Officially part of the New Territories, Hong Kong’s 260-odd Outlying Islands make up twenty percent of the SAR’s land area but contain just two percent of the population. As such, they offer visitors a delightful mix of seascape, low-key fishing villages and rural calm, with not much high-density development. The islands of Lamma and Cheung Chau are fairly small and easy to day-trip around, while Lantau has a far greater range of sights and might even demand a couple of visits. You can also make use of local accommodation and base yourself on any one of the three, or just hop over for an evening out at one of the many fish restaurants. The main point of departure for all three islands is the Outlying Islands Ferry Pier in Central; Lamma can also be reached by ferry from Aberdeen, while the MTR links a couple of places along Lantau’s north coast.
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Lamma
Lamma
Lying just to the southwest of Aberdeen, Y-shaped Lamma is the third largest island in the SAR – though at only around 7km in length, it’s still pleasantly small. The island is identifiable from afar thanks to its power station, whose chimneys are unfortunately obvious; and a new wind turbine on the island’s northeastern headland. Lamma’s population of five thousand live mostly in west-coast Yung Shue Wan, and the rest of the island is covered in open, hilly country, with walking trails out past a couple of beaches to Sok Kwu Wan, a tiny knot of seafood restaurants on the upper east coast. A nice way to appreciate the island is to take a ferry to either Yung Shue Wan or Sok Kwu Wan, then walk to the other and catch the boat back from there.
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Cheung Chau
Cheung Chau
Another great place to spend a couple of hours strolling around and then have dinner, hourglass-shaped Cheung Chau covers just 2.5 square kilometres but is the most crowded of all the outer islands, with a population of 23,000. Historically, the island is one of the oldest settled parts of Hong Kong, being notorious as an eighteenth-century base for pirates who enjoyed waylaying the ships that ran between Guangzhou and Macau. Today, it still gives the impression of being an economically independent little unit, the main streets jam-packed with shops, markets and more seafood restaurants. If you can, visit during the extraordinary Tai Chiu (Bun) Festival in April/May, when the island fills to critical mass with raucous martial-arts displays, dragon dances, and a competition to climb vast conical towers made of steamed buns.
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Lantau
Lantau
Mountainous Lantau is twice as big as Hong Kong Island but far less developed, despite the proximity of the International Airport just off the north coast. More than half is a designated country park and remains fairly wild, with trails linking monasteries, old fishing villages and secluded beaches. There are some major sights here, however, notably Hong Kong Disneyland on the northeast coast; the western fishing village of Tai O; and Po Lin Monastery, with its mighty Big Buddha and wonderful Ngong Ping 360 cable-car, a 5.7km ride that takes 25 minutes and provides fantastic panoramas of Lantau’s steep north coast.
