedy Town

As a celebrity check-in spot, the terminus of the Island Line has an unbeatable sea view and is surrounded by many cost-effective tea restaurants and cafes.

Cool off in the summer at Sai Wan Swimming Shed

Starting from Kennedy Town, it only takes half an hour's city walk to reach the Sai Wan Swimming Shed, where you can dive into the sapphire blue sea and say "hello" to Hong Kong's summer.

Stanley, an urban seaside destination

Stanley, also known as Repulse Bay in English, is a seaside destination far away from the city. Here you can surf, play in the water, and stroll through shopping malls. It is a great place to kill time and experience a slow pace of life.