China Guide
Hong Kong
Sai Kung Peninsula Country Parks
Opening time: Pak Tam Chung visitors' centre: daily Mon & Wed– Sun 9.30am–4.30pm
Address: Pak Tam Chung: (bus #92 from Diamond Hill MTR to Sai Kung Town, then bus #94
The eastern part of the New Territories has Hong Kong's prettiest beaches and walks, especially around the irregularly shaped Sai Kung Peninsula, jagged with headlands, bluffs and tiny offshore islands. This is Hong Kong's least developed area, and a haven for lovers of the great outdoors.
The highlights of Sai Kung are the country parks that cover the peninsula with virgin forest and grassland, leading to perfect sandy beaches, where you can go snorkelling. Although it is possible to see something of these on a day-trip, the best way really to appreciate them is to bring a tent or consider staying at the youth hostel on Sai Kung.
Pak Tam Chung visitors' centre supplies hikers with maps and vital information about the trails.
Of the many possible hikes, the MacLehose Trail, liberally dotted with campsites, heads east from here, circumventing the High Island Reservoir before heading west into the rest of the New Territories. If you want to follow the trail just a part of the way, the beaches at Long Ke, south of the reservoir, and Tai Long, to the northeast, are Hong Kong's finest, though to walk out to them and back from Pak Tam Chung takes several hours.